Comments on: 2012 US Mint Sets Sell Out, Sales at 50-Year Low

By: Dale

Dale — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 16:22:51 +0000

I wonder if the low sales had anything to do with the mint not sending them to listed subscribers. I realized recently that I had not received my 2013 uncirculated set despite a valid subscription and credit card. I always receive my silver eagle proof, so my account is working. I checked my orders and found that I had not received a 2012 uncirculated set last year.

By: thePhelps

thePhelps — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 19:49:35 +0000

Well… another set I should have bought more than 1 of…

I think the glut of coins in the past 13 years… the quarters dollars pennies…has pretty much exhausted the collectors. I know many of these sets are selling on eBay and elsewhere at cost or just above what the mint charges. Many of the people who jumped into coin collecting because of the quarters are bailing as well – because you can buy complete sets of those in uncirculated or even mint set uncirculated condition for less than the cost of the mint sets. The costs the last few years are excessive.

I am guessing many people have decided the basic coin sets are nice – but with silver and even proof sets available they are shifting away from them.

By: jim

jim — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 18:08:08 +0000

Which quarter should they use for the 6 piece set? Which dollar? 5 quarters times 5 dollars = 25 different 6 piece sets. I’ll stay with the full blown sets we’re getting now. $3/mo is a small price to pay for a basic set in my opinion. I think there’s more of a lack of interest in coins in general. I myself usually use credit cards and hardly ever get change anymore. If that’s the trend then no wonder interest is waning. Pricing could be part of it but I think there are bigger issues in play than just pricing.

By: David

David — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:42:24 +0000

I have been following this quite closely and I think the main reason is that the basic sets cost $31.95 (proof), $67.95 (silver) and $27.95 (unc), which must be out of the price range for the casual collector. I wonder what sales would be if they offered a traditional 6 piece set (penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half and dollar) for $12 to $14. I think it is concerning as a collector to see the proof sets sales at a third of what they were before the state quarter program even started (mid 90s).

By: jim

jim — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 22:25:25 +0000

A wake up call for those who think coins and sets will be on sale forever at the US Mint. The subscribers and collectors on the ball got their 2012 coins in 2012 rather than waiting until 2013 or 2014. More evidence that Dep Dir Peterson is no longer “in charge” and that decisions are being made rather than Peterson’s “lets wait and see” attitude. Now if the Mint would only issue a policy doc regarding the sales duration of these collector coins and sets so that people could plan ahead rather than be surprised with a sudden ending of sales.