Is it better to collect 1936 to 1942 proof coins by the set or by the individual coin?
At one time, the proof set of 1936 to 1942 was the way to go, but today due to the hairsplitting grades assigned by third-party certification services, it would be challenging to find one of these sets intact as it was issued. Trying to match the coins in a set of any of these dates both grade-wise and with matching tone is challenging, but this is what collectors appear to favor.
 
Are proof sets for 1957 to 1963 still readily available, or have most of them been broken out to grade the coins individually?
There are still a significant number of original sets from the time period of 1957 to 1963 still available; however, if someone suspects even a single coin from such a set may grade significantly higher than the others, or if an individual coin appears to have frosted highlights, you can anticipate that set will be broken

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