I called The Mint's CS line today and asked why they had sent me an email on 03 April, 2009, that said my Uncs. were pushed back(ordered) from 03 April, 2009, to 18 April, 2009, but my account page's order history still showed them backordered to 03 April, 2009, four days ago (as I type this).. I think the rep's head exploded as she tried to figure out what was going on.. after a lot of database checking and verifying I was who I said I am.. she promised me that since I got my order in before the "Sold Out! Go Away!" sign went up on the Uncs., that I WOULD get them, but they had not come into their new Indianapolis shipping facility from The Mint in PA yet.. so they hadn't been picked, boxed, and labelled for mailing by Fedex, who hands them off to the USPS, who straps them to a three-legged burro yet, but she couldn't explain why the order status page still said "Backordered, expected to ship 03 April, 2009." She also reminded me of the usual Fine Print which says The Mint has the right to modify, or cancel any order at any time for any reason, and I said yah yah, I know about the fine print.. I just don't want to get shut out and cancelled because some dealer ordered ten thousand of them and I only ordered two.. so.. nothing to do but sit over on the Group W bench and wait.. just as long as I don't get someone else's returns, but at this point, who knows..
Oh.. she also told me she had placed an order for a couple herself, and her order was in the same "huh!?" status as mine was..
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a hand on.. I don't do these things to other people.. I require the same of them.." - John Wayne, "The Shootist" (1976.. his final film)..
1. 2009 LINCOLN 2-ROLL SET "BIRTHPLACE" (LP1) Qty : 5
"In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation [...] Gold stands in the way of this insidious process. It stands as a protector of property rights." - Alan Greenspan
Checking my order today, my two Uncs. are now "(still).. backordered.. expected to ship 04/17/2009" and the cancel box is still there.. but I was assured by a Mint CS phone rep that, as I explained earlier, the order was placed well in time (21 March, 2009).. before the Century 21 Coin Agent drove up to Abe's house and stuck a red SOLD OUT sign on his lawn.. and they're (still) back-ordered only becasue they haven't made it from PA to Indiana yet, to be picked, poked, scratched, mutiliated, spindled, packed, and punted in my direction.. I've not been charged yet.. am I gonna get someone else's returns?.. Is the Moon in the Seventh House and Jupiter aligned with Mars?.. stay tuned..
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a hand on.. I don't do these things to other people.. I require the same of them.." - John Wayne, "The Shootist" (1976.. his final film)..
I just received (actually on Tuesday) an order for 99 Lincoln commemoratives ordered on the first day of release - I believe February 12 or so. They have been sitting in "on hold" status for 2 months. I called dozens of times and was assured that they were set aside for the order and it was only a matter of time. I finally called and got a hold of a very nice rep and we stayed on the phone for about 25 minutes trying to clear up a different order that was also just sitting for no reason (presidential proofs). She called someone else while I was on the phone and finally came back and said they were going to release the hold status. She said now watch your screen and sure enough as a was refreshing, the hold was replaced by the "in process" note and the check box immediately went away. I was happy! Then I started to think - why cant she do that to the much more important and much more delayed 99 proof Lincolns. Well, I asked her why she could not just do what she did to the presidential proof order to the Lincoln order. She said "hmmmmm - maybe I can. Let's see" One minute later, the 99 Lincolns were "in processs" and no check box. They were shipped about 3 days after that.
That is not the best part of the story. I really think this box of 99 was packed 2 months ago and sat there waiting for my order to clear. The reason I say this is that nearly every single Lincoln commemorative in that order was near flawless and in fact looked for all the world like the first commemoratives struck. Each had a tremendously high relief to it. After looking at approx. 80 of the coins, the strike "strength" changed to a seemingly weaker strike. I pre-screened them for submission ATS and ended up sending 72 of them in. The other 27 are being sold raw. Even the 27 being sold raw are fantastic - I figured I had to screen some of them out!!!
So.. to recap the history of this debacle with The Mint..
I ordered a whopping two 2009 Lincoln Slver $ Uncs. on 21 March, 2009.. Got emails from The Mint that my order was instantly back-ordered and was "expected" to ship on 05 April.. then another email, pushing that back to 18 April.. then another email pushing that back to 05 May, then two days ago, another email pushing it back again to 18 May.. they never did charge me, the cancel box never went away, and I ordered them well before the six-week sell-out period slammed the door shut on them..
This morning I awoke to this lovely missive from The US Mint:
QUOTE::
Greetings from the United States Mint. Thank you for ordering from the United States Mint. We regret to inform you that the item(s) listed below are currently sold out. A customer service representative will be happy to assist you in finding an alternative item.
Order # xxxx2835 - 1 Sold To Ship To
Item: LN8 Qty: 2 2009 LINCOLN UNC SILVER DLR
This is a system generated e-mail. Please do not reply. If you have questions, please visit the Help page at http://catalog.usmint.gov or call us at 1-800-USA-MINT.
Happy to assist you in finding an alternative item!?.. Like what, oh Wizards of Washington, DC.. whaddya got that's an alternative to what I ordered, that you kept pushing back and back and then cancelled!?.. uh-huh..
