that sentence from NN reads as pro-flipping and not at all about "collecting what you like."
Perhaps a better suggestion would have been: to purchase a Braille directly from the mint now while they can be had at the issue price. Also, if one was not able to buy a Lincoln from the mint, wait until after the bubble pops.
Very nice packaging. Well put together, and this time, I received a better Lincoln Proof silver dollar than those I'd ordered the first time around. Cool.
One down... 2 to go...
UBERCOINER
A Truth That's Told With Bad Intent Beats All The Lies You Can Invent
Anyone want some Filet of Mailman?.. Some thigh meat?.. Ribs?.. How about a bucket of Col. Harv's Original Recipe Hot and Spicey Mailman Wings with your choice of "Got a brown box for me? NO!?" or "Hey, is that brown box in your tub for me? NO!?" dippin' sauce..
"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)..
Dave H. is of course right that better value often lurks with lower mintages, but I don't think Braille falls into that category. The mintages are already too high for that, and this coin will never be popular for its subject matter, as worthy as it might be.
<< <i>are you guys not opening because you don't know what pcgs is going to do or because you might sell it? >>
PCGS (and ATS ("Across the Street")) aren't going to do anything with these sets.. no special labels, nothing..
"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)..
Coins look no better than others in other sets, so if your going to sell don't open. I planned on keeping mine so I opened to see same dings and marks as other sets.
<< <i>are you guys not opening because you don't know what pcgs is going to do or because you might sell it? >>
By not opening, you are referring to the package in which the set is mailed. But if not opening the package was significant (from a grading perspective), we surely would have known this well before the set was offered for sale.
I noticed a short thread posted to by Don Willis of PCGS, and assuming he pops in now and again, surely he would have commented on the advisability, nay requirement, that said sets remain unopened, and in their natural state - that is, natural from wherever it was that mailed them in the first place (read: USmint), in order to qualify for some special designation.
Since the honorable Mr. Willis chose not to address this issue, I submit that opening your sets would have no deleterious effect on their intrinsic value. Anyone who feels in conflict with this assessment may well earn a part in Much Ado About Nothing. It could be, of course, that the temporary making of a market to profit by the lemmings is, if not honorable, at least solvent. Perhaps it's all in the advertising?
Ahh, advertising... the art of arresting human intelligence long enough to get money from it...
Nevertheless, should there be they who's pirating booty from them masses what feels they can profits by it, more power to ye, for in the end, they'll do no good resting in Davey Jones locker for none but the fishes to see.
Arrrggghhhhh!
Edited to add: That's CAPTAIN Obiwan Canoli... you HAVE heard of me, haven't you?
UBERCOINER
A Truth That's Told With Bad Intent Beats All The Lies You Can Invent
Well you just can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. If I want to see the coins I can always open it. If I choose to sell it sealed I will have that option. So I'll store it sealed for now. Like the mint sets or proof sets in sealed shipping boxes often generate interest.
<< <i>are you guys not opening because you don't know what pcgs is going to do or because you might sell it? >>
By not opening, you are referring to the package in which the set is mailed. But if not opening the package was significant (from a grading perspective), we surely would have known this well before the set was offered for sale.
I noticed a short thread posted to by Don Willis of PCGS, and assuming he pops in now and again, surely he would have commented on the advisability, nay requirement, that said sets remain unopened, and in their natural state - that is, natural from wherever it was that mailed them in the first place (read: USmint), in order to qualify for some special designation.
Since the honorable Mr. Willis chose not to address this issue, I submit that opening your sets would have no deleterious effect on their intrinsic value. Anyone who feels in conflict with this assessment may well earn a part in Much Ado About Nothing. It could be, of course, that the temporary making of a market to profit by the lemmings is, if not honorable, at least solvent. Perhaps it's all in the advertising?
Ahh, advertising... the art of arresting human intelligence long enough to get money from it...
Nevertheless, should there be they who's pirating booty from them masses what feels they can profits by it, more power to ye, for in the end, they'll do no good resting in Davey Jones locker for none but the fishes to see.
Arrrggghhhhh!
Edited to add: That's CAPTAIN Obiwan Canoli... you HAVE heard of me, haven't you? >>
IIRC, there have been multiple occassions where an announcement to do special labels was made way late in the game...Not that I believe they would do a label for these and I wouldn't play that game anyway. The Buffalo Coin and Currency label comes to mind...
The Post Office just delivered my set, and it is amazing. I can't imagine anyone wanting to sell it if someone only has one. You are not going to want to remove these coins to have them graded. The Mint outdid itself A++++++.
(No.. I didn't open it yet.. say.. is there supposed to be a squeaking noise and the smell of Canoli coming from inside?..)..
Edited to add.. okay, I opened it.. "My God! It's full of stars!"..
