Mercury Dime Centennial Gold Coin Sells Out Quickly—But Not That Quickly

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Yesterday at noon, the U.S. Mint released its remaining supply of 2016 Mercury Dime Centennial Gold Coins. The number of first-round sales (122,510), less subsequent returns (6,414), suggested that about 8,900 coins of the maximum mintage of 125,000 would be available.

The first time the coin was released, on April 21, the Mint set a household limit of 10. The coin was marked as being on back-order within 20 minutes; after another 20 minutes or so, it was marked “unavailable.” 122,510 were sold in roughly 45 minutes, so the rate of sales averaged about 2,722 a minute.

Collectors were eager for a second chance to get one of the gold commemoratives, although many worried about getting a reject from the first round of sales. That concern, plus the Mint’s order limit of one per household, plus the reduced size of the buyer pool (those who’d purchased during the first round of sales were not allowed to order), slowed the sell-out time to about an hour and a half—about 99 coins per minute.

Although most commenters reported a smooth checkout process, the event didn’t exactly go off without a hitch. When the date of the second release was first noted on the product page, there was no indication of whether prior orders would count against the new order limit. When Mint News Blog asked the Office of Corporate Communications about this, the reply seemed clear: this was an all-new order limit, and those who’d placed orders in the first round were eligible to order in the second. The lines of internal communication at the Mint must have been tangled, however, because at about the same time, a new statement was added to the product page: “Household Order Limit includes previous purchases of this product.”

Most previous buyers who gave it a shot anyway were rejected, but a few reported success in placing an order. It’s unclear why; perhaps there was a glitch in the website, or the buyers used different information and it got past the system. It may also be that as the physical orders are process, second-time orders will be canceled and the money refunded.

The other two coins in the 1916 centennial trio are still available for purchase on the Mint’s website. As of the Mint’s last sales report, 84,625 of the Standing Liberty Quarter Centennial (16XC) had been sold, leaving more than 15,000 of the maximum mintage of 100,000 available. In the same report, the Walking Liberty Half Dollar Centennial (16XA) had sold 58,682 of its maximum of 70,000, leaving more than 11,000 available.

So far, then, the maximum possible number of complete three-coin sets is 58,682. We’d be curious to know how many sets have actually been assembled; Mint News Bloggers’ guesses are welcome in the comments.   ❑

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Comments

  1. KEITHSTER says

    Got one 47925 went fast enough with all the shut outs or it would have been gone in a flash! Will have to check it out bet no finns on these babys? Well Good Luck To All That Got Them”>

  2. cagcrisp says

    @art, “cagcrisp, wouldn’t it be a lot less stressful to purchase gold products which do not have a HHL and a mintage limit, when it’s for giving gifts? Why drive yourself crazy for high demand, limited product? The gift receiver should be thrilled with any gold gift.”

    There is a grandmother’s wishes to consider also. She wanted to tie in the three centennial coins to the coins she remembered growing up. We got ‘average circulated’ silver coins of all three designs and give them out with the centennial Golds. She wants them to understand that ‘slicks’ are all that we every saw growing up.

    The centennial Golds are the only Current Mint Golds I gave out this year. I buy a lot of Civil War Gold and Indian Heads that I give out also. Try to balance out some Old Graded, some Old cleaned and some new stuff…

  3. bobo says

    >Ireland is Currently the #3 foreign holder of US debt…

    Yes Cagcrisp, it appears that the Federal Reserve is using tiny nations with no real trade surpluses to monetize the US Debt in a poorly hidden manner. These nations are Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Cayman Islands and Switzerland– around a trillion dollars of our debt bought by these nations in the past five years. This is a front to hide the Fed’s buying of treasuries from landing on the Fed’s balance sheet. It is a scam that is leading to the implosion of the bond market, where everyone but the Fed and its front nations are selling to get out before everyone else stampedes. If only I could monetize my own debt away by writing myself a check! Read details of US debt monetization at:https://www.perpetualassets.com/news/2015/05/28/meet-the-blics-new-source-for-phony-dollar-support-by-jim-willie/

  4. cagcrisp says

    @Steve, IF we get a price reduction on Wednesday,that will be the 4th Gold reduction for the SLQ and the 2nd Gold reduction for the WLH.

