Comments on: 2016 Mark Twain and NPS Commemorative Coin Prices

By: TJ

TJ — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 18:54:42 +0000

In reply to Eric Ramoin. I think most of us were complaining about the quality of products not so much the price. And again they've shown that their quality is deteriorating day by day, they can't even released the same series of coins on the same day anymore. They need a change in leadership that is all it is to it.

By: Eric Ramoin

Eric Ramoin — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 03:37:53 +0000

I have been a coin collector since the tender age of 10 and do like most of the US Mint’s Gold and Platinum coins and have even collected their silver coins. As such, my position is that price is secondary to me, well after quality and beauty. I really don’t care if a coin is priced 10-20% more or less than another as long as I really like the coin. Of course, I also look to a coin as a very long-term investment and it will ultimately stand as my go-to asset in a “doomsday” scenario after all. Otherwise my kids and grand-children will get them and hopefully respect their newly inherited coin collection. But to all of you, who are complaining about pricing, why don’t you look at other Mints’ products and compare? How about the diversity and quality of the Canadian, Australian, and British Mint? How about the incredible value and quality of the products of one of the oldest mint’s in the world -namely the Paris Mint- that are actually minted at extremely low numbers while the Mint will even send you the coins from Paris in a jiffy? How about the Australian Perth Mint that has beautiful coins and will send them to you from Australia at no shipping charge within two weeks. And since we have a free trade agreement with all of these countries, there will be no customs’ duties (although you may have to fill out a US customs form if you buy more than $3,000 worth). If you are a serious and true coin collector, then you will be open to coins from all over the world and it is up to you to search for those values and let the free market play out. If the US Mint can price its coins at a premium that let it be since the Mint is supposed to be self-supporting anyway. Actually the Mint’s pricing is favorable to the collectors since most prices adjust based on precious metal pricing. The much lower priced silver and clad coins are not at all cost effective for most mints and often money losers. So asking for lower pricing on silver and clad coins is not reasonable since the minting process is expensive to begin with and $45 bucks for a silver coin may at best just be a break-even for the US Mint. The clad coins are all money losers! If there is some type of corruption at the US Mint, then please help set the record straight and show some evidence to rectify the situation – maybe through your Senator or Congressman. FYI, it is the Paris Mint that is actually tax payer supported so you can almost get a subsidy for the coins from them since the are relatively low priced. However, if you look at the Canadian Mint, their gold and platinum coins are extremely overpriced in terms of the metal content, however the mintages are very low in many cases. When the US Mint came out with it’s latest 2015 platinum coin at at mintage of 4,000, it was sold out within the first 30 minutes. When the Canadian and French Mints come out with their gold or platinum coins with mintages in the 200-400 range, their coins are available for months at at time! Again, the free market is at work here folks so please do your research and don’t complain so much about a few dollars more on the very popular and attractive US coins that represent our country in the entire world.

By: jim

jim — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 14:58:56 +0000

In reply to Seth Riesling.

LOL
No not a CPA and retired, not looking for work.
The benefits of working for a not for profit organization. If the mint were a corporation anything an employee did with company resources would belong to the company unless it was totally non-competitive like writing a book.

By: Seth Riesling

Seth Riesling — Mon, 28 Dec 2015 22:59:47 +0000

jim –

You have the U.S. Mint’s “dirty secret” on their silver & clad coin products down to a science! Are you a CPA ? You might check out the U.S. Mint’s job openings – great U.S. government benefits & Union membership too ! By the way, I learned many years ago that U.S. Mint & BEP Union employees in their contract are able to use U.S. government tools, computers etc to work on private projects for their professional association membership projects in their free time (lunchtime, coffee breaks & after hours). U.S. Mint sculptor-engraver Don Everhart even did a private commission for Pope Francis’ visit to the USA & designed the official Papal medals approved by The Vatican City using his U.S. Mint office, tools & computer to complete the paid commission from a foreign country! He had them struck at a private Mint. BEP engravers routinely do the same with private souvenir intaglio cards for profit! Another “dirty secret” they don’t tell to the public who pay taxes for their U.S. government salaries. I know this information from first-hand private tours of the U.S. Mints, BEP facilities & the Department of the Treasury when i knew the U.S. Treasurers Katherine Ortega & Catalina Villapondo & U.S. Mint Director Donna Pope in the late 1980s & contacts i have kept over the years there. Just food for thought. I am not a 100% cheerleader for the U.S. Mint like Mike Unser & his brother Darrin Lee Unser are on this coin blog website (although i understand why they are to gain access) but i do give credit when the Mint gets something right.

-NumisDudeTX

By: jim

jim — Mon, 28 Dec 2015 18:47:17 +0000

As I’ve mentioned multiple times before, silver has never been included in the pricing grid because that is where all the sins of the mint are hidden. Now they have obviously added clad coins to the sinners bank account.

I admit clad coins and silver as well are below the pain threshold of the high salaried government bureaucrats that control the mint and it’s processes but with the no cost to taxpayers rule the mint has to hide their shame of mistakes and screw-ups somewhere. Don’t forget as stated in every press release the mint’s responsibility is to “produce circulating coinage for the Nation to conduct its trade and commerce”. Providing specialty coins for collectors and investors certainly wasn’t in anybody’s mind back in 1792. Because gold and platinum coins are tied to the going price for those metals the silver and clad coins have to pay.

By: Seth Riesling

Seth Riesling — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 19:13:47 +0000

Mike Unser –

Have you asked U.S. Mint officials to explain why they raised the price of the 2016 NPS clad half dollar commemoratives by a huge amount of $7 from this year’s clad U.S. Marshal half dollars? What is their lame excuse this time officially? Can you please use your inside contacts with Michael White & Tom Jurkowsky & Lateefah Simms or other contacts & let your readers know about this important issue? Thank you.Mr. Unser!

-NumisDudeTX

By: Tinto

Tinto — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 18:38:37 +0000

The Mint just gave the finger (again) to collectors, especially the young and upcoming ones, an increase of 7 bucks for a clad half?! They got their monopoly power on their products so they charge what they want, who cares about future demand … they got their ASE AGE and APE, not to mention the ATB pucks, to sell to the authorized purchasers and to collectors who can afford it And the way this NPS half was designed it seemed to be made for giving to young collectors .. the Mint’s motto should also include “We gouge young collectors because we can!”

Glad I was cutting back my big ticket purchases after 2014 (bought less than 1,500 worth in 2015 no gold no platinum) and 2016 will be the last year where I buy such items and only because I like TR and NPS commemoratives (gold and silver) and the TR pucks … then nothing much (maybe 200 bucks max a year) after 2016 … the Mint’s antics and incompetence just got to me

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 07:36:12 +0000

It seems the only way for a new mint director is that one political party wins across the board.

By: Munzen

Munzen — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 04:01:58 +0000

All – I can’t say it any better. I too am becoming very tired of pedestrian designs and prices that seem to have come uncoupled from the precious-metals market. The NPS set is only major one on my list for next year, and that’s because it’s a gift for my daughter who works for them.

By: TJ

TJ — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 02:00:10 +0000

With quality control at an all time low and variety being very lackluster you would think the mint would be trying to bring in new customers not alienate them. I have all but lost faith in the mint to be honest. I have been trying to get my daughter interested in coin collecting but once you have seen one eagle, you have seen them all. They need to turn this sinking ship away from the iceberg or a lot of people will go back to collecting 60’s and 70’s coins that are affordable rather then buying “mint” coins. Just sayin’.