No, but seriously, Folks.. gorgeous set.. worth an agonizing ordering process and twelve freakin' days to finally get it?.. I'll leave that for future generations to decide.. oh.. there were TWO identical packing slips inside.. I mean 100% identical.. LQQK LQQK RARE US MINT ERROR!.. $12000.00 "Buy It Now"..
"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)..
(No.. I didn't open it yet.. say.. is there supposed to be a squeaking noise and the smell of Canoli coming from inside?..)..
Edited to add.. okay, I opened it.. "My God! It's full of stars!"..
No, but seriously, Folks.. gorgeous set.. worth an agonizing ordering process and twelve freakin' days to finally get it?.. I'll leave that for future generations to decide.. oh.. there were TWO identical packing slips inside.. I mean 100% identical.. LQQK LQQK RARE US MINT ERROR!.. $12000.00 "Buy It Now".. >>
Thanks.. I'm happy for me too.. I won't go into any detail about how I had to sit here squirming, waiting for the mailman, as my digestive system kept telling me to go to the room with the funny chair.. it NEVER fails.. what to do.. what to do.. I decided to wait.. he HAD to have the package.. so I raced outside and he had just finished loading the mailboxes and was headed towards my apartment, box and other stuff in hand.. I literally ran towards him, took it from him, said "Thank you! Thank you!".. raced back inside, threw it on the sofa.. and.. well.. you can use your imagination..
He also brought the 27 Oct., 2009 issue of NN.. which I flipped through while in the.. uhh library.. no Lincoln Sets in any dealer ads.. none.. {{time passes}}.. then I looked around for something appropriate to put atop the box to block out my name and address and shoot a quick picture, and thought hmm.. I left my bust of Abe Lincoln in my other tuxedo.. so I grabbed a thick, Mount Rushmore lucite paperweight and used that.. of course, the flash messed it up, but you get the idea..
The, for one nanowebber, I thought.. "put it on eBay and sell it".. two hundred bucks.. maybe three hundred.. I can use it.. that thought quickly passed.. I didn't go through almost two weeks of squirming just to sell it.. if I had two, I'd sell one, which would pay for both of them.. but I don't.. so I can't.. I slit the tape, took the set out, checked it out, really gorgeous.. no glue coming apart, no krinkled portrait of Lincoln in the oval frame.. no frost breaks, no loose coins flying around.. no problems.. so I thought.. on closer inspection, as I tilted it back and forth in the light, I saw a perfectly round, tiny, maybe 1/100" diameter, perfectly smooth depression in the huge expanse of flat field to the right of Abe's face on the $.. it's not a scratch.. I'll try to get a macro shot of it later.. maybe a teeny tiny struck-through *something* but what?..
"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>as I tilted it back and forth in the light, I saw a perfectly round, tiny, maybe 1/100" diameter, perfectly smooth depression in the huge expanse of flat field to the right of Abe's face on the $.. it's not a scratch.. I'll try to get a macro shot of it later.. maybe a teeny tiny struck-through *something* but what?.. >>
<< <i>as I tilted it back and forth in the light, I saw a perfectly round, tiny, maybe 1/100" diameter, perfectly smooth depression in the huge expanse of flat field to the right of Abe's face on the $.. it's not a scratch.. I'll try to get a macro shot of it later.. maybe a teeny tiny struck-through *something* but what?.. >>
could it be just a planchet flaw? >>
I don't know what it is.. let me think of another way to describe it.. {{thinking}}.. okay.. imagine a perfectly absolutely flat piece of.. oh.. I dunno.. Play-doh.. flawless.. smooth as glass.. now take a needle or a pin with the smallest point you can find, and just very gently touch it to that flat surface.. barely touch it straight down.. with the lightest possible pressure.. it'll leave a perfectly round, *tiny* depression.. so in this case, since it's metal (the die) slamming against metal (the Silver blank).. it was, perhaps, some *tiny* thing stuck to the Obverse die.. or a *tiny* dimple on the die in the middle of that flat field.. as small as this---> .
I didn't even notice it the first time, until I tilted the set in the light.. I was looking for frost breaks, and saw none on any of the coins..
"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)..
Thanks for the information MsMorrisine. I will be more inclined to keep mine sealed now! >>
Unless you plan to flip it, if it's the only one you have, and the only one you plan to have, I'd open it.. it IS a thing of beauty.. it looks for all the world like an expensive, dark brown leather book in a slip-case.. besides, The Mint DOES make mistakes.. they're only all TOO human.. there could possibly be something else in that box, and you'll never know unless / until you open it.. although with all 50,000 spoken for, if there is something else in that box, especially something of lesser value, if you returned it, you'd get a refund, not a replacement, or someone else might've returned a horrbily defective / deformed one.. and you'd get THAT.. unless they're destroying horribly defective / deformed ones.. in which case, you'd get a refund..
