2018 Mint, Proof, and Silver Proof Sets - ALL SOLD OUT

WALLE

In looking at the last numbers that came out on 11/3/2019

Mint Set - 255,387
Proof Set - 512,954
Silver Proof - Set 328,576

These will be the lowest mintage for these sets, we will see once they start to update the website if it holds.

Hemispherical

Thanks @WALLE. The W cent saved the 2019 sets from being the lowest and the W nickel will probably save 2020 sets.

Thinking forward to 2021 what could the Mint do?

jmlanzaf

@WALLE said:
In looking at the last numbers that came out on 11/3/2019

Mint Set - 255,387
Proof Set - 512,954
Silver Proof - Set 328,576

These will be the lowest mintage for these sets, we will see once they start to update the website if it holds.

Yes, they've been consistently sliding for years.

jmlanzaf

Since I always like to point this out: canary, coal mine.

As late as 2005, they were still selling over a million Mint sets per year. That has steadily dropped over the last 15 years.

If you go back to 1968 through the late 80s, 2 million was more than norm.

Here's a FUN FACT - they issued 260,000 MInt sets in 1960!!! The population of the U.S. in 1960 was 180 million. The population of the U.S. in 2018 was 327 million.

Proof set mintages were 1.5 million in 2009. In 1956, they issued 669,000 Proof sets.

privatecoin

Since I started buying from the mint in 2013 I generally buy 1 mint set 1 proof set for my albums and 2 silver proof sets one for albums and 1 to save. This year with the w cents i bought an extra of each. Probably would do the same if they did a w nickel this year.

WALLE

@jmlanzaf said:
Since I always like to point this out: canary, coal mine.

As late as 2005, they were still selling over a million Mint sets per year. That has steadily dropped over the last 15 years.

If you go back to 1968 through the late 80s, 2 million was more than norm.

Here's a FUN FACT - they issued 260,000 MInt sets in 1960!!! The population of the U.S. in 1960 was 180 million. The population of the U.S. in 2018 was 327 million.

Proof set mintages were 1.5 million in 2009. In 1956, they issued 669,000 Proof sets.

Here's a question, what makes the 2012 sets so special? There are sets with lower mintage then those, yet look at the price of them.

jmlanzaf

@WALLE said:

@jmlanzaf said:
Since I always like to point this out: canary, coal mine.

As late as 2005, they were still selling over a million Mint sets per year. That has steadily dropped over the last 15 years.

If you go back to 1968 through the late 80s, 2 million was more than norm.

Here's a FUN FACT - they issued 260,000 MInt sets in 1960!!! The population of the U.S. in 1960 was 180 million. The population of the U.S. in 2018 was 327 million.

Proof set mintages were 1.5 million in 2009. In 1956, they issued 669,000 Proof sets.

Here's a question, what makes the 2012 sets so special? There are sets with lower mintage then those, yet look at the price of them.

The 2012 sets got removed fron sale early. It caused a price spike. The price has been steadily dropping and will probably end up in line with the others once everyone who missed it finally gets one.

RINATIONALS

@WALLE said:

@jmlanzaf said:
Since I always like to point this out: canary, coal mine.

As late as 2005, they were still selling over a million Mint sets per year. That has steadily dropped over the last 15 years.

If you go back to 1968 through the late 80s, 2 million was more than norm.

Here's a FUN FACT - they issued 260,000 MInt sets in 1960!!! The population of the U.S. in 1960 was 180 million. The population of the U.S. in 2018 was 327 million.

Proof set mintages were 1.5 million in 2009. In 1956, they issued 669,000 Proof sets.

Here's a question, what makes the 2012 sets so special? There are sets with lower mintage then those, yet look at the price of them.

Part of what made the 2012 sets so much more was they went off sale early and people and dealers who thought they could buy them anytime were forced to scramble to buy them. The old time big proof set market makers like Vollmer & Nunemakers are gone too, no one beside the TV guys wants/needs to have a large inventory.
As to the sales numbers many dealers are no longer stocking anywhere near the number they used to. They dont get the discount from the mint they used to and why carry any extra when all they do is soften in price after Christmas? Another factor is the cost of the sets, IMHO they'd sell a lot more if the clad sets were 19.95 to 24.95, I can't believe they are RAISING the price for next years sets!

WALLE

@jmlanzaf The 2012 sets got removed fron sale early. It caused a price spike. The price has been steadily dropping and will probably end up in line with the others once everyone who missed it finally gets one.

@RINATIONALS Part of what made the 2012 sets so much more was they went off sale early and people and dealers who thought they could buy them anytime were forced to scramble to buy them. The old time big proof set market makers like Vollmer & Nunemakers are gone too, no one beside the TV guys wants/needs to have a large inventory.
As to the sales numbers many dealers are no longer stocking anywhere near the number they used to. They dont get the discount from the mint they used to and why carry any extra when all they do is soften in price after Christmas? Another factor is the cost of the sets, IMHO they'd sell a lot more if the clad sets were 19.95 to 24.95, I can't believe they are RAISING the price for next years sets!

Thanks, I understand now.

JBK

Just a technicality but I think the 2018 were on "last chance" sale ending Dec 31, 2019.

WCC

@jmlanzaf said:
Since I always like to point this out: canary, coal mine.

As late as 2005, they were still selling over a million Mint sets per year. That has steadily dropped over the last 15 years.

If you go back to 1968 through the late 80s, 2 million was more than norm.

Here's a FUN FACT - they issued 260,000 MInt sets in 1960!!! The population of the U.S. in 1960 was 180 million. The population of the U.S. in 2018 was 327 million.

Proof set mintages were 1.5 million in 2009. In 1956, they issued 669,000 Proof sets.

I consider it a combination of reasons.

The decline from the peak mintages (near 4MM I recall but many years of 3MM+) is probably due to less (or effectively no) speculation. I understand that was prevalent in the 60's up until a few years after proof sets resumed in 1968. The buyer's didn't actually like the sets that much, they bought multiples to flip.

I also understand that many more non-collectors bought this stuff in the past who don't now. My former boss was one. Around 1998, he told me what he had and then was disgusted with himself that he had wasted SDB fees for several decades for something of such low value.

A lot of new collectors since 2005 as the base churns. With the internet, no reason to expect that anywhere near the same proportion would buy the three products listed in the OP. It's evident from the mintage decline that it's losing its competitiveness versus (world) NCLT and the ability to buy practically any coin now.

Except maybe the silver set due to much higher silver spot, I expect all three to have noticeably lower mintages decades from now.

ricko

I stopped buying the mint, proof and silver sets about ten years ago...Used to get them each year for quite a long time...Now they all sit in a large box I have not opened for about nine years.... Cheers, RickO