Thursday was a day of excitement, anger and despair for many coin collectors who attempted to place an order early for the new US Mint Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set.

Whether an order was placed by phone or straight from the Mint’s Web site, the more likely outcome for most collectors was inaction and irritation. Visitors to the site were greeted with a "Service Unavailable" or simply a generic "The connection was reset" message. The site was down more than up. Those calling on the phone were met with a repeated automated message "We are unable to answer your call at this time. Please try again later."

The sets were released at noon ET. By accounts, the Mint appeared to be the busiest they have ever been this year. An easing seemed to occur after the first hour went by. After many, many repeated attempts, phone orders went through more readily. The web appeared to be a bigger problem. The Mint site returned to a more normal and consistent behavior by 3:30 pm ET. By evening, it was as smooth as ever.

Of course many collectors were more than frustrated. The Mint did have more staff on hand, but it comes to a point that there is only so much they can do when there appears to be tens of thousands of collectors who come knocking on the door nearly at once. Read the rest of this entry »

An objective of many coin collectors today will be to fight through the expected wait lines to acquire the US Mint’s 2009 Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set. It launches at noon Eastern Time for the price of $55.95. As the Mint announced in Sept., there is a one order limit per household in affect, with a total of 50,000 available worldwide.

The set offers the final opportunity to purchase an Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Proof Silver Dollar — the same dollar that sold out individually earlier in the year to the tune of 325,000 in under 6 weeks. As we discussed last week, there is excitement in the air for this set, with a few enterprising individuals already offering them for pre-sale on eBay at huge premiums. (See Lincoln Coin & Chronicles Sets on eBay.)

In addition to the silver dollar, the special set also includes: Read the rest of this entry »

A month ago our US Mint sales report headline said "Presidential Dollar Sets Pass 600K." Today that picture reverses as the proof dollars withdraw to fall back below the milestone. Several other products fell as well in a week where demand for collector coins trended mostly lower.

There were several exceptions, especially for coins of yellow complexion. Bullion American Gold Eagles passed 1 million, Ultra High Relief’s picked up slightly and seven out of ten First Spouse Gold Coins improved over the prior week. These and other highlights follow:

• Whether it was a US Mint accounting correction or massive cancellation(s)/return(s), Presidential Dollar Proof Sets plummeted by 33,038 to fall to 576,211.

• Other proof sets also disappointed. 2009 Proof Set sales increased by 6,406 compared to the previous 27,856. 2009 Silver Proof Sets actually declined by 1,001.

• Braille products moved weakly. The newly released Braille Education set came in at 2,719 during the first four days of availability. The standalone uncirculated silver dollar picked up by just 343, and those within the easy-open capsule fell by 109.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ottawa, Ontario — For the fourth consecutive year, the Royal Canadian Mint has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2010. This annual list, published by MediaCorp, recognizes employers that are industry leaders at attracting and retaining employees.

“The Royal Canadian Mint is extremely proud to be included as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, particularly to be among a list of such distinguished and industry-leading Canadian companies,” said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate employees for making the Mint such a great place to work each and every day.”

The Mint has also once again been selected as one of the Top 25 Employers in the National Capital Region. Read the rest of this entry »

Unless the London gold price average on Wednesday falls below $1035 an ounce, the US Mint will again increase the price of its gold collector coins, marking the fourth straight week it has adjusted prices.

With gold hitting an all-time high of $1,065 an ounce Tuesday, it would seem unlikely, although it is possible, for gold prices to fall overnight by $30. (The final London PM price the US Mint will use in its calculation to determine price adjustments is fixed around 10 a.m. Eastern Time.)

The following are the available figures the US Mint will use to arrive at an average: Read the rest of this entry »

The 2009 US Mint Uncirculated Set continues to experience exceptionally strong collector demand with sales already at 43 percent of the final levels of the 2007 and 53 percent of the 2008 mint sets.

Between their launch on noon Thursday, Oct. 1, and to the following Sunday, coin collectors purchased an incredible 297,842 sets. Flash forward another week to Sunday, Oct. 11, and new sales reached 392,007 for a weekly gain of 94,165.

At $27.95 a pop for the set of 36 satin finished coins struck in uncirculated condition, the US Mint has generated nearly 11 million in sales in less than 1 1/2 weeks. Read the rest of this entry »

The US Mint launched the Braille Education Set on Thursday, Oct. 8, at noon ET, and it has just released opening sales figures through to Sunday.

Collectors are not spurring after the offering with any degree of excitement, as is expected with the soon to be released Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set. A total of 2,719 Braille sets have been sold.

The set has a mintage of 25,000 and is priced at $44.95 with a one per household order limit. That leaves 22,281 more for the US Mint to sell.

The set includes an uncirculated Braille Silver Dollar with special packaging that has genuine Braille text — a first time event for the US Mint, much like the silver dollar is the first ever coin with readable Braille. Read the rest of this entry »

Continuing the tradition of providing Web sites with quality up-to-date information in an easy to understand layout, CoinNews Media Group LLC is happy to announce the introduction of our newest family member, LincolnCoinChroniclesSet.com.

As the name describes, the site is devoted to the new Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set due to be released from the United States Mint on Thursday, October 15, 2009 at Noon (Eastern Time). The coin world has been abuzz with excitement over this release not only because of the pieces it contains, but also the extremely limited mintage.

"We are happy to offer LincolnCoinChroniclesSet.com to the public," said Mike Unser, founder and president of CoinNews Media Group LLC. "Those taking the time to visit the site will find it flushed with detailed information on the Lincoln Set and updates on how the collecting community is reacting to its availability."

"Perhaps no other figure in the history of the United States has had such a profound influence upon it as has Abraham Lincoln. His leadership during the American Civil War tore at him personally, and in the end cost him his own life. The Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set is a fitting homage to a humble man thrust to greatness."

Read the rest of this entry »

Nine-year-old Florence Jackson, from Bristol, was today revealed as the first child ever to work with the Royal Mint to design a UK coin.

Florence won the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to design a coin celebrating London 2012 by taking part in a CBBC Blue Peter competition. The competition proved one of the show’s all time most popular, with Florence’s design beating over 17,000 other entries.

Florence Jackson, said: "I was so excited. It was a real surprise to win. I’d never entered a Blue Peter competition before, but really wanted to take part because I love drawing.

I chose the high-jump because I’d watched it on TV before and thought it looked fun. It was amazing to visit the Royal Mint and see my picture turned into a coin. I can’t wait to see it in my pocket money!"

Read the rest of this entry »

All indicators are that Thursday, October 15th, should be a very, very busy day on the US Mint’s website as well as their telephone order line. At noon (Eastern Time) on that day, the Mint will be releasing the 2009 Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set for sale to the public.

A few enterprising individuals are already offering the sets for pre-sale on eBay at huge premiums. A quick glance as of this writing shows several auctions in the $170 range, which is an increase of well over $100 from the $55.95 price tag the Mint will be getting.

Even more amazing is the fact that some auctions are over $300 with one listing asking $1000. (See Lincoln Coin & Chronicles Sets on eBay.)

As of yet, closed auctions for the Chronicles Set have stayed between $140-$169, but — and this is pure guesswork at this point — this could change as Thursday comes and goes and collectors are unable to place an order through the Mint.

Only 50,000 of these highly sought after collections will be available and a one-day sellout is not out of the question according to multiple coin enthusiasts. In fact, the Mint has already stated a one-per-household maximum order limit will be enforced. Read the rest of this entry »