50,000 isn't a tiny number, but, as far as MODERN US Mint products go, it is a pretty small number, compared to, say, the two million plus 2009 Proof Sets of various flavors they've already sold this year.. (regular sets, Silver sets, Territory Quarter sets, Silver Territory Quarter sets, Lincoln cent sets.. am I missing any?).. over two million of those combined.. you could get all 50,000 of these Lincoln sets into a single truck.. NO dealer is going to have hundreds of them to sell, and when they do start advertising them, I kinda suspect you're gonna see prices in the general neighborhood of $350.00.. I could be wrong.. I haven't seen any in dealer ads yet.. just a wild guess based on past experience..
Then again, compared to all of the 2009 First Spouse Golds they've sold, some as low as just a couple thousand, 50,000 is a huge number.. but then we're talking about coins that cost over $700.00 each, versus a set that cost $56.00..
If I had gotten my Lincoln Set today, and I had opened the box, which I did, and found a First Spouse Gold, or a UHR in there.. what do you think I would've done?..
"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)..
** Due to flipper market flooding, prices have dropped temporarily giving buyers last shot at sub-$200 prices. Get 'em while you can. **
Last chance folks. Many available at $159 - $169 prices, again. Won't last long, the bubble will pass.
Refs: MCM,Fivecents,Julio,Robman,Endzone,Coiny,Agentjim007,Musky1011,holeinone1972,Tdec1000,Type2,bumanchu, Metalsman,Wondercoin,Pitboss,Tomohawk,carew4me,segoja,thebigeng,jlc_coin,mbogoman,sportsmod,dragon,tychojoe,Schmitz7,claychaser, Bullsitter, robeck, Nickpatton, jwitten, and many OTHERS
Just got my set today and it looks pretty cool I think. All of the coins look good and most of the coppers seem to have a tone to them already, but they look nice. Also, the obverse of my Log Cabin cent has either a strike through or a planchet flaw near the rim just off Abe's shoulder. tried to get a quick pic, but hard to get a good shot of it, sorry about all of the fuzz on the capsule too
<< <i>Just got my set today and it looks pretty cool I think. All of the coins look good and most of the coppers seem to have a tone to them already, but they look nice. Also, the obverse of my Log Cabin cent has either a strike through or a planchet flaw near the rim just off Abe's shoulder. tried to get a quick pic, but hard to get a good shot of it, sorry about all of the fuzz on the capsule too >>
(No.. I didn't open it yet.. say.. is there supposed to be a squeaking noise and the smell of Canoli coming from inside?..)..
Edited to add.. okay, I opened it.. "My God! It's full of stars!"..
No, but seriously, Folks.. gorgeous set.. worth an agonizing ordering process and twelve freakin' days to finally get it?.. I'll leave that for future generations to decide.. oh.. there were TWO identical packing slips inside.. I mean 100% identical.. LQQK LQQK RARE US MINT ERROR!.. $12000.00 "Buy It Now".. >>
So, Harv, are you saying the wait was worth it? I mean, really, now, spill it... don 't hold back, we're anxious to know... C'mon, now... tell
UBERCOINER
A Truth That's Told With Bad Intent Beats All The Lies You Can Invent
<< <i>So, Harv, are you saying the wait was worth it? I mean, really, now, spill it... don 't hold back, we're anxious to know... C'mon, now... tell >>
Ultimately.. yeah.. it was worth it.. it's a beautiful set.. the two worst parts of this whole experience were the ridiculous (but not unexpected).. total melt-down of the US Mint's Web site and phone lines at the stroke of noon, 15 October, 2009.. they can apologize as much as they want for their "disappointing performance" every day, all day, and Never On Sunday.. but this has been going on for years..
Viz: when, in 1999, the Delaware State Quarter $25.00 mini-bags sold out in a flash, and then were being re-sold on eBay for up to $1000.00.. when the next $25.00 mini-bags, Pennsylvania, went on sale.. blammo, instant Web site and phone meltdown.. that was TEN years ago.. have they fixed their systems since then?.. Have they added more phone lines, more servers, more personnel?.. I don't see any change at all.. their apologies are worth as much as if a child had scrawled "gee, I'm sorry, I won't do it again" in the sand, on a beach, with his finger.. and the first gentle wave washes it away..
So why don't they freakin' DO something about it, already!?.. Isn't ten years of this enough?..
The other problem is the ridiculous, obfuscated, screwball, nonsensical, "who thought this was a good idea!?" method they use for shipping.. Fedex "SmartPost [tm]" should have its pants pulled down and its bottom flailed in public..
Good old regular USPS Priority Mail would've gotten it to me from Indianapolis, IN., in two to three days..
