2009 UHR Double Eagle Order Limit Raised to 25
The US Mint has indicated that the ordering limit for the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin will be raised once again- this time to 25 coins per household. The increased limit will go into effect on August 31, 2009 at 12:00 Noon ET.
When the UHR initially went on sale, the US Mint had set the ordering limit at only one coin per household. The purpose of the limit was to "ensure that all members of the public have fair and equal access to United States Mint products." A secondary, unstated purpose of the limit was the limited availability of the specialized 24 karat gold blanks needed to produce the coins.
The limit was finally raised to 10 coins per household starting on July 27, 2009. This set off an increased pace of sales throughout the month of August. In the most recent week of sales reported, the US Mint sold 2,901 coins. Some of the recent rise was attributable to heavy buying at the US Mint sales booth at the World's Fair of Money. The new 25 coin limit may serve to support or even increase the the rapid pace of sales.
Many readers have already raised the question: If the US Mint can produce and sell mass quantities of the UHR, why can't they produce and sell their other collectible gold, silver, and platinum coins?
There have been on and off reports about whether certain coins will be produced such as the 2009 Proof Gold Buffalo, and a few reports about the US Mint starting to receive the necessary precious blanks. However, there has been nothing definitive about when the coins will be available for collectors. The US Mint's website offers the same explanation about the temporary suspension of the products due to the "unprecedented demand" for bullion coins. This message has appeared without an update since March.
Labels: Ultra High Relief
posted by Mint News Blog @ 7:55 AM
35 Comments:
This makes me want to know why the 2009 W SAE's haven't yet been offered for sale...
Come on, guys. If you're going to cuss in these posts, at least use the @#$% symbols instead of spelling it out!
Reposted--
Anonymous said...
August 26, 2009 9:19 AM
The only reason I'm not very pissed off about the Mint raising the UHR limit instead of producing Buffalo's is because I believe they will discontinue the UHR soon.
I believe they are simply raising the limit as a last push to let dealers stock up on them before they sell out. I think they will still do the Buffalo's. They obviously have the gold blanks to do them.
However, if they do continue to mass produce UHR's and do not make gold eagles and buffalo's... I will go ape ****! They can no longer use the "don't have enough gold" excuse.
OK, I reposted the first comment with some moderation.
Oh goodie...they raised the limit to 25 coins. We are in a recession....who the heck has that kind of money sitting around????
The little guy gets pushed over in favor of the big dealers and marketers as usual. Why are we not surprised?
Well, I DO have the funds available to buy 25 UHR coins, but I don't think that would be the wisest investment right now. I might go ahead and pick up a couple of them before sales end though, just in CASE they turn out to be winners. If sales end at 100,000 coins, that shouldn't be too many to kill future value.
100,000 is a good guess for a final sales total. The Mint seems to like nice, round numbers this year.
Thank god I have not opened my box and it is dated in early March...US mint needs to put mintages as the Royal Mint does. This is getting crazy with all these coins going on sale without notice like the Lincolns.
It's way past time for the mint to announce whether or not Proof silver, gold & platinum eagles will be produced for 2009. The mint is owes it's collector base an explanation for the continued delays in these products and some projected release dates. I'm not buying their B.S. line anymore.
I'd be more interested in buying more of these UHR coins if they would also give the option of buying them without the expensive fancy wooden box. Since I already have the fancy packaging for one I don't need it for another one. That would probably lower the cost of the coin by over $100, if you count the book as well as the box.
This development suggests that the mint used most of its 2009 gold allotment on UHRs and first spouses. When was the last time in recent history that the U.S. mint produced so few gold coins?
I agree that the mint should follow the British mint's example of setting--and sticking with-- promised mintages. It's time to end the endless speculation... . While we're at it, let's find a replacement for Mr. Moy.
As for funding for the common folks. Maybe Mr. O. could come up with a "cash for coins" program. We could turn in $500 worth of grungy zinc pennies and get a $1000 voucher for the purchase of some shiney new gold. All in favor, say aye! They would have to promis to melt down the pennies, though.