    A Lot of lost money for the Mint. A Lot of found money for the customer…

  5. CoinMark says

    So I’m a newbie so pardon the dumb question to the veterans. With a total possible 3 coin set of 58,682, how does this compare to other “coin sets” assembled in this way (piecemeal)? 58K seems low to me, but what do I know. Will this over time make a complete set more valuable (gold price notwithstanding). I was lucky enough to get a decent set of all three – not super happy with the dime though. Tiny ding in the cheek. Also there is the finning on the edges. Coin dealer told me that the finning doesnt effect the coin value to him. Agree/disagree?

  6. says

    cagcrisp said on
    DECEMBER 16, 2016 AT 12:35 PM
    IF we get a price reduction on Wednesday,that will be the 4th Gold reduction for the SLQ and the 2nd Gold reduction for the WLH.
    A Lot of lost money for the Mint.

    Not true. Essentially, the Mint borrows the gold it needs for coinage from the Treasury and then, as it sells the gold coins, it buys equivalent amounts of gold at market prices and returns that to the Treasury. So, lower gold prices don’t translate to lost money for the Mint.

  7. DaveB says

    Coinmark. Off the top of my head, there could only be 17k sets of presidential reverse proof dollars due to low mintage of Truman and Eisenhower.

  8. cagcrisp says

    @CoinMark,

    1. The SLQ and the WLH are still available. So much closer to 70k for 3 coin sets.

    2. Most of the dimes have the finning problem.

    3. As far as value going forward, I’m not a believer in Low Mintage Wonders without Demand. For me it’s all about the demand going forward.

    4. MOST of the major world mints have MANY Low Mintage Wonders, IF the US follows the other Mints, then 70k will look like a High number…

  9. samuel says

    How to track the US mint “Fedex Smartpost”? The 20-digit tracking number 2529xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx does not work. My 5oz coin shipped on 12/10, not here yet.

  10. CoinMark says

    Ah – thank you @cagcrisp and @ DaveB. Didn’t think about the remaining other coins still not sold. Well, I’m happy with all 3 and really like the WLH. It’s my favorite coin silver or gold. It’ll be something I will to my son who likes coins. His brothers are not interested in coins so they can fight over the coffee table and old bike when I’m gone.

  11. The Kid says

    A long unanswered question posed to the mint.

    For years, I have asked numerous mint employees if the mint has a policy for returned coins.
    My point, Does the US Mint resell returned coins or does the mint simply trash all returned items?

    One lady who works at the Mint said to me,
    “She certainly wouldn’t purchased items that had been picked over by someone else.”

    Perhaps it is time the US Mint articulated their position concerning returned item.

    Thank you.

    The Kid

  12. Mike the Greek says

    “So Krates says
    DECEMBER 16, 2016 AT 2:54 AM

    “While superficially it might seem selfless to always gift…”

    I wanted to comment on your comment on altruism, but I guess there’s a limit to how many posts can post per post. (did that make sense?!).

    Anyway I have to agree there is no such thing as pure altruism. We always have a motive for doing something that benefits us, even if it’s the good feeling we get by doing good. Thank god for altruism, but in a purely ideal sense it’s not real.

    I didn’t pick up the dime this time but I did pay a fortune for one earlier this year. I’m very happy with my 3 coin set and will treasure it for years to come. I got so excited when I saw that dime, and while you all are educating me on the nuances of HHL’s and mintages etc, I’m still just thrilled with such great treasures. I also like the 2014 Kennedy gold commem but haven’t picked one up. I keep seeing the price of gold drop so I may pull the trigger at some point, although this coin doesn’t seem to get a lot of love from the collector community. I don’t know why; I think it’s cool!

    How long does it take for spot prices to reflect in prices of bullion? With silver around 16 I’m surprised that ASEs are still around 22-23. That seems like a really high profit over spot for supposedly bullion, but then again I suppose if the APs bought high they would be reluctant to part with their wares at a loss.

  13. Ryan says

    Just ordered my 2016 kilo libertad proof like coin! Didn’t someone on here a few days ago say the mintage number was going to be low on those this year? I don’t care either way, my son was born this year and it’s for him when he is old enough to appreciate it.

  14. Erik H says

    cagcrisp, thanks.

    Mike the Greek some say that PMs have two prices, the paper price and the real price. When the paper price falls too fast physical demand picks up. Basics economics dictates that prices rise when there’s more demand than supply. And I am sure your also correct, “buy low, sell high”, dealers don’t want take a loss if they don’t have to.