The problem is, we're basically dealing with a monopoly.. we know it, they know it, and they know we know it.. the only competition the US Mint has is (are?).. third-parties like eBay and coin dealers.. NO ONE else is gonna sell a hot, limited-to-one (unless yer sneaky).. $55.95 product, which people have been drooling for, for months.. so you KNOW it's going to be a virtually instant sell-out.. NO ONE else is gonna sell that set for $55.95.. no one.. some third-party could take the same five coins and make their own version of the set, but it wouldn't be the same thing.. the real deal.. they know it, we know it.. so unless they really DO something about their
ordering system, their apologies are utterly worthless..
Other than that, I don't have any opinions one way or the other..
"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>So, Harv, are you saying the wait was worth it? I mean, really, now, spill it... don 't hold back, we're anxious to know... C'mon, now... tell >>
Ultimately.. yeah.. it was worth it.. it's a beautiful set.. the two worst parts of this whole experience were the ridiculous (but not unexpected).. total melt-down of the US Mint's Web site and phone lines at the stroke of noon, 15 October, 2009.. they can apologize as much as they want for their "disappointing performance" every day, all day, and Never On Sunday.. but this has been going on for years..
Viz: when, in 1999, the Delaware State Quarter $25.00 mini-bags sold out in a flash, and then were being re-sold on eBay for up to $1000.00.. when the next $25.00 mini-bags, Pennsylvania, went on sale.. blammo, instant Web site and phone meltdown.. that was TEN years ago.. have they fixed their systems since then?.. Have they added more phone lines, more servers, more personnel?.. I don't see any change at all.. their apologies are worth as much as if a child had scrawled "gee, I'm sorry, I won't do it again" in the sand, on a beach, with his finger.. and the first gentle wave washes it away..
So why don't they freakin' DO something about it, already!?.. Isn't ten years of this enough?..
I thought the mint system was much better this time around. Just about everyone got through in a very short time. It was hectic in the first few minutes because everyone was on line all at once.
A great big congradulations for a much improved experience comes from me.
The other problem is the ridiculous, obfuscated, screwball, nonsensical, "who thought this was a good idea!?" method they use for shipping.. Fedex "SmartPost [tm]" should have its pants pulled down and its bottom flailed in public..
Good old regular USPS Priority Mail would've gotten it to me from Indianapolis, IN., in two to three days..
The problem is, we're basically dealing with a monopoly.. we know it, they know it, and they know we know it.. the only competition the US Mint has is (are?).. third-parties like eBay and coin dealers.. NO ONE else is gonna sell a hot, limited-to-one (unless yer sneaky).. $55.95 product, which people have been drooling for, for months.. so you KNOW it's going to be a virtually instant sell-out.. NO ONE else is gonna sell that set for $55.95.. no one.. some third-party could take the same five coins and make their own version of the set, but it wouldn't be the same thing.. the real deal.. they know it, we know it.. so unless they really DO something about their
ordering system, their apologies are utterly worthless..
Other than that, I don't have any opinions one way or the other..
"government is not reason, it is not eloquence-it is a force! like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action." George Washington
I didn't order mine (actually 2, one for me, one for my bother under his acct) until Oct 16th around 9pm. By that time, the website said they were backordered but still taking orders. I thought I missed out for sure, but, just looked today and they were both shipped! Sweet, I thought I was going to have to buy one for $300 on ebay!
" thought the mint system was much better this time around. Just about everyone got through in a very short time. It was hectic in the first few minutes because everyone was on line all at once."
Hmm.. I wonder how many customers Amazon or eBay have online at once.. hundreds of thousands?.. Millions?.. How often have you NOT been able to get on Amazon?.. eBay used to go down all the time.. they poured a ton of money into beefing up their server capacity.. how often does it go down these days?..
True.. eBay and Amazon don't operate on the same kind of business model the Mint uses.. neither is a monopoly.. and both of those operations have millions of different things for sale, while the Mint only has a few hundred.. most of which languish there for an entire year without selling out.. because they're muy expensive.. so in this depress.. err.. recession.. many people just aren't in a position to buy them, or maybe they're cheap, but people simply don't want them..
Remember the 2004 Mint sets?.. $14.95.. Remember how they cut off sales early and everyone who had been waiting to get one said , poof.. they're gone.. well Thanks a lot for telling us.. and suddenly you had to pay $90.00 or more if you wanted one?..
Look at the prices of those now.. $30.00.. why?.. Because the Mint had a "Last Chance" clearance sale, put up a bunch of old inventory they wanted to get rid of, and amongst those things were 2004 Mint sets.. guess which item in their clearance sale was gone in hours?.. 2004 Mint sets.. the market got flooded with them, and down down down went the price..
