The results of my 25th Anniversary SAE submissions are in, and I am nowhere near Kamakazy's royal flush.

My 25th Anniversary SAE grades are in, and it is a full house, with the three mint-state coins grading MS-69 and the proofs grading PF-70. While I am a little disappointed with the overall results, I am ecstatic that the reverse proof is PF-70! Of the five coins in this set, the reverse proof is my favorite coin. The mirrored devices and frosty fields make for an extraordinarily beautiful coin that in my eyes stands head and shoulders above the rest.

My fascination with coins struck in reverse proof started with the 20th Anniversary SAE. I remember receiving the US Mint's flyer in the mail and quickly dismissing it because I did not know exactly what a reverse proof coin was. Much later, having seen photographs of a 2006 reverse proof SAE, I regretted not purchasing it.

Two years ago in an effort to make up for my mistake, I purchased a 2006 reverse proof 68 as a type coin. At that time, I recall that PF-70's were very expensive and even now, one sold in November for $546.25 at Heritage. For $169.00 my 68 was a very attractive alternative.

Now fast-forward two years and I have a chance to upgrade the 2006 coin with a bonus of four additional coins for $300! For a month leading up to the 25th anniversary sale, I debated whether I would purchase a set at all, but as the purchase date approached, I was caught up in the hype. Therefore, with a renewal coupon to cash in for grading, I decided to purchase one set and take whatever grades I got.

Obviously based on my perspective, purchasing and grading a 25th anniversary set has paid off. Only time will tell what the value of my coin will be, but consider this, the 2006 reverse proof with a mintage of 250,000 and a NGC population of 9,255 coins grading at PF-70 representing 19% of all the coins NGC has graded lists for $550 FMV. As you can see, the 2011 reverse proof with a mintage of 100,000 has a lot of potential for growth with very little, if any downside.

In summary, while it would have been nice to have a royal flush, I think I can live with the grades I got. After all, a full house more often than not is the highest hand on the table. Additionally, for now, I think I will also hang on to my 2006. In closing, I hope that you are all happy with the grades you get, and I wish you the best.

Gary

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