A friend of mine who placed an identical order on the same day got exactly the same email..
Just a wild hunch, but I suspect a few thousand people who were waiting on their orders got the same email, and left flapping in the breeze like we were..
So I thought.. (after cussing a lot..).. okay, now what.. hmm.. eBay.. let's just see what's on eBay..
I decided skarooo bidding on a couple raws, ($50.00 - $60.00 lately..).. and just check out what PCGS MS70s are going for..
Did a search "2009 Lincoln PCGS MS70"
Narrowed it to "Buy it Now"s only..
Re-sorted by price+shipping lowest first..
Found a seller offering two of them for $109.95.. free shipping, free insurance.. including all the OGP..
The list of available "Buy it Now" PCGS MS70s on eBay, ranged from that as a low, up to nearly $300.00 as a high..
Checked TeleTrade.. the last half-dozen PCGS MS70s sold for $140.00 to $190.00 PLUS the juice, PLUS tax (where applicable).. PLUS shipping..
Back to eBay.. bought them both.. at $109.95 all-in, delivered..
So much for The Mint honoring orders placed well before the "Sold Out" sign went up.. that really grinds my gears.. but ya can't beat a PCGS MS70 for $109.95 delivered.. if ya can.. show me where.. I kinda sorta have a wild hunch that if I got that "Sold Out even though you ordered in time, would you like a spoon instead?" email, and my friend in another State got exactly the same email.. that a LOT of people got it, and prices are gonna go up.. like I said.. just a wild hunch..
By the way.. I missed quite literally a Golden opportunity a week ago..
Some seller totally screwed him or herself, and listed four 2000-W Library of Congress BiMetallic Proofs in OGP for $550.00 EACH, "Buy it Now".. I don't know how long that auction listing lasted, the title was wrong.. something like "2000 Library of Congress $10.00 Gold".. maybe they thought the inner core was Silver, not Platinum, but this was a seller who sells nothing but coins and should've known what these sell for.. or maybe they had a bunch of teenagers typing in listings from an inventory sheet, who just plain screwed up.. it happens.. but I bet they were gone in an hour or less.. two lucky SOBs each bought two of them.. argh!.. same seller has listed a few more, with a realistic price of about $1200.00.. I have to wonder if s/he actually honored that $550.00 price on four coins, each worth more than double that.. ah well.. ya win some, ya lose some.. I would have snatched up couple of those at $550.00 each so fast you wouldda gotten whiplash watching me mash the "Buy it Now" button if I had seen that auction when it went up, but how many hours a day can you search eBay for sellers who screw up pricing?..
Anyway, The Mint can kiss my shiny.. have a nice day..
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a hand on.. I don't do these things to other people.. I require the same of them.." - John Wayne, "The Shootist" (1976.. his final film)..
Comments
Jim
<< <i>Ordered 4 of each on 3/16. The proofs shipped today; uncs on backorder, expected to ship 4/03?????
Jim >>
using Einstein Express!
when it absolutely has to be there the day before yesterday!
shoot me.
I deserve it.
50,000 lincoln sets to be sold later....
I'm already returning what appears to be other people's Lincoln returns.
I'm a bit upset with myself that somewhere in those 50,000 will be a bunch of spotty and/or scratched coin returns.
<< <i>Hmmmm.....
shoot me.
I deserve it.
50,000 lincoln sets to be sold later....
I'm already returning what appears to be other people's Lincoln returns.
I'm a bit upset with myself that somewhere in those 50,000 will be a bunch of spotty and/or scratched coin returns. >>
Dear MsMorrisine,
I'm thinking those special sets are already made up with "un-returns"...I would think QC would be in play here.
Let's face it, if the Mint wants to get it right, they can...witness the MS70 UHR surge!!!!!
They want these sets to be stellar quality....one would hope anyway!!!
Oh.. she also told me she had placed an order for a couple herself, and her order was in the same "huh!?" status as mine was..
- John Wayne, "The Shootist" (1976.. his final film)..
but I got 19 replacements and 17 had some spot on them: black (2?), milky (3-4?), the rest were... hmmmm... water spots(?).
I'm happy just having a couple that, to my un-trained and under-magnified eye, might grade a 69. (after sorting through 39 of 'em)
returns...
received 4/6
returns showed up on line 4/8
good job on that PBGS!
Order #: 31351xxx - 1 Order Date: 3/13/09
Sold To: Me
Ship To: Me
Date Shipped: 4/09/09
Amount Charged : 49.70
Tracking ID
910290100134600xxxxxxx
Items included in this shipment:
1. 2009 LINCOLN 2-ROLL SET "BIRTHPLACE" (LP1) Qty : 5
I just got a different order of 10 today.
9 had a worn die or weak strike and the ribbon on the viewer's right was broken near the top. (see separate thread)
the unbroken ribbon coin had a huge smear.
all had minor spots.
1 capsule had a scratch in the 1 o'clock (pry-it-out) position which seems to indicate it was someone else's return that was sent to me.
