The market has taken a shine to the U.S. Mint’s 2012-S and 2013-S Silver Proof sets. The Silver Proof set series started in 1992 and its popularity has ebbed and flowed since.

Some of the sets from the 1990s are available for little more than their bullion value, while others, like the 1999-S set, have become key collectibles with current prices at multiples of their original issue price. 

The 2014-S Silver Proof set went on sale April 29 and retails for $53.95 from the Mint. The set contains 14 coins, each bearing the San Francisco Mint’s “S” Mint mark. 

Struck in 90 percent silver are the five 2014 America the Beautiful quarter dollars, along with a Roosevelt dime and Kennedy half dollar.  

Also included are four Presidential dollars and one Native American dollar, a Lincoln cent and a Jefferson Head 5-cent piece. 

The mintages for the Silver Proof sets are much lower than the traditional Proof sets with coins in their circulation compositions. 

For example, the sales chart records 419,720 2013-S Silver Proof sets (no longer available for sale by the Mint), compared with nearly 800,000 regular 2013-S Proof sets (which are still available for sale by the Mint for $31.95). 

2013-S Silver Proof sets are currently trading in the secondary market at the $80 to $90 level and were available from the U.S. Mint at the issue price of $53.95 last year. 

The 2012-S Silver Proof set was originally priced from the Mint at $67.95 (due to higher silver prices at the time) and saw a mintage of 395,443, representing a substantial drop from the 574,175 mintage reported for the 2011-S Silver Proof set. 2012-S Silver Proof sets are trading in excess of $200 now, providing a fast profit for those who purchased them just a few years ago from the Mint. 2011-S Silver Proof sets are at a more modest $70 to $80 level, due to a higher mintage which seems to satisfy marketer and collector demand. 

The 2012-S regular Proof set has also seen huge price gains with sets regularly selling for more than $100. That set went on sale May 7, 2012, for $31.95.

As with any new issue, it’s a guessing game as to whether or not a given issue will go up in value. But, one should certainly keep an eye on the building mintage of the 2014-S Silver Proof set.