  15. Kp says

    Why didn’t the mint offer the coins to those of us who didn’t get our order in the first round but our info kept if any became available ?

  16. Dustyroads says

    Ryan, I said not long ago here that I found a mintage number for the Libertad PL Kilogram coins. One of the distributors claimed there were 800. Unfortunately, this number can’t be verified yet. Hopefully Don Bailey will get the mintage soon and pass it on. I think you’re going to like it. I picked mine up yesterday at the post office, flawless. Choice Bullion has been really good about making sure I have the ability to pre-order some of the harder to get Mexican coins. I’ve wanted to order from Don Bailey in the past, but they tend to make ordering a little more difficult…too bad. Enjoy the Libertad.

  17. Erik H says

    Speaking of mintage numbers, Provident Metals posted the mintage number for the Cleopatra 2 oz rounds the other day. For those that are interested it was 38,767.

  18. MarkInFlorida says

    Mine shipped already. Since delivery time got so slow to my PO box since they changed from Priority Mail to UPS/SMartPost, I changed the shipping address to the PO’s street address and my box as the uint and delivery has been faster.

  19. coincrazy says

    samuel says

    December 16, 2016 at 2:00 pm

    How to track the US mint “Fedex Smartpost”? The 20-digit tracking number 2529xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx does not work. My 5oz coin shipped on 12/10, not here yet.

    samuel, The usps uses a 22 digit shipping number. I ordered mine on Dec 8 and received it yesterday. My tracking number begins with a 92 which is the first two digits of my zip code so insert the first 2 digits of your zip code at the beginning of your tracking number and see what you come up with. hope this helps.

  20. Louis Golino, Author says

    Regarding the PL Libertad kilo for 2016, 800 is a low number, but there are around 5 other coins in the series with lower mintages. The lowest is 400 coins, and there are several with 500-coin mintages. See Wikipedia for complete list.

  21. Louis Golino, Author says

    And that is assuming the 800 number is correct as the kilo was not included in the official mintage info. recently released by the Banco de Mexico. Given how recently they were released, the could still be making more.

  22. MarkInFlorida says

    Samuel (and coin crazy) it also could be just add 9 in front of the Mint’s tracking number. This was discussed here a couple years back.

  23. Dustyroads says

    Louis Golino, Author says

    “And that is assuming the 800 number is correct”

    That’s right…I forgot that the Banco De Mexico has a reputation for releasing mintage information and then going back to the Mint to mint more. They did it last year with the 1/2 oz. and 1/4 oz. bullion gold coins after they had published the info. in December that they had made them in the 200 and 300 coin ranges then pushed out another thousand of each, I’m thinking possibly in January of this year.
    800 does look like a reasonable amount since that number is in line with last years mintage, and the price of silver was in a fall when the Mexicans were beginning to take orders. It doesn’t really matter anyway, we knew not to expect any lows this year.

  24. cagcrisp says

    Will the new Mint Director will be a turning point for Modern numismatics?

    The Mint Director is appointed by the President. The Mint has not had a confirmed Mint Director since 2011. That will change in 2017. With Republicans controlling the White House and Congress there should be little doubt that the acting Mint Director that was not confirmed by a Republican Congress will not be the chosen one for the Mint Director job. Good, bad or ugly, he will be gone.

    What background will the new Mint Director come? Academia? Non-profit? For profit business? What direction will the new Mint Director take the Mint? Will the new Mint Director be able to work with Congress to eliminate mandated products that have lost money for YEARS and get legislation passed that the Mint customers will actually Buy? Will the Mint follow so Many world Mints with Low Mintage Wonders with Much Higher Premiums?

    The Mint has gone from 1.2 million customers in 2008 to approximately 500k currently. And even that number is dubious considering how many accounts are controlled by one person or entity.

    As good as the Mint has done with bullion that past few years, they’ve been just as dismal with the numismatics. Some home runs for sure but look at how those home runs were arrived. The Truman was the home run for the coin and chronicles series. It led to a successful offering of the Eisenhower but all others are break even at best. The 4k mintage limit and high price for the 2015 platinum will be the high water mark for platinum’s. The Silver Liberty medals with limited mintage of 12.5k was a home run, however, it will not be sustainable for following releases. The centennial Gold coins are one off and not sustainable because of demographics.