If the mint does not make the gold proofs, these coins will definately go up much higher in value...if they do make the gold proofs then its going to be interesting what is going to happen. Unless you have the First Strikes or Early Releases either way you are in great shape.
I wish I could afford one of these UHRs. The mint is disappointing. Terrible circulating coins (every design is hideous), and the few coins that are offered from the mint that are halfway decent looking (silver and gold eagle coins), aren't even being made. I don't see how people can collect a lot of this modern circulating junk. What is so appealing about it? Or is it the fact that we just want to complete a set. The mint continues to produce garbage.
Bring back lady liberty to our coins! Down with all the dead politicians on our coins! What a disgrace!
I agree. Wouldn't it have been nice if they had produced a copper-nickel version of the silver Eagle to use as currency instead of the politically correct nonsense that they did?
I just have to say that I just received my Five Andrew Jackson first spouse gold coins and the design is really beautiful, the detail in the hair is great. For some reason with the Jefferson the hair detail was muted. I figured they did this to make it more like an original design with the flat points in the hair on the Jefferson, but the Jackson looks really great. I wanted to get some proofs but we all know what happened there, the mint decided to continue it's silly games and keep everybody guessing what there next move is.
Michael, how come no fanfare for:
2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Proof Set (LN2)?
Or did I miss it. Bought five last night, comes in a nice little box. To be shipped in November??
Here's Michael's blog entry on the LN2:
http://mintnewsblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/2009-lincoln-bicentennial-one-cent.html
Re: That the mint is saving gold this year to gin out the greatest coin ever made (UHR)
Yes, it's late in 2009 and the economy is showing hints of recovery. But minting coins takes years of planning, design and marketing...all of which may have rested on Hillary Clinton's failed election. Her first spouse would have been Big Bill and that would have been huge.
Political hedging and miscalculation? Perhaps, but sights are now set on Mary Todd Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, Pat Nixon, Mimi Eisenhower, J Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Hillary, Michelle Obama, et al.
Political memorabilia collectors of presidential cufflinks and lapel pin varieties will want complete sets.
Ugly as some of these first spouse designs are, I'm still in love with them.
To US Mint Director Moy--You rolled the dice and set the stage for a phenomenal line, but pls bow out gracefully and stop commodity speculation and trading at the U.S. Mint. You made history with our international UHR coin.
Respectfully,
An historian
on the historian comment's below...interesting thoughts, but is it not still law that you cannot be alive and be on a legal tender coin ? Think we will be waiting a long time for Hillary and Michelle and perhaps even Nancy and Rosalynn
In order for the Presidential Dollar and First Spouse programs to go up to and include the Reagans, several people have to pass away, technically 5 years before their scheduled appearance. Betty Ford, both Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, and finally Nancy Reagan. If it comes right down to it though, the Mint will likely make an exception to the whole "five years" business.
One thing they DON'T seem to do is schedule any gaps in the program sequence. I noticed that when "Lady Bird" Johnson passed away. Up until that time, the First Spouse program ended with Jacqueline Kennedy, despite the fact that Pat Nixon died in 1993. When "Lady Bird" Johnson died, both she and Pat Nixon were then added to the schedule. Also, Ronald Reagan is not on the schedule yet, either. When Jimmy Carter dies, both he and Ronald Reagan will then be added to the schedule.
I just looked at the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005. It states that all deceased Presidents are eligible 2 years after their death and that they will be issued in the order they served (with Cleveland being the only one with TWO coins since he served two non-consecutive terms).
The wording of the First Spouse portion of the bill seems to suggest that for a spouse to be represented that person has to be the spouse of a President eligible for the $1 coin program AND was the spouse during that President's presidency. However, I did not read anywhere in the act that stated that the Spouse had to have passed away as well. Strange, heh?
