My 1964 Mint Set
Private
Updated:
2/9/2026
Views: 91
1964 was a year that saw many significant events. Perhaps the most significant of those events was the British Invasion. The Beatles were the most significant of the British groups that invaded the American rock and roll scene.
The Gicless Print of the group appears to the left of these comments. Their costume is that associated with their hit album, Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band released in the summer of 1967. I was in high school when that happened, and I remember the excitment of those days.
The Beatles burst on the scene that year having ten songs on the charts, six of which made it to Number 1: (1) I Want to Hold Your Hand, (2) She Loves You, (3) Can't Buy Me Love, (4) Love Me Do, (5) A Hard Days Night, and (6) I Feel Fine. Those of us who were present for the music remember each of those songs -- the sound track of our youth I suppose.
1964 was also a significant year in numismatics. This was the last year for silver in our circulating coins. The fact that the United States was still on the gold standard and the fact that gold and silver prices are highly correlated meant that silver prices we subject to the vagaries of the market, but constrained by the fixed price of the dollar to gold, hence silver. The price of silver in December of 1945 was 52 cents per ounce and would increase to 89 cent by Christmas of 1955, and by the end of the year in 1964 it rose to $1.30. In 1945 the silver in a dime was worth about 3 and 3/4 cents, but by 1964 it was 9.34 cents. By 1974 the price of silver was $4.46 and the silver in a dime was worth more than 32 cents. Image what it is with silver at $85 an ounce!
This was not the only problem. The Gross Domestic Product of the US in 1950 was $320 billion dollars, and by 1960 it increased to $540 billion -- it increase by nearly 69%. Because of that increase in economic activity, the demand for currency for transactions increased by roughly the same amount -- which meant the Mint had to produced more coins. To keep up with demand, meant the costs would be unsustainable if the Mint kept using gold, silver and copper. Something had to give and it did, that's one of the reasons we have clad coins today.
This set marks the end of an era. Precious metals would hence forth be relegated to coins for collectors and not for commerce. The time period following 1964 would also see a marked difference in our popular music, after the British invasion, the Beatles, Rolling Stones etc. would provide us with a more diverse rock and roll. This set celebrates both. I began this set on February 3, 2026.
This is one of the bookend to my Silver Mint Set Project. I hoarded a mint set in 1946, the first year after the 35% silver Jefferson Nickel, through to 1964 the last year for the 90% silver dime, quarter and half dollar. I decided to do it this way rather than create a custom set -- this was more fun in my humble opinion.
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