- John Wayne, "The Shootist" (1976.. his final film)..
<< <i>more FYI:
returns...
received 4/6
returns showed up on line 4/8
good job on that PBGS! >>
That is nice, the old returns could take weeks or months.
So I guess no proof for me.
For sale on ebay!
<< <i>I got my late order of 5 Lincoln Commemoratives proofs today.
For sale on ebay!
<< <i>When did you order them?
<< <i>I got my late order of 5 Lincoln Commemoratives proofs today.
For sale on ebay!
>>
That is not the best part of the story. I really think this box of 99 was packed 2 months ago and sat there waiting for my order to clear. The reason I say this is that nearly every single Lincoln commemorative in that order was near flawless and in fact looked for all the world like the first commemoratives struck. Each had a tremendously high relief to it. After looking at approx. 80 of the coins, the strike "strength" changed to a seemingly weaker strike. I pre-screened them for submission ATS and ended up sending 72 of them in. The other 27 are being sold raw. Even the 27 being sold raw are fantastic - I figured I had to screen some of them out!!!
Jeff
I ordered a whopping two 2009 Lincoln Slver $ Uncs. on 21 March, 2009..
Got emails from The Mint that my order was instantly back-ordered and was "expected" to ship on 05 April.. then another email, pushing that back to 18 April.. then another email pushing that back to 05 May, then two days ago, another email pushing it back again to 18 May.. they never did charge me, the cancel box never went away, and I ordered them well before the six-week sell-out period slammed the door shut on them..
This morning I awoke to this lovely missive from The US Mint:
QUOTE::
Greetings from the United States Mint.
Thank you for ordering from the United States Mint.
We regret to inform you that the item(s) listed below
are currently sold out. A customer service representative
will be happy to assist you in finding an alternative item.
Order # xxxx2835 - 1
Sold To
Ship To
Item: LN8 Qty: 2
2009 LINCOLN UNC SILVER DLR
This is a system generated e-mail. Please do not reply.
If you have questions, please visit the Help page at
http://catalog.usmint.gov or call us at 1-800-USA-MINT.
ENDOFQUOTE. $@&#$@*!!
Happy to assist you in finding an alternative item!?.. Like what, oh Wizards of Washington, DC.. whaddya got that's an alternative to what I ordered, that you kept pushing back and back and then cancelled!?.. uh-huh..
A friend of mine who placed an identical order on the same day got exactly the same email..
Just a wild hunch, but I suspect a few thousand people who were waiting on their orders got the same email, and left flapping in the breeze like we were..
So I thought.. (after cussing a lot..).. okay, now what.. hmm.. eBay.. let's just see what's on eBay..
I decided skarooo bidding on a couple raws, ($50.00 - $60.00 lately..).. and just check out what PCGS MS70s are going for..
Did a search "2009 Lincoln PCGS MS70"
Narrowed it to "Buy it Now"s only..
Re-sorted by price+shipping lowest first..
Found a seller offering two of them for $109.95.. free shipping, free insurance.. including all the OGP..
The list of available "Buy it Now" PCGS MS70s on eBay, ranged from that as a low, up to nearly $300.00 as a high..
Checked TeleTrade.. the last half-dozen PCGS MS70s sold for $140.00 to $190.00 PLUS the juice, PLUS tax (where applicable).. PLUS shipping..
Back to eBay.. bought them both.. at $109.95 all-in, delivered..
So much for The Mint honoring orders placed well before the "Sold Out" sign went up.. that really grinds my gears.. but ya can't beat a PCGS MS70 for $109.95 delivered.. if ya can.. show me where.. I kinda sorta have a wild hunch that if I got that "Sold Out even though you ordered in time, would you like a spoon instead?" email, and my friend in another State got exactly the same email.. that a LOT of people got it, and prices are gonna go up.. like I said.. just a wild hunch..
By the way.. I missed quite literally a Golden opportunity a week ago..
Some seller totally screwed him or herself, and listed four 2000-W Library of Congress BiMetallic Proofs in OGP for $550.00 EACH, "Buy it Now".. I don't know how long that auction listing lasted, the title was wrong.. something like "2000 Library of Congress $10.00 Gold".. maybe they thought the inner core was Silver, not Platinum, but this was a seller who sells nothing but coins and should've known what these sell for.. or maybe they had a bunch of teenagers typing in listings from an inventory sheet, who just plain screwed up.. it happens.. but I bet they were gone in an hour or less.. two lucky SOBs each bought two of them.. argh!.. same seller has listed a few more, with a realistic price of about $1200.00.. I have to wonder if s/he actually honored that $550.00 price on four coins, each worth more than double that.. ah well.. ya win some, ya lose some.. I would have snatched up couple of those at $550.00 each so fast you wouldda gotten whiplash watching me mash the "Buy it Now" button if I had seen that auction when it went up, but how many hours a day can you search eBay for sellers who screw up pricing?..
Anyway, The Mint can kiss my shiny.. have a nice day..
- John Wayne, "The Shootist" (1976.. his final film)..