Can Moy or whoever his head IT guy is possibly NOT know that there's gonna be total gridlock if they throw up a hotly-anticipated item, limit it to one per, limit it to only 50,000, and then flip on the green light for everyone at the same second?.. Yeah, I got an order placed for the Lincoln Set in twelve minutes.. twelve agonizing minutes.. and ONLY because I set up "quick checkout" the day before, and ONLY because I ASSumed that as soon as it appeared, and I mashed "add to cart", that it was instantly IN the cart, and there was no need for the next page to load to tell me it was in the cart.. others in this thread mentioned they used the same "trick", which isn't so much a trick, as it is just knowing how a Web-based shopping cart system works.. or at least how the Mint's works.. but I didn't log into my Mint account at the stroke of noon ET that day.. I logged in an hour or two earlier, and went from page to page, just to keep from getting logged out after thirty minutes of non-activity.. in the grand scheme of things, twelve minutes isn't very long.. but you could do a "Buy it Now" on an eBay item in twelve seconds, if you wanted to..
There are plenty of horror stories here of people who DID have agonizing experiences trying to place that order on 15 October, 2009.. a few hours later, things sped up, as expected.. and still, people got shut out..
I don't know how many tried to order the set and failed.. or just gave up.. I can't fathom why someone would buy the set on eBay for $349.95 (still the highest price I've seen), as a "per-sell" BEFORE the Mint opened the doors and let'em loose at 1/6 the price.. I can't wait to see how much dealers ask for them when the first print ads appear..
Eh.. enough.. sorry for rambling.. I gotta go over to kodakgallery.com and use a $15.00 freebie coupon they sent me before it expires..
"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 still feel that the mint has improved over what I have seen in the past. The main problem is everyone going after the same coins at the same time. Once the initial multiple thousand's got their order in, the site calmed down and the shipping has gone very smoothly and with even the correct size boxes for a change.
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Comments
Perhaps a better suggestion would have been: to purchase a Braille directly from the mint now while they can be had at the issue price. Also, if one was not able to buy a Lincoln from the mint, wait until after the bubble pops.
Very nice packaging. Well put together, and this time, I received a better Lincoln Proof silver dollar than those I'd ordered the first time around. Cool.
One down... 2 to go...
A Truth That's Told With Bad Intent
Beats All The Lies You Can Invent
One of mine arrived today and I too will not open it up at this point.
- John Wayne, "The Shootist" (1976.. his final film)..
<< <i>are you guys not opening because you don't know what pcgs is going to do or because you might sell it? >>
PCGS (and ATS ("Across the Street")) aren't going to do anything with these sets.. no special labels, nothing..
- John Wayne, "The Shootist" (1976.. his final film)..
I am not planning to submit mine for anything. I just feel that maybe down the line something might cause the sealed boxes to be worth more.
<< <i>
<< <i>are you guys not opening because you don't know what pcgs is going to do or because you might sell it? >>
PCGS (and ATS ("Across the Street")) aren't going to do anything with these sets.. no special labels, nothing.. >>
[(and ATS ("Across the Street"))You are correct, Harv]
I'm glad I'm not your mailman!!!!
<< <i>I would prefer opened to make sure all coins are there and not damaged. >>
But if you return it, you probably won't get another one back in exchange.
60 years into this hobby and I'm still working on my Lincoln set!
<< <i>are you guys not opening because you don't know what pcgs is going to do or because you might sell it? >>
By not opening, you are referring to the package in which the set is mailed. But if not opening the package was significant (from a grading perspective), we surely would have known this well before the set was offered for sale.
I noticed a short thread posted to by Don Willis of PCGS, and assuming he pops in now and again, surely he would have commented on the advisability, nay requirement, that said sets remain unopened, and in their natural state - that is, natural from wherever it was that mailed them in the first place (read: USmint), in order to qualify for some special designation.
Since the honorable Mr. Willis chose not to address this issue, I submit that opening your sets would have no deleterious effect on their intrinsic value. Anyone who feels in conflict with this assessment may well earn a part in Much Ado About Nothing. It could be, of course, that the temporary making of a market to profit by the lemmings is, if not honorable, at least solvent. Perhaps it's all in the advertising?
Ahh, advertising... the art of arresting human intelligence long enough to get money from it...
Nevertheless, should there be they who's pirating booty from them masses what feels they can profits by it, more power to ye, for in the end, they'll do no good resting in Davey Jones locker for none but the fishes to see.
Arrrggghhhhh!
Edited to add: That's CAPTAIN Obiwan Canoli... you HAVE heard of me, haven't you?
A Truth That's Told With Bad Intent
Beats All The Lies You Can Invent
Aside from the packaging, I really like the look of the cent proofs - particularly the birthplace and presidency coins.
Edited to add: obviously I opened it and I even took the coins/holders out to look at both sides
Whatever you are, be a good one. ---- Abraham Lincoln
<< <i>Got mine today
Aside from the packaging, I really like the look of the cent proofs - particularly the birthplace and presidency coins.