    When the FY2016 Mint Annual report is released I expect to see increased revenue and profit for the numismatic side because of the tremendous sales numbers for the centennial Golds, Gold AGE’s and Gold Buffalo. Whether you are a Gold buyer or not, Gold drives the bus. Without the Gold customers the Mint has little hope of continued success on the numismatic side.

    The Walking Liberty half was released in FY2017, So 2017 is off to a GOOD start. Combined FY2017 revenue sales of the Winged Head Liberty dime, the Standing Liberty quarter and the Walking Liberty half will exceed revenue achieved in FY2016 for the centennial coins by ~$8.0 million. The revenue for the proposed 2017 High Relief will just be gravy because there was much smaller revenue generated in FY2016 for the 2015 High Relief. The 2017 commemoratives will not produce the revenue the 2016 commemoratives did, the revenue for Gold AGE’s and Gold Buffaloes will not exceed FY2016, nevertheless, FY2017 Revenue and profit should exceed FY2016 because of the way the Mint staged the release of the centennial coins, their choice of initial house hold limits and lifting house hold limits to maneuver revenue from one fiscal year to the next.

    In 2017 you will probably get a palladium offering. Studies have concluded that it is Not a wise endeavor, yet Congress has passed the legislation. Can the New Mint Director get that program stopped? Will he actually care?

    A LOT of questions concerning the New Mint Director, which way the Mint will go, and the future of Modern Numismatics.

    I see nothing in CY2017 that I will be purchasing for My collection.

    For me personally, I will continue to go with Old Gold and hope for the best from the Mint. I will not be holding my breath…

  25. earthling says

    Would’t it be cool if the Washer Industry started stamping their product with different designs on some of them? Instead of just mega-mass stamping ho-hum faceless pieces of metal , they could be creating an entire new collecting area. Stamp them and they will collect them. Soon enough washer mania would be sweeping the globe. Scarce varieties might soon be trading at perhaps as much as a Quarter each. Would we ever see vintage washers auctioned off on Ebay? The possibilities are endless. A nail struck by U.S Mint Dime dies recently sold for around $42,000 . How high would washer collectors be willing to bid up a washer struck “accidentally” at a US Mint?

    Forgive me Numisgods for I have been bored his morning. Idle minds tend to wander………. and dream…… 🙈🙉🙊

  26. Dustyroads says

    Well, we know that Trump is pulling people out of the private sector for his cabinet spots, and we know Trump most likely likes gold, so hopefully he can appoint someone good. Rett Jepson did as cagcrisp said, maneuver revenue into FY2017 very successfully, but at what cost?
    I don’t know that I agree that the tributes may face problems because of demographics. I think classics take on a life not dependent on whatever new cultural trends there may be at the time.

  27. cagcrisp says

    @Dustyroads A clarification on “The centennial Gold coins are one off and not sustainable because of demographics.”

    1.The CURRENT Centennial coins are classics.
    2. Demographics played a part into the buyers of these coins.
    3. There are Not that many centennial coins that would make a classic that the current demographics will support.
    4. A Gold Peace dollar comes to mind as a perfect centennial coin.
    5. After that, what Centennial coins could there be?
    6. A Gold Franklin?

  28. Dustyroads says

    Mint News Blog,

    On occasion the subject of Millennial’s and coin collecting comes up. I am interested in knowing more about how people in their twenties and thirties collect coins and what interests them. I know there will always be a contingency of these people who collect, but they are probably not reported very well. I imagine they tend to be selective when it comes to their coin collecting and what they collect. I wonder if there are some numbers available that demonstrate attitudes within this demographic.

  29. says

    The position of Director of the U.S. Mint has rapidly lost much of its power. For instance, all major decisions about which special coins, medals, programs should be produced are currently being made by Sarah Bloom Raskin, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

  30. Jim S says

    YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME !!!!

    This was my one and only Gold Merc Dime for my Dads x-mas gift

    UPS tracking info shows the following Saturday afternoon –

    Memphis, TN, United States 12/17/2016 1:19 P.M. Merchandise is missing. UPS will notify the sender with additional details. / All merchandise missing, empty carton was discarded. UPS will notify the sender with details of the damage.

    United States 12/15/2016 8:04 P.M. Order Processed: Ready for UPS

    NOW WHAT ???

  31. Louis Golino, Author says

    @Dusty- Exactly, my friend. But even if they don’t make more, I just wanted people to know 800 is not low for the kilo series.

