US Mint Online Catalog Last Opportunity Section
Today, the United States Mint added a new section to their online catalog. Listed as "Last Opportunity," the section displays products which will only be available for sale for a limited time before they are discontinued.
In 2008 the US Mint held a Last Chance Sale, and recently in May 2009 they held a Last Opportunity sale. These sales similarly featured products which would only remain available for a short time. This time the format of the section is different in that groups of products have different cut off dates.
Martin Van Buren's Liberty First Spouse Gold Coins will be available until December 3, 2009. Louis Braille Commemorative coin products will be available until December 11, 2009. The remaining 2007 Presidential Dollar bags and rolls and 2008 First Spouse Bronze Medals will be available until December 31, 2009. These products will be discontinued and removed from sale on the stated dates or earlier if the remaining inventory sells out. You can view the page on the US Mint's website here.
It will be interesting to see whether this becomes a permanent new section for the US Mint's website. In the previous instances, it was only used for a space of time before the discontinuation of products included in the sale.
This year, the US Mint has routinely ended sales of certain products to coincide with the release dates of newer ones. For example, the sales of Martin Van Buren's Liberty coins will end on the same date sales of the Margaret Taylor coin will begin. Similar scheduling has been used for this year's bags and rolls offerings. If the section is made permanent, it would be a useful addition to the online catalog by adding transparency about when certain products are scheduled to end.
Separately, the US Mint recently provided information on their ordering deadlines for Christmas and year end processing. The US Mint will guarantee delivery by December 25, 2009 for any in stock items for customer orders placed by December 7, 2009 for standard delivery and December 11, 2009 for express delivery.
Information about the Louis Braille Silver Dollars was also included in the message. Sales of all products containing the coin will end on December 11, 2009 at 5:00 PM ET. Under the authorizing legislation for the program, coins must be issued by December 31, 2009. The earlier cut off date presumably allows time for ordering processing and delivery to meet the requirements. As of the last weekly sales report, the Louis Braille Silver Dollar Commemorative Coin has sold a combined 202,655 coins across all product options. The maximum authorized mintage for the program is 400,000 coins.
Today on Coin Update News:
Final 2009 Lincoln Penny Launch Ceremony in Washington DC
Labels: US Mint
posted by Mint News Blog @ 9:48 AM
37 Comments:
Too bad I really don't care about their "Last Opportunities" sales as the Mint (like the rest of our government) only pushes worthless products these days.
It would surprise me if the Martin Van Buren's Liberty Proof coins remain available until December 3. The Andrew Jackson's Liberty Proofs were exhausted before the Sarah Polks went on sale. But, maybe the much higher prices of the coins now versus then will keep the sales low enough for them to last all the way to the end of the schedule.
just wondering if any one would know what does the mint do with the 'stuff' that is not sold for their 'Last Opportunities' sale?
Anyone know when the 2010 calender for the mint comes out??
To Anon @ 12:25,
The Mint has stated in the past that any products not sold by the end of the Last Opportunity sale are broken down and destroyed.
I don't know how that is policed, though.
Michael,
It seems like the Braille coin will NOT sell out. In fact, relatively few have sold.
What do you think of the long term value for this particular commemorative silver coin? There does not appear to be much demand for them....
Same with the Little Rock set!
I have both the Little Rock and Braille sets. They don't seem to be very popular but I do like the themes and the coins. My Little Rock sets are still sealed. Perhaps I should open them up and look at the quality of the coins...
Mint's 2010 calendar will come out in 2011.
Hello, I'm new to coin collecting so forgive my lack of knowledge, but just what is a Little Rock Set? Thanks. By the way I ordered the Braille set and a couple of coins as I like the look and themes too. My daughter was very intrested in the educational and tactile aspects of the set and coins. Ordered 2 more for her to give to her kids.
The Little Rock set contained a Little Rock uncirculated silver commemorative dollar together with a 1.5-inch bronze medal struck to commemorate the Little Rock nine.
For how many more years are they going to keep selling the 2008 United States Mint Annual Uncirculated Dollar Coin Set (XA2)?