Edited to add: obviously I opened it and I even took the coins/holders out to look at both sides
Me too,
Proof $ looks 70" cents welll, 1/100 as good
Joe
If I want to see the coins I can always open it.
If I choose to sell it sealed I will have that option.
So I'll store it sealed for now. Like the mint sets
or proof sets in sealed shipping boxes often generate
interest.
<< <i>Well you just can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. >>
That's true, but sometimes I want to brush my teeth ...
Whatever you are, be a good one. ---- Abraham Lincoln
<< <i>
<< <i>are you guys not opening because you don't know what pcgs is going to do or because you might sell it? >>
By not opening, you are referring to the package in which the set is mailed. But if not opening the package was significant (from a grading perspective), we surely would have known this well before the set was offered for sale.
I noticed a short thread posted to by Don Willis of PCGS, and assuming he pops in now and again, surely he would have commented on the advisability, nay requirement, that said sets remain unopened, and in their natural state - that is, natural from wherever it was that mailed them in the first place (read: USmint), in order to qualify for some special designation.
Since the honorable Mr. Willis chose not to address this issue, I submit that opening your sets would have no deleterious effect on their intrinsic value. Anyone who feels in conflict with this assessment may well earn a part in Much Ado About Nothing. It could be, of course, that the temporary making of a market to profit by the lemmings is, if not honorable, at least solvent. Perhaps it's all in the advertising?
Ahh, advertising... the art of arresting human intelligence long enough to get money from it...
Nevertheless, should there be they who's pirating booty from them masses what feels they can profits by it, more power to ye, for in the end, they'll do no good resting in Davey Jones locker for none but the fishes to see.
Arrrggghhhhh!
Edited to add: That's CAPTAIN Obiwan Canoli... you HAVE heard of me, haven't you? >>
IIRC, there have been multiple occassions where an announcement to do special labels was made way late in the game...Not that I believe they would do a label for these and I wouldn't play that game anyway. The Buffalo Coin and Currency label comes to mind...
order 3322686X
if all orders get shipped in a couple weeks, would good would a First Strike be?
Finally!..
(No.. I didn't open it yet.. say.. is there supposed to be a squeaking noise and the smell of Canoli coming from inside?..)..
Edited to add.. okay, I opened it.. "My God! It's full of stars!"..
No, but seriously, Folks.. gorgeous set.. worth an agonizing ordering process and twelve freakin' days to finally get it?.. I'll leave that for future generations to decide.. oh.. there were TWO identical packing slips inside.. I mean 100% identical.. LQQK LQQK RARE US MINT ERROR!.. $12000.00 "Buy It Now"..
- John Wayne, "The Shootist" (1976.. his final film)..
<< <i>
Finally!..
(No.. I didn't open it yet.. say.. is there supposed to be a squeaking noise and the smell of Canoli coming from inside?..)..
Edited to add.. okay, I opened it.. "My God! It's full of stars!"..
No, but seriously, Folks.. gorgeous set.. worth an agonizing ordering process and twelve freakin' days to finally get it?.. I'll leave that for future generations to decide.. oh.. there were TWO identical packing slips inside.. I mean 100% identical.. LQQK LQQK RARE US MINT ERROR!.. $12000.00 "Buy It Now"..
I'm happy for you, Harv!!!
<< <i>Is the box inside the brown box that contains the set dated like the Lincoln rolls were from the mint? >>
there is no "box" inside the box.
the ""folder"" is inside an undated white sleeve and there is no cellophane or anything else ""closing"" it.
Once the shipping box is open, the coins are readily accessible.
<< <i>
I'm happy for you, Harv!!!
Thanks.. I'm happy for me too.. I won't go into any detail about how I had to sit here squirming, waiting for the mailman, as my digestive system kept telling me to go to the room with the funny chair.. it NEVER fails.. what to do.. what to do.. I decided to wait.. he HAD to have the package.. so I raced outside and he had just finished loading the mailboxes and was headed towards my apartment, box and other stuff in hand.. I literally ran towards him, took it from him, said "Thank you! Thank you!".. raced back inside, threw it on the sofa.. and.. well.. you can use your imagination..
He also brought the 27 Oct., 2009 issue of NN.. which I flipped through while in the.. uhh library.. no Lincoln Sets in any dealer ads.. none.. {{time passes}}.. then I looked around for something appropriate to put atop the box to block out my name and address and shoot a quick picture, and thought hmm.. I left my bust of Abe Lincoln in my other tuxedo.. so I grabbed a thick, Mount Rushmore lucite paperweight and used that.. of course, the flash messed it up, but you get the idea..