So, that seems to mean, (and my apologies for being morbid) that for Carter and Reagan to be included Carter has to pass away before mid-year 2014. This would make both of them eligible for the 2016 release which currently includes both Nixon and Ford. While sad, there's a good chance this will happen. He'll be almost 90. Until Reagan and Ford, only 2 other presidents had reached that age. Same goes for George H. W. Bush. He is four months older than Carter. However, its unlikely that the next 3 presidents will be eligible after that. If so, this leaves 2017 an odd year with just H. W. Bush.
Now, at the time of this writing, every First Lady from Betty Ford onward IS still alive. So, if my predictions above become true, and all the current living first ladies are alive in 2016 (which is unlikely), then we'll have at most FOUR gold medal First Spouse coins of LIVING people. That will be strange.
None the less, according to the Coin Act, it seems to me that 2017 will be the last year of the series until Congress decides to reinstitute it.
Even though it doesn't actually say so, I'm sure the spouses have to be dead, too. That's why "Lady Bird" Johnson wasn't added to the schedule until after she had passed away. Also, Betty Ford would be on the schedule right now if the spouses could be living.
Too bad Sally Hemings hasn't been recognised on a coin...Some early writings suggest that Jefferon may have fathered five children with her (page 43,Duel... by Thomas Fleming published by Basic Books, 1999.)
No coins for unmarried couples.
Well, rules are there for a reason.
Its also sad that they never recognized spouses that passed away before they became President. Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson was a major part of Jefferson's life before she passed away. And Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson was a major part of Andrew Jackson's life. It is sad that JUST because they weren't around before either became President that they shouldn't be recognized.
While Betty Ford doesn't yet appear on the official release list, I still feel like they would have to make one if the time comes EVEN if she's still alive. There's NOTHING in the legislation that says otherwise.
I think the Mint has found itself in this kind of situation with other coins this year. Wasn't the buffalo bullion coins not suppose to be made this year only to have the Mint change its mind after it reviewed existing legislation again?
BTW, amusing what-if scenario... what if Hillary HAD won the Presidency in 2008 and all the necessary variables came into place to have both Hillary and Bill on the Presidential coin series. Then you'd have each not only on the $1 Presidential coins but also on one of the First Spouse coins. Very odd, indeed.
I agree with Lasloo, who said that just because a spouse died before her husband took office doesn't mean she wasnt important to his life and the nation. However, the Mint's - or is it Congress's - thinking did give us the "Liberty" versions for jefferson, Jackson and Van Buren, which I personally find more attractive.
You're right, it WOULD have been nice if the spouses who had passed on before their husbands took office could have been recognized on a coin. Unfortunately in that respect, the program was not written that way.
Let's say hypothetically that the wives who had died before their husbands' presidency HAD been included in the program. I could be wrong, but it seems that I read somewhere that there are no KNOWN images (paintings or drawings) ever created for Martha Jefferson. If that is indeed the case, how would the engravers know what to make her look like for her coin?
According to the link below, this is the only known image of Martha Jefferson. It would be kind of tough to design a coin from that!
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic-art/935240/72228/Silhouette-of-Martha-Jefferson-the-only-known-image-of-her
The UHR Gold Coin is a very beautiful work of art, and it is likely the only time we will ever see the original double eagle reverse used on a new coin in our lifetime.
I just placed an order for two of them. My thinking is that the price of gold has spent enough time above $950 this week to possibly throw the U.S. Mint prices into the $950-$1,000 tier. That, combined with the likely cut-off at 100,000 coins make today a good time to buy.
Hi, anyone knows what's the latest mintage figures on the UHRDE?
Thx
The latest report from Numismaster shows that 87,069 UHR coins have been sold through August 30th.
Getting close to that nice, round 100,000 number.
I'd prefer a nice number UNDER 100k :)
Effective September 21, 2009 at 9:00 am (ET): The United States Mint will remove the household order limit on the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin.
Looks like the mint going all out to push the sales of UHR...
Has the sales top 100K already?
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