  32. DBR says

    @ Jim S

    Merchandise missing! Hmmm, that sounds strange. My UPS shipping detail says mine won’t be ready to ship until 12/19/2016 in the early afternoon! And it’s coming UPS ground. This is not a gift so I’m cool with that. I wonder if all the merchandise is missing? That would be a downer. I hold nothing against warehouse workers in general because I’ve worked with them before but they have a reputation for being sort of wild. Just sayin’. I don’t care who you are: when there’s 24K gold laying around, people get Gold Fever a very ancient infirmity indeed.

  33. Mint News Blog says

    @Dustyroads, I’ll look around to see what I can find; will report back when I find out. Sorry to sound terse, Internet is down and I’m thumb-typing on my phone.

  34. Louis Golino, Author says

    Regarding palladium eagle. studies only showed that the bullion would not sell well. They predicted a numismatic version would do well at least in first year. There is a lot of interest in such a coin among collectors, but it may not be sustainable as a series.

    Also, you folks should read widely about the demographic issue. I have seen several articles recently in NN and the CDN Newsletter that basically challenge all the usual assumptions. I don’t know if they will be proved right or wrong, but the prevailing consensus that coin collecting will go the way of the dodo bird when us older folks kick the can is not at all right in the view of some folks that make a lot of good points. Never accept the conventional wisdom as it is usually wrong. Also, coin buyers in other countries are much younger than the USM customer base, so outside the U.S. things look very different.

  35. MarkInFlorida says

    Unlike stamps, baseball cards, or beanie babies, some coins are made with precious metals, and even if no one wants to collect them for the fun of collecting, the metal value will probably make PM coins very valuable in the future either due to inflation of the money supply or a crash of the banking system, which some say is inevitable.

  36. Peter says

    @cagcrisp,

    you alluded in an earlier post to the finning problem on the dimes. Well I purchased an extra one for the wife to mount in a bezel for a Christmas gift..

    It looks AMAZING in a bezel……………but………….it didn’t fit!!!!!!!

    The finning kept the bezel (1/10 oz. gold size) from closing. According to the mint, the only difference in the dime and the 1/10 oz. gold is .002 thickness (the dime is thinner). Unfortunately the finning is substantially thicker than .002, so on to plan b……..which is undetermined at this point.

  37. cagcrisp says

    How much has Gold Dropped in World Currencies since the United States elections?..

    Gold in :

    Russian Ruble Down 13.9%
    Sterling Pound Down 12.1%
    USD Down 11.5%
    Canadian Dollar Down 11.5%
    Indian Rupee Down 9.9%
    Chinese Yuan Down 9.2%
    South African Rand Down 7.4%
    Swiss Franc Down 6.8%
    EURO Down 6.5%
    Australian Dollar Down 6.5%
    Yen Down .4%

  38. So Krates says

    @ Peter – I assume you have a screw top style bezel with a channel with a uniform width all the way around. I am surprised the finning is so extreme as to prevent you from wiggling it in there. I pulled a few 1/10th AGEs from bezels a few days ago, so I just now popped one of my dimes out of the OGP capsule…OMG!. It has slight finning with the thinner part at 12-1 o’clock. I wanted to see if the dime would fit in the Eagle bezels I have.

    Results:

    — I was able to slip it into the screw top bezel without much difficulty. I’m not much into wearing coins, but the gold Merc did look damn good in the bezel!

    — I tried to push the dime into a four prong backed bezel with no success. No matter how far I opened up the prongs I couldn’t get the dime to seat without forcing it. If your intent is to wear it this probably would have worked but I didn’t want any pressure marks on the reeds so I stopped.

    — When looking to see if I marked anything up, I noticed a faint maroon colored copper? spot on the jawline just below the ear. There seemed to be a speck of matter from which the tiny red cloud was emanating. Modern 24K in OGP and these do pop up. That’s why I’m hesitant to always blame the PCGS holders.

    — Despite taking my time, I did cause a small crack to form in the brittle capsule when I opened it.

    If you do in fact have a screw top bezel, I would suggest taking a screwdriver and trying to gently pry the channel open a bit to accommodate the extra width of the finned area.

    I’d also suggest perhaps trying to exchange your screw top bezel for a pronged back type where a difference in thickness doesn’t really matter and you should be able (when new) to push the dime in and fold down the prongs onto the reverse. Even the finned sections should be secure.

    Let us know how you make out.