It's a 2008 set that will still be on sale in 2010!!!!! What gives?
Maybe they should take the silver Eagles out of the Unc. dollar set, and resqueeze them into Proof '09s.
I have to concur with the very first commenter. Who cares about the last opportunity? Last opportunity for who? I say its the last opportunity for the mint to unload its junk coins. Most of the mint products are now just alloy anyway. The silver dollar selection is nothing really special this year and gold coins are out of reach for a large number of collectors. Lets hope for next year.
Dudes, the United States Mint 2009 Proof Set® (P09) is no longer listed on the mint web site.
HERE IS THE 2009 PROOF SETS PAGE ON THE U.S. MINT WEBSITE:
http://catalog.usmint.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=14946&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=10211
IT DOES NOT HAVE AN OPTION TO PLACE ANY ORDERS ANYMORE... COULD THIS BE A SELL OUT IN THE FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER?
IT DOES NOT SAY "SOLD OUT" (YET), BUT THEY ARE NOT TAKING ORDERS EITHER... AND YOU CANNOT FIND THE LINK TO THE PAGE ON THE MINT WEBSITE.
I BET THEY WILL ANNOUNCE THEM AS SOLD OUT SOON. WHY ELSE DO THIS?
The 2009 Clad Proof set is not listed anymore in annual coin sets.
You can find it by clicking on teh link in the ptoduct calendar but there is no price
http://catalog.usmint.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=14946&langId=-1
I guess it's "sold out"
According to Coin News, there were 1.225 million clad proof sets sold as of last week. 2008 set sold out in Dec at somewhere around 1.38 million as per Michael's blog:
http://mintnewsblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/2008-us-proof-set-sold-out.htm
Have you noticed that the Lincoln Chronicles sets on eBay are still falling in price - now they are selling for about $110 - $125? I guess as the months go by, they will continue to drop in price.
When you think about it, the only appealing thing about the set is the packaging. We could always buy the silver coin and proof pennies separately.
Interesting how packaging can cause such a high difference in prices....
The Braille coin will be selling out soon. I keep debating if I should buy one. But a total mintage of 200,000 or so really isn't that low.
Plus, I see proof versions selling for less than what they are selling for at the US Mint. That doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling about the future value of this coin.
What do you think?
If you buy a Braille product, buy the Braille Education Set. It contains the coin that will be the lower mintage option of the two (the Uncirculated), and it appears extremely likely that the set will only sell around 12,500 or less of the 25,000 allowed units.
It won't necesarily be a great item in the future, but it IS pretty neat-looking, and it could end up as one of those products that no one seems to want much until it's gone.
If the P09 proof set IS sold out already, that should make them pretty hot Christmas gifts. It would be nice if that happens, since the extra money from selling them will help ease the pain from my company most likely NOT giving us Christmas bonuses this year due to the bad economy.
Once the crush of flippers flooding eBay with the Lincoln Chronicles set eases in a few weeks, the sets will slowly rise in price. With the release of another new penny design and the Lincoln dollar coin in 2010, Lincoln coinage will remain hot and the Chronicles set will become even more desireable...
There will be a Lincoln dollar coin in 2010? I know about the new penny design in 2010.
Wish the Mint would have picked a better design.... The Memorial coins are more artistic...
One thing that concerns me about US Mint gold coins is that they, and older versions (with some exceptions, like the 2008 gold buffaloes), can be purchased at or lower prices than what the US Mint is selling them for right now.
That gives me the distinct impression that gold coin values are based on the value of the gold bullion instead of their scarcity or demand by collectors (versus investors).
Long term, that's troubling for collectors. When gold drops in price (and I have faith that the US economy and dollar will improve in the future), the prices we are now paying will not be sustained.
As I've always been told, especially with the stock market, buy low, sell high. That seems to be true with the gold market....