The, for one nanowebber, I thought.. "put it on eBay and sell it".. two hundred bucks.. maybe three hundred.. I can use it.. that thought quickly passed.. I didn't go through almost two weeks of squirming just to sell it.. if I had two, I'd sell one, which would pay for both of them.. but I don't.. so I can't.. I slit the tape, took the set out, checked it out, really gorgeous.. no glue coming apart, no krinkled portrait of Lincoln in the oval frame.. no frost breaks, no loose coins flying around.. no problems.. so I thought.. on closer inspection, as I tilted it back and forth in the light, I saw a perfectly round, tiny, maybe 1/100" diameter, perfectly smooth depression in the huge expanse of flat field to the right of Abe's face on the $.. it's not a scratch.. I'll try to get a macro shot of it later.. maybe a teeny tiny struck-through *something* but what?..
- John Wayne, "The Shootist" (1976.. his final film)..
<< <i>as I tilted it back and forth in the light, I saw a perfectly round, tiny, maybe 1/100" diameter, perfectly smooth depression in the huge expanse of flat field to the right of Abe's face on the $.. it's not a scratch.. I'll try to get a macro shot of it later.. maybe a teeny tiny struck-through *something* but what?.. >>
could it be just a planchet flaw?
<< <i>
<< <i>as I tilted it back and forth in the light, I saw a perfectly round, tiny, maybe 1/100" diameter, perfectly smooth depression in the huge expanse of flat field to the right of Abe's face on the $.. it's not a scratch.. I'll try to get a macro shot of it later.. maybe a teeny tiny struck-through *something* but what?.. >>
could it be just a planchet flaw?
I don't know what it is.. let me think of another way to describe it.. {{thinking}}.. okay.. imagine a perfectly absolutely flat piece of.. oh.. I dunno.. Play-doh.. flawless.. smooth as glass.. now take a needle or a pin with the smallest point you can find, and just very gently touch it to that flat surface.. barely touch it straight down.. with the lightest possible pressure.. it'll leave a perfectly round, *tiny* depression.. so in this case, since it's metal (the die) slamming against metal (the Silver blank).. it was, perhaps, some *tiny* thing stuck to the Obverse die.. or a *tiny* dimple on the die in the middle of that flat field.. as small as this---> .
I didn't even notice it the first time, until I tilted the set in the light.. I was looking for frost breaks, and saw none on any of the coins..
- John Wayne, "The Shootist" (1976.. his final film)..
<< <i>
<< <i>Is the box inside the brown box that contains the set dated like the Lincoln rolls were from the mint? >>
there is no "box" inside the box.
the ""folder"" is inside an undated white sleeve and there is no cellophane or anything else ""closing"" it.
Once the shipping box is open, the coins are readily accessible. >>
Thanks for the information MsMorrisine. I will be more inclined to keep mine sealed now!
<< <i>
Thanks for the information MsMorrisine. I will be more inclined to keep mine sealed now! >>
Unless you plan to flip it, if it's the only one you have, and the only one you plan to have, I'd open it.. it IS a thing of beauty.. it looks for all the world like an expensive, dark brown leather book in a slip-case.. besides, The Mint DOES make mistakes.. they're only all TOO human.. there could possibly be something else in that box, and you'll never know unless / until you open it.. although with all 50,000 spoken for, if there is something else in that box, especially something of lesser value, if you returned it, you'd get a refund, not a replacement, or someone else might've returned a horrbily defective / deformed one.. and you'd get THAT.. unless they're destroying horribly defective / deformed ones.. in which case, you'd get a refund..
50,000 isn't a tiny number, but, as far as MODERN US Mint products go, it is a pretty small number, compared to, say, the two million plus 2009 Proof Sets of various flavors they've already sold this year.. (regular sets, Silver sets, Territory Quarter sets, Silver Territory Quarter sets, Lincoln cent sets.. am I missing any?).. over two million of those combined.. you could get all 50,000 of these Lincoln sets into a single truck.. NO dealer is going to have hundreds of them to sell, and when they do start advertising them, I kinda suspect you're gonna see prices in the general neighborhood of $350.00.. I could be wrong.. I haven't seen any in dealer ads yet.. just a wild guess based on past experience..
Then again, compared to all of the 2009 First Spouse Golds they've sold, some as low as just a couple thousand, 50,000 is a huge number.. but then we're talking about coins that cost over $700.00 each, versus a set that cost $56.00..
If I had gotten my Lincoln Set today, and I had opened the box, which I did, and found a First Spouse Gold, or a UHR in there.. what do you think I would've done?..
- John Wayne, "The Shootist" (1976.. his final film)..
Last chance folks. Many available at $159 - $169 prices, again. Won't last long, the bubble will pass.
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
<< <i>Just got my set today and it looks pretty cool I think. All of the coins look good and most of the coppers seem to have a tone to them already, but they look nice. Also, the obverse of my Log Cabin cent has either a strike through or a planchet flaw near the rim just off Abe's shoulder. tried to get a quick pic, but hard to get a good shot of it, sorry about all of the fuzz on the capsule too
Nose hair proof with minor attachments.....