  39. Peter says

    @So Krates,
    Thanks for your input, I ordered another screw-top bezel because the first one’s channel looked a little sloppy and bent under a loop. I really like your suggestion of a prong style if the second one doesn’t work out. The problem area for me was also at about 1:00 o’clock.

    @hawkster,
    The thought crossed my mind!

  40. fmtransmitter says

    cagcrisp says
    DECEMBER 18, 2016 AT 8:42 AM

    How much has Gold Dropped in World Currencies since the United States elections?..

    Gold in :

    Russian Ruble Down 13.9%
    Sterling Pound Down 12.1%
    USD Down 11.5%
    Canadian Dollar Down 11.5%
    Indian Rupee Down 9.9%
    Chinese Yuan Down 9.2%
    South African Rand Down 7.4%
    Swiss Franc Down 6.8%
    EURO Down 6.5%
    Australian Dollar Down 6.5%
    Yen Down .4%

    Santa Claus Rally-What is it? Just ask…Hedge fund managers look at the best performers and move in for the end of year to trick investors into thinking they are doing a great job picking winners and after the New Year, move right back out…Nothing to do with election…

  41. fmtransmitter says

    @cag: short FB….You will be happy, they chose 6 “agencies” to determine if their live news feeds are real or fake…By by investors…

  42. Jim S says

    As I suspected – losing hope on receiving my gold dime from mint. Per my previous post Package was empty from the mint when received by UPS. fill out paperwork, investigate etc all long after the fact UNBELIEVABLE!!!

  43. fmtransmitter says

    Jim S says
    DECEMBER 18, 2016 AT 5:47 PM

    As I suspected – losing hope on receiving my gold dime from mint. Per my previous post Package was empty from the mint when received by UPS. fill out paperwork, investigate etc all long after the fact UNBELIEVABLE!!!

    Did you open the box up while the UPS person was at your door and inspect the contents?

  44. Jim S says

    It never made it to the origin shipping facility ……. As my first post stated apparently package was EMPTY before it ever entered UPS system. Great security USM.

  45. cagcrisp says

    Look at what the Winged Head Liberty dime is Currently selling for after the SO. Currently mid to high $280’s. Let’s see what happens to sales after 8,000+ coins hit the market.

    We will see if the decision to restrict limited sales has any financial effect on the secondary market…

  46. Louis Golino, Author says

    President Obama has signed the moon landing coin bill, and Zaz has been proven wrong. No surprises on either front.

  47. Throckmorton says

    Cagcrisp – I like old gold as well, especially if I can find a low mintage sleeper like a 1894 O $5 or a 1892 $2.5 at a reasonable price. But I fear they will always be sleepers because demand keeps thinning out with the reduction of the collector market due to old age and the continual erosion of the middle class. I don’t think that current price levels for old gold and silver collector coins will be supported in the future

    I would suggest that all future programs for commemoratives and special formats (reverse proof, burnished, enhance, etc) be discontinued in the hope that the diverted discretionary dollars might be spent on collector coins. Hypocritical of me as I have enjoyed the “moderns” as much as anyone.

  48. says

    I don’t think 8000 WHL dimes will be hitting the market since so many previous buyers were blocked. So, while it’ hard to tell how many were purchased by those that didn’t have one yet, but many will be held on to. I don’t anticipate very much change in the secondary market sells price.

  49. cagcrisp says

    @Throckmorton, ” demand keeps thinning out with the reduction of the collector market due to old age and the continual erosion of the middle class.”

    I agree on both points. Collector base continues to grow older and middle class is getting squeezed either up or down. I think the Demand will always be there for the Super expensive coins and the Lower cheaper coins. The problems will be the coins in the middle. Just like the demographics of society. The disparity of income continues to grow. 90% of the stock market is owned by 10% of the people.

    ” I would suggest that all future programs for commemoratives and special formats (reverse proof, burnished, enhance, etc) be discontinued.”

    I too would discontinue the commemorative program (along with others) and get rid of the reverse proof, burnished and enhanced coins. Either the Mint can gets out in front of these programs or wait for them to die on the vine. The Mint is mandated by law to be self sustaining financially. Just how long can Gold and Silver subsidize the Mint’s MANY losers that are mandated by Congress? The Mint tacked on $30, $50 and $70 on the centennials this year. Will be interesting to see just how much longer the Mint will go with the current pricing grid without an Upwards adjustment.

