Summer not slow for plain vanilla proof set

It is gratifying to look at 2008 proof set sales this week. From a numismatic standpoint, they are so wholesome and ordinary.

It may seem odd to use the word ?wholesome? in a numismatic context, but in my life of coin collecting, the proof set has been part of the bedrock.

When we didn?t have them 1965-1967, collectors felt deprived. When we got them back in 1968, we felt like it was Christmas even though we griped at the ?shockingly? high price of $5.

Well, the 2008 set saw sales increase by 49,416 this week. That is healthy summer demand. Other numbers change by a few dozen or a couple of hundred here and there. It is nice to see the bedrock product continue in demand.

The July silver Eagle numbers are lagging. That is probably due to the drop-off in silver blank deliveries to the Mint in June rather than any decline in market demand for the coins. Bullion is still hot as banks fail and stock prices tumble.