To me if you really want to invest money in gold, you buy bullion such as gold wafers, bars etc. When you want to sell it, it's weighed and you're given the going rate. No subjectivity to it. Gold coins are a different animal, as you bring in factors such as condition, artistic beauty and mintage. You're paying a premium above spot prices for those. Within the coin community you may make a profit, but a scale knows no difference from a 1 oz. coin or wafer. Just my two cents....
The golden Lincoln dollar will be the last Presidential dollar minted in 2010. Will there be as much interest in buying them as there was with the Lincoln pennies and Lincoln silver dollar?
I think these will sell out fast but don't know if there will be a mad rush to get them.
The Lincoln Presidential Dollar and Mary Lincoln First Spouse gold coin should serve to revitalize interest in both of their respective coin series. That would prove beneficial to those who have faithfully sank money into collecting each issue thus far.
The poster who was talking about the disturbing trend of some of the gold coins selling on the secondary market for less than the Mint is selling them for hit the nail right on the head. Buying the coins at today's Mint prices is pretty risky if you're looking for short-term returns. I still have faith in the First Spouse series coins, as their mintages are so ridiculously low that they should someday garner attention for that fact. I'm glad I bought my 2009's a couple of price tiers ago ($654 for Proofs and $641 for Uncirculateds). It looks like I won't be buying the Margaret Taylors for a while, in the hopes that the gold price will finally back off!
As far as the Presidential Dollar rolls goes, I bet there won't be too many people buying the Zachary Taylors except those who really want them. I know I won't, now that I'll have to eat money on my Polks and most likely my Tylers that were bought during the short-lived second chance sale following the "sell-out." You'd think with all of my years of experience with this stuff, I would stop falling for the Mint's ploys!
Don't feel so bad about those Tyler mint rolls. I too bought about 30 sets during the short lived second chance phase thinking this would be Harrison all over again. I'll be lucky to break even on those. Looking at the next 3 years of releases for the $1 coin, only Lincoln and Grant stand out among the list. Other than those two presidents, it's one set and out for my collection. You'll see some new lows in mintages for the likes of Fillmore, Pierce and Arthur.......
What do you think the chances of the Mint continuing the "Presidential Dollar Coin & First Spouse Medal Set" series are beyond this year? They sure haven't sold very many of the 2009 sets. I hope they don't deem them to not be worth the effort, and cut them from the lineup.
I REALLY want the Abraham and Mary Lincoln set next year! Plus, I bet the release of that set will revitalize interest in the prior issues of the series, making the 2009 sets worth a pretty penny! No one seems to care right now, but the John & Letitia Tyler set only sold about 9,700 units. That is a VERY low number! The 2007 sets still sell for quite a lot over issue price, and they all have a much higher production number! It must be a case of what Michael was talking about a while back when it comes to determining value. WHO HOLDS THE MINTAGE was the factor he listed. I've read accounts of people who bought 99 of the coin and spouse medal sets. Now they're selling them for next to nothing, keeping the supply steady for now. After they've ran out though, those of us who waited should reap many times more rewards than they're getting now. But, it all could hinge on if the program continues at least through next year.
I hope it goes all the way to the end of the program. I want to see all of these sets together at the end, which could very well go all the way through the Reagans or George Bush Sr. That will be pretty cool-looking!
Aw, man! The 2009 Proof Set P09 is back again! I was SO hoping they had "sold out" of it! @#$%!
The Roof The Roof The Roof is on fire 1106.90 gold price let the mutha @#%^^ burn LOL.
If you've been putting off buying the 2009 Proof Gold Buffalo, you might want to buy it before Wednesday morning. The average London Fix Gold Price this period is $1,097.33.
Yes, we're flirting with the next U.S. Mint gold coin price tier now. $1,489 UHR anyone? How about a $1,410 Gold Proof Buffalo? Better yet, how about a $729 First Spouse Proof coin? Ouch!
With regards to the price of gold, one thing that is nice about the US mint is that its in dollars. Anyone ever gets the time, check out the Royal Mint and their prices or even some European mints, they are outrageous!
I would agree! Some of the premiums which foreign mints charge are out of this world.
So I guess we should count our blessings. :)
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