    The Mint said there were going to use the ‘current’ pricing grid for the centennials. They used the grid and then added $30, $50 and $70. With the continued erosion of the customer base and a continued Congressional mandate for coin losers, someone (Gold and Silver buyers) will have to pay the price. People continue to compare the US Mint pricing to other world Mint’s pricing. Guess what? We will catch up with other Mint’s pricing before it’s all over, unless things change…

  50. cagcrisp says

    @Steve, There is No way of knowing who the buyers of the 8,000+ coins are. Could be just as many flippers as there is collectors. That’s why it will interesting to see what secondary pricing does and just how many hit the secondary market. I think it’s naive to believe that there will Not be thousands that will be sold on the secondary market…

  51. cagcrisp says

    American Eagle Gold 1/10 oz. Proof

    76 in stock

    Not a buyer. Just passing on information.

    The 1/4 oz. is already SO.

    The rest can’t be far behind…

  52. data dave says

    Haven’t seen much discussion of one of the hotter issues of 2016 the American Liberty Silver medals. Looks like prices have cooled and you can get two for the price of one. Around $70 each instead of $140 each.

  53. says

    @ cagcrisp….I am not naive…I would expect at least half (4000) to hit the secondary market. My point is I don’t expect secondary prices to change much. There may be a short term drop in prices, but in a couple of months I think prices will be close to where they are now.

  54. cagcrisp says

    With current Gold spot @ $1,140.00 it’s down 16.6% from July.

    Currently you can get an MS62 graded St Gauden for Less than what Spot was 7 weeks ago.

    That’s not the case with all Old Gold.

    On 09/24/16 spot Gold was $202.20 Higher than it currently is.

    MS62 $5.00 Indian head is Currently $10 Higher on price guides than 09/24/16.
    MS62 $2.50 Indian head is Currently $15 Higher on price guides than 09/24/16…

  55. data dave says

    @Erik – Thanks for the post on Cleo. The numbers are in between the Privateer and American Landmark series.

  56. Erik H says

    CBS News had a story about guess what? A restaurant that no longer accepts cash. They talk about all the so called benefits to the restaurant owner. They never talked about the 2-3% loss on fees that are past on to customers. Thay actually said that C.C. users will spend more $$ than cash customers. Win Win for the business & banks. Looser, you the consumer.

    On another note, I just came back from a trip where several places didn’t take cards. It’s been a while since is spent that much currency in one week, but it was nice to know there are still places where “cash is king”, at least for now.

  57. Erik H says

    Data Dave, I don’t really follow mintage numbers for private mints but I just happened to see them when I was browsing the site the other day. I do like the Egyptian themed rounds and will collect them until I am bored with the series (I don’t collect any other private rounds).

    CBS News had a story about guess what? A restaurant that no longer accepts cash. They talk about all the so called benefits to the restaurant owner. They never talked about the 2-3% loss on fees that are past on to customers with ultimately higher prices. They actually said that C.C. users will spend more $$ than cash customers. Win Win for the business & banks. Looser, you the consumer.

    On another note, I just came back from a trip where several places didn’t take cards. It’s been a while since is spent that much currency in one week, but it was nice to know there are still places where “cash is king”, at least for now.

  58. The Real "Cool" Brad says

    Turned on CoinCollector show on HSN this weekend for a few laughs. He was selling colorized set with one half dollar and 3 quarters with Trump photos for 25 bucks. He was also selling a gold leaf dollar, and an ANACS grade 70 proof american silver eagle for 170. He implied it would be worth 20,000 or more in the near future.

    What a sweet guy.

  59. cagcrisp says

    Gold PM fix $1,136.25

    Still in line for a Possible Gold drop on Wednesday afternoon.

    Walking Liberty is looking more interesting.

    (Keep in mind that the Mint uses London fixes which may differ from what you are seeing form various other sites)…

  60. Numismatrix says

    Erik:

    I do use cash for all my sub-$50 purchases, which is almost
    all of my shopping. It’s just too convenient with the added
    benefit of change to sort. I do find some gems – for example
    I picked up a mint fresh (MS-65+) 1977-D full steps nickel
    two days ago. I see too many folks fumble-stumble with CCs,
    PINs, etc. – just not convenient.

  61. fmtransmitter says

    Erik H says
    DECEMBER 19, 2016 AT 11:01 AM

    That’s weird, I just noticed un-edited post of mine just showed up,. Stupid “Smart” phone.

