The United States Mint is always turning out new and exciting numismatic products. But Summer 2009 was on a completely different level.
If you were actively hunting or stacking back then, you know the government gave us an incredible mix of old-school favorites, a few wild new kids on the block, and some high-end silver and gold pieces that would instantly supercharge any collector’s display case.
The catalog that year was absolutely stacked. Here’s the lineup that had the entire coin community blowing through their hobby budgets.
Massive 18-Coin Proof Set
A coin collector’s favorite, U.S. Mint proof sets are again being sold by the United States Mint. Sales officially started on June 1, 2009.
If you love crisp, frosted devices and mirror-like fields, the 2009 U.S. Mint Proof Set is an absolute gem.
Instead of a standard small plastic lens, this massive set was packed with a whopping 18 coins total:
- 4 Lincoln Bicentennial cents – tracking Abe’s life from the log cabin to the presidency.
- 6 DC & U.S. Territories quarters – stepping away from the main 50 states for a minute.
- 4 Presidential dollar coins – keeping the presidential motorcade rolling.
- 1 Native American dollar coin – featuring a fresh Sacagawea reverse design.
- 3 Regular Standbys – a proof Jefferson nickel, Roosevelt dime, and Kennedy half dollar.
The Cost: The U.S. Mint sold this 18-coin proof package for $29.95.
36-Coin Uncirculated Mint Set
The mint set is another item that collectors snap up from the U.S. Mint every year. The U.S. Mint set includes uncirculated coins.
If you preferred raw, uncirculated luster over proof finishes, the Mint dropped the companion Uncirculated Mint Coin Set later that summer.
This thing was a literal brick containing 36 coins! It gave you 2 exact copies of every single coin listed above: one pack from the Philadelphia Mint and one from the Denver Mint.
2009 Guam Quarter
The 3rd quarter of the DC & U.S. Territories Quarters series was released on June 4, 2009.
You could grab a 2-roll set (40 Philadelphia Mint / 40 Denver Mint) for $32.95 OR a full 100-count canvas bag from your choice of mint.
Don’t forget, you can also find proof versions of the Guam quarter in the various proof sets that were made by the U.S. Mint.
Hunting for the new DC & U.S. Territories Quarters straight out of circulation was half the fun of 2009. But if you needed a clean way to show them off, the Mint rolled out a specialized, multi-color folding DC & Territories Quarters Map with dedicated slots for the whole ’09 run.
Silver DC & U.S. Territories Quarters Proof Set
The Mint also released 90% silver proof versions of the 2009 DC and U.S. Territories Quarters.
So if you wanted to skip the clad, you could pick up this handsome set of just the 6 Territory Quarters struck in pure 90% silver for $29.95 from the U.S. Mint.
2009 Ultra-High Relief Double Eagle
Now, if you want to talk about an absolute jaw-dropper of a coin that sent collectors into a frenzy, there’s the 2009 Ultra-High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin.
This stunning piece of bullion art was an exact, modern recreation of legendary sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ 1907 Extremely High Relief design. Back in the early 1900s, the Mint’s machinery simply couldn’t handle mass-producing a coin with that deep of a 3D strike, so they were forced to flatten down the relief for standard production.
In 2009, digital tech finally caught up to Saint-Gaudens’ dream. The Mint unleashed this breathtaking coin on June 3, 2009, struck in exactly 1 ounce of pure 24-karat gold.
Original Issue Price: It listed in the U.S. Mint catalog for $1,289.00 — an absolute steal looking back at where spot gold prices have gone since!
Did you pull the trigger on that legendary Ultra-High Relief gold piece when it dropped? Or were you strictly loading up on those 18-coin proof sets to get your Lincoln penny fix?
Drop a comment below and tell me what you’re still holding from the class of 2009!
If you’ve got a pristine set of those 90% silver territory quarters in your stack, snap a clear picture and post it below so we can all can check out those deep cameo fields.
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