Recent US Mint Product Updates

In the past week or so, there have been changes to the status of several US Mint products. This includes some which have sold out and others which have returned from previous "sold out" status. This post will provide a recap of these products.

2009 Lincoln Cent Proof Set

As briefly mentioned at the end of a post last week, the 2009 Lincoln Cent Proof Set (LN2) sold out around December 21, 2009. This product contains the four different 2009 Lincoln Cents, in proof version. These coins are struck in a special composition of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc that was used for the first Lincoln Cents issued in 1909.

The sets were announced by the United States Mint in August, after the full 2009 Proof Set containing the cents had already gone on sale. By that time, countless proof sets had already been broken up in order to sell the four 2009 Lincoln Proof Sets separately.

The new offering included the single lens containing the four 2009 Lincoln Cents in a newly designed box. The sets were offered for sale at $7.95 with an ordering limit of 5 sets per household that remained in place for the duration of the offering.

The last reported sales for the set was 201,107. Following the sell out, the prices of the US Mint packaged set have risen to around $15-$16 each. Here are the current eBay auctions.

2009 Kennedy Half Two Roll Set

The 2009 Kennedy Half Dollar Two Roll Sets sold out on December 24, 2009. This product, along with the 200-coin bags, went on sale January 22, 2009.

Starting in 2002, the US Mint no longer produced Kennedy Half Dollars for release into circulation. They did continue to produce a limited mintage of the coins for sale directly to collectors in numismatic bags and rolls, priced at a premium above the face value. The mintages of Kennedy Halves has remained low since this date.

Early in 2009, the US Mint had produced 1.7 million coins at each the Philadelphia and Denver Mints. When supplies started to dwindle, they produced an additional 200,000 coins per facility in September and October. The final mintage of 1.9 million coins each comes in above the mintage low set last year when 1.7 million coins were produced at each facility.

At the time of this post, the 200-coin bags still remain available for sale on the US Mint's website priced at $130.95.

Direct Ship Rolls

In another swift change to the US Mint's Direct Ship Program, the previously available 2009 Native American Dollars have been removed from sale and placed in the "Sold Out" section.

Direct Ship rolls previously listed in the "Sold Out" section have become available once again. The available coins include the Presidential Dollars for George Washington (2007), John Adams (2007), Thomas Jefferson (2007), James Madison (2007), Andrew Jackson (2008), and Martin Van Buren (2008). Each option is limited to a maximum order quantity of two $250 boxes.

Despite reports published in the mainstream press which indicated that the US Mint would record charges as cash advances, some Mint News Blog readers have reported that recent orders have come across as regular purchases. The US Mint does retain the messages about agreeing to comply with the intended purpose of the program. Perhaps this has been enough to curtail abuses of the program.