    I clicked on a like for i think a tweet, next thing i was video messaging some person. scary…

  62. Erik H says

    I used to work in retail, I’ve seen big companies lose lots of transactions to failed C.C. / POS systems. Crashes, power failure, readers don’t work. Overall it’s a small percentage of sales but when margins are tight and the boss wants you to close every sale, why take a loss?

  63. JSM says

    2016 Burnished gold eagles are now out of stock at the mint. Is it worth purchasing coins on ebay ? Anyone know the mintage?

  64. JSM says

    Thanks Tom. Looks like it will be the 2nd or most likely 3 lowest mintage of the Burnished gold series. Time will tell if that means anything.

  65. Darek says

    My first order with Mercury Dime arrived. Under 10x loupe the coin look perfect. I am 100% sure that this coin wasn’t return. I am hoping that the second one which will be delivered to me on Wednesday to be in the same conditions.

  66. cagcrisp says

    Mintage was 6,480 in total for the uncirculated Gold eagle for w/e 12/11. That doesn’t count all the eagles sold w/e 12/18 nor all the eagles sold today. I had 100 in my basket this morning…

    …SO…there could easily be 6,700 sold…

  67. cagcrisp says

    American Eagle Gold 1/10 oz. Proof

    32 in stock

    Not a buyer. Just passing on information.

    The rest can’t be far behind…

  68. fmtransmitter says

    Darek says
    DECEMBER 19, 2016 AT 4:25 PM

    My first order with Mercury Dime arrived. Under 10x loupe the coin look perfect. I am 100% sure that this coin wasn’t return. I am hoping that the second one which will be delivered to me on Wednesday to be in the same conditions.

    Great to hear you got some freshly minted dimes, I assumed that would be the case since it took them so long…Maybe the person polishes the die took their PTO and they had to wait for her to get back to get those dyes polished…

  69. johnaz says

    msn.com/en-us/video/tunedin/big-rig-hauling-holiday-packages-flips-in-calif/vi-AAlKZAa?-spartandhhp us Mail truck.

  70. says

    johnaz said on
    DECEMBER 19, 2016 AT 6:46 PM
    msn.com/en-us/video/tunedin/big-rig-hauling-holiday-packages-flips-in-calif/vi-AAlKZAa?-spartandhhp us Mail truck.

    johnaz said on
    DECEMBER 19, 2016 AT 6:48 PM
    free for all X-mas mail pick thur. Hope your dime not on this truck us mail.

    So, whose comments deserve strict moderation?

  71. Just Another Dave In Pa says

    I got my dime today. A cursory inspection revealed some tiny black lint from the felt cover on the capsule but otherwise a beautiful coin with coa. I’m happy.

    That should do it for 2016 for me. Now if I can only get an NES Classic tomorrow at Best Buy I’ll be set.
    It was a good year. I didn’t get a Mark Twain coin. The “In God We Trust” issue would not sit well with Mr Clemens and it’s even a bit disrespectful to include it on his coin but there it is.

    oh, well.

    Merry Christmas from The Family!
    https://youtu.be/P37xPiRz1sg

  72. Louis Golino, Author says

    Also new King Arthur coin from Choice Mint is amazing. One of the most impressive UHR coins I have ever seen.

  73. Louis Golino, Author says

    Regarding the Liberty medals, raw and 69 are down a lot (though still multiples of issue price) but the graded 70 coins have really held their value as they are still typically bringing $400 a set plus or minus. I kind of gave up on sending stuff in for grading after my last order bombed, but I may send in some medals.

  74. Imwithher says

    Hell of a coin if you need a 10x magnifier to look at it. Glad I passed on the retro knock offs

  75. Larry says

    I can’t remember reading anything on this blog about the Fort Moultrie 5OZ P puck that was released Dec. 8th. Must be the most unpopular of the 5 OZ coins.

  76. earthling says

    If they hadn’t used Bruce/Kaitlyn as inspiration , the Moultrie might have been more popular.

    I’m personally done with the big ATB Coasters. I see nothing remaining in the series that I want to buy.

  77. TNDuckHunter says

    Does anyone know why the US Mint does not adjust the price of the 5oz Silver Coins according to spot silver prices? In the past – I remember they would routinely adjust the price but it seems they no longer do and I cannot find any evidence that they do on their website. They still have a Pricing Grid for Gold and Platinum but NOT Silver.

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