The US Mint - - let me see if I've got this right.

Coulport

According to the latest NN article, the US Mint has had to raise prices on most all their collector products.
This is due to metal price rises among other things. i.e. copper up 76%, nickel up 66% and zinc up 55%.

Yet they steadfastly maintain that they are making a profit on each and every cent minted.

Yea, right.

FC57Coins

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JrGMan2004

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That's a pretty smart lizard, Frank...

kranky

Remember, the Mint is very proud of their profit-making ability. I've always been puzzled by that. I'm surprised they don't come right out and say, "We appreciate that you give us tax dollars to produce items we sell for more than we need to, so we can brag about our profitability."

I was just reading on a stamp collectors board where the USPS is going to be selling a Lewis & Clark premium booklet of stamps for $8.55, which is $1.55 over the face value of the stamps (it also includes a 32-page pamphlet). The stamp guys are outraged that it's ANYTHING over face value. I wonder if the USPS hasn't been hungrily eyeing the Mint's profits on collector items and thought they'd give it a try themselves. The collectors expect sales to be so poor, the USPS will never again issue "premium booklets".

I believe Mint clears about 20% profit on numismatic items, and I bet they try to push a lot of costs into that program so the profits don't appear even greater.