2005-S 25c Clad Quarters Proof Set, 5 Coins PR

Original Packaging: Two similar holders were required to house the eleven coins in 2005’s complete Proof set, and they differed only in their inserts and the selection of coins included. Each holder consisted of a two-piece, transparent plastic casing with frosted borders. This held a blue fiberboard insert featuring a background graphic of the American flag and holed appropriately for the coins it contained. One holder housed the cent, two Westward Journey nickels, and a dime, half dollar, and dollar, while the other contained the five statehood quarters for 2005. The inserts were labeled UNITED STATES MINT PROOF SET™ and UNITED STATES MINT 50 STATE QUARTERS PROOF SET™, respectively. The quarter insert also bore the U.S. Mint seal. The two holders were stacked and slipped into a flimsy white cardboard box. This box was printed primarily in blue and featured a head shot of the famous statue “Liberty Enlightening the World,” along with starred upper and lower borders, the U.S. Mint seal with a flag streaming from it, and the words UNITED STATES MINT PROOF SET 2005. The latter two elements both carried trademark symbols. On the reverse was the Treasury Department logo in white against the blue flag backdrop.

Offered separately, as well as in the complete set, were the five statehood quarters. The component parts of this set were as described previously, but it had its own outer box displaying a view of the American eagle in blue and the Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program logo. To the right of the eagle and below the logo were the words UNITED STATES MINT 50 STATE QUARTERS PROOF SET 2006™. A border of stars appeared at top and bottom, and the names of the five honored states were listed above the lower border.

Offered for the first time this year was new product called the UNITED STATES MINT American Legacy Collection. Reminiscent of the Prestige Proof sets of earlier years, this was simply a deluxe packaging option for coins that could be purchased individually or as a part of smaller sets. It included the complete, eleven-piece clad Proof set, as well as the year’s two commemorative silver dollars honoring James Marshall and the U.S. Marine Corps. These were contained in a wallet-like presentation in which a black center panel held the coins, while two hinged side panels folded over the center to enclose the set. The title was printed on the outside of these side panels, and the entire unit had a hinged stand on the back for upright display. Though the clad Proof set included therein utilized the conventional plastic holders described previously: the holders were mounted at a right angle to their normal orientation, and the coins were likewise 90 degrees from their normal positioning within the holders.

Commentary: The quality of the 2005-S clad Proof sets seems to have been satisfactory, though there were still some complaints that the desired degree of frosting on the coins’ devices was not always maintained. The creation of seven new coin types for this year’s Proof set was a tough order to fill, and the Mint may be forgiven for not having sufficient time to perfect each design.

As in 2004, the 2005 Proof set included two nickels in place of the usual single entry. These coins were likewise part of the U.S. Mint’s Westward Journey Nickel Series™. The familiar Houdon bust of Thomas Jefferson is depicted again, but in a new interpretation designed by Joe Fitzgerald and sculpted by Don Everhart of the Mint’s staff. Recruited as part of the Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program, Fitzgerald chose to show America’s third president in profile, but with a slight turn toward the viewer. In a novel twist, the legend liberty is reproduced in Jefferson’s own handwriting. The reverse of this feature portrays a bison standing upon a mound, reminiscent of James Earle Fraser’s nickel design of 1913. In an interesting coincidence, the Kansas quarter issued this year bears a similar reverse, marking the first instance that the U.S. Mint has coined two bison coins in a single year. Now, with the American Buffalo gold bullion coins being produced annually, this could easily happen again.

The second nickel for 2005 was the fourth entry in the Westward Journey series. Appearing early in the year as part of the Proof sets, it was not released into circulation until midyear. Combined with the Fitzgerald portrait of Jefferson is a distinctive reverse depicting the Pacific Ocean as it must have looked to Lewis and Clark as they stood near the mouth of the Columbia River. A journal entry by William Clark from November 7, 1805, reads, “Ocean in view! O! The joy!” and it is this memorable quote that is reproduced on the reverse of the nickel. This reverse is a collaborative effort between Fitzgerald and Mint sculptor Donna Weaver.

Source: Whitman