They will soon use LVF that looks like red oak to make the container. Maybe all recycled cardboard from used toilet paper. But at the rate society is going, most likely they’ll come wrapped in pieces torn from the constitution

The so called experts always think that we, the United States, are the same size as other countries, like the UK. Naturally we make more coins so buying in bulk metals should bring a discount, while other mints don’t purchase as much metal so they pay more. Supply and demand. While spot may play a role, S&D still should hold true, especially since the other mints guarantee a higher purity content than America. 99.996 or so compared to 99.992. Which doesn’t seem like much until you factor how many coins are presses. Plus China or someone sued British last year claiming they didn’t meet their 99.995 minimum. They lost, but still that .001 was worth their time and lawyer fees

“tone down the packaging a bit”

The packaging is already cheap garbage. Compare it with 10, 20, or 30 years ago. They should just charge less, particularly for clad coins.

Let them charge what they will for silver and/or proof products (although prices *have* gotten out of control), but there’s no reason to charge $52 for a clad 50 cent piece. There’s no entry point for new or young collectors. Non-proof clad should be $10 and under. Blow out a ton of volume to the collecting public, especially the casual or new collectors. By way of example, the 1986 clad Statue of Liberty half dollar was $5 advance sale, or $13.65 with inflation. Close enough. People can do that, even if not dedicated collectors. (Standard Kennedy halves are 17 cents to manufacture and distribute, obviously commemorative halves have more packaging and marketing costs, but maybe they could tone down the packaging a bit to save on costs and prices, at least on entry level products…)

Aren’t the commemorative coins & medals the only ones that need to be destroyed Seth?

Be that as it may, the Mint produces very few varieties of coins & medals. Ryder’s reasoning was that the U.S. Mint had to raise their prices to be in-sync w/other mints around the globe. Nevermind, that most of those foreign mints produced only 1,000 or 10,000 coins for many of their specialty & commemorative coins while the U.S. Mint has a run of 250,000 for Peace & Morgan’s; 400,000 for Silver Eagle Dollars and 400,000 for the yearly commemorative coins, etc. How does such a mass minting of coins merit price increases to be at levels of foreign mints who produce less than U.S. Mint? Doesn’t the old adage of producing more of something lower the price?

Unfortunately, U.S. citizen collectors are being fleeced by our U.S. Mint 🙁

Chris Terp,

So true! And what young kid can afford to buy the clad half dollar in Proof or Unc. at over $50 now!! That is more than double the price of an ounce of pure silver on the spot market today. It is simply asinine, and the Mint has lost most young numismatists because of the ridiculous price increases starting around 2021 with former Director David Ryder and his absurd antics, including catering directly to coin dealers with special access programs & private, invitation-only auctions of past Mint products that were supposed to have been melted under U.S. Mint protocol/SOP. The current U.S. Mint Director Madame Ventris C. Gibson just did the same thing with products dating as far back as 2014 & those all should have been melted down as sold out products years ago! Such sleazy antics do not give me any confidence in U.S. Mint mintages or proper, fair business practices. Sad crap for sure!!

NumisdudeTX

Niiiiiiiice 😉

At these prices Seth how can the Mint not make a profit!?

Then again Gubmint accounting can be merky when its bean counters want it to show a profit or loss.

I can’t believe how much the Mint is charging for a clad 50¢ piece.

There is an error in the paragraph in this article about surcharges: the two words “will” should be replaced with the word “may,” as the surcharges are only paid out if the Mint makes a profit on the individual commemorative coin program overall, otherwise the Mint keeps all surcharges for their own coffers, and they don’t refund them to the buyers (U.S. Mint loyal customers)!

NumisdudeTX