I can see this sets definitley worth more then $200 in future.
<< <i>
Finally!..
(No.. I didn't open it yet.. say.. is there supposed to be a squeaking noise and the smell of Canoli coming from inside?..)..
Edited to add.. okay, I opened it.. "My God! It's full of stars!"..
No, but seriously, Folks.. gorgeous set.. worth an agonizing ordering process and twelve freakin' days to finally get it?.. I'll leave that for future generations to decide.. oh.. there were TWO identical packing slips inside.. I mean 100% identical.. LQQK LQQK RARE US MINT ERROR!.. $12000.00 "Buy It Now"..
So, Harv, are you saying the wait was worth it? I mean, really, now, spill it... don 't hold back, we're anxious to know... C'mon, now... tell
A Truth That's Told With Bad Intent
Beats All The Lies You Can Invent
<< <i>So, Harv, are you saying the wait was worth it? I mean, really, now, spill it... don 't hold back, we're anxious to know... C'mon, now... tell >>
Ultimately.. yeah.. it was worth it.. it's a beautiful set.. the two worst parts of this whole experience were the ridiculous (but not unexpected).. total melt-down of the US Mint's Web site and phone lines at the stroke of noon, 15 October, 2009.. they can apologize as much as they want for their "disappointing performance" every day, all day, and Never On Sunday.. but this has been going on for years..
Viz: when, in 1999, the Delaware State Quarter $25.00 mini-bags sold out in a flash, and then were being re-sold on eBay for up to $1000.00.. when the next $25.00 mini-bags, Pennsylvania, went on sale.. blammo, instant Web site and phone meltdown.. that was TEN years ago.. have they fixed their systems since then?.. Have they added more phone lines, more servers, more personnel?.. I don't see any change at all.. their apologies are worth as much as if a child had scrawled "gee, I'm sorry, I won't do it again" in the sand, on a beach, with his finger.. and the first gentle wave washes it away..
So why don't they freakin' DO something about it, already!?.. Isn't ten years of this enough?..
The other problem is the ridiculous, obfuscated, screwball, nonsensical, "who thought this was a good idea!?" method they use for shipping.. Fedex "SmartPost [tm]" should have its pants pulled down and its bottom flailed in public..
Good old regular USPS Priority Mail would've gotten it to me from Indianapolis, IN., in two to three days..
The problem is, we're basically dealing with a monopoly.. we know it, they know it, and they know we know it.. the only competition the US Mint has is (are?).. third-parties like eBay and coin dealers.. NO ONE else is gonna sell a hot, limited-to-one (unless yer sneaky).. $55.95 product, which people have been drooling for, for months.. so you KNOW it's going to be a virtually instant sell-out.. NO ONE else is gonna sell that set for $55.95.. no one.. some third-party could take the same five coins and make their own version of the set, but it wouldn't be the same thing.. the real deal.. they know it, we know it.. so unless they really DO something about their
Other than that, I don't have any opinions one way or the other..
- John Wayne, "The Shootist" (1976.. his final film)..
<< <i>
<< <i>So, Harv, are you saying the wait was worth it? I mean, really, now, spill it... don 't hold back, we're anxious to know... C'mon, now... tell >>
Ultimately.. yeah.. it was worth it.. it's a beautiful set.. the two worst parts of this whole experience were the ridiculous (but not unexpected).. total melt-down of the US Mint's Web site and phone lines at the stroke of noon, 15 October, 2009.. they can apologize as much as they want for their "disappointing performance" every day, all day, and Never On Sunday.. but this has been going on for years..
Viz: when, in 1999, the Delaware State Quarter $25.00 mini-bags sold out in a flash, and then were being re-sold on eBay for up to $1000.00.. when the next $25.00 mini-bags, Pennsylvania, went on sale.. blammo, instant Web site and phone meltdown.. that was TEN years ago.. have they fixed their systems since then?.. Have they added more phone lines, more servers, more personnel?.. I don't see any change at all.. their apologies are worth as much as if a child had scrawled "gee, I'm sorry, I won't do it again" in the sand, on a beach, with his finger.. and the first gentle wave washes it away..
So why don't they freakin' DO something about it, already!?.. Isn't ten years of this enough?..
I thought the mint system was much better this time around. Just about everyone got through in a very short time. It was hectic in the first few minutes because everyone was on line all at once.
A great big congradulations for a much improved experience comes from me.
The other problem is the ridiculous, obfuscated, screwball, nonsensical, "who thought this was a good idea!?" method they use for shipping.. Fedex "SmartPost [tm]" should have its pants pulled down and its bottom flailed in public..
Good old regular USPS Priority Mail would've gotten it to me from Indianapolis, IN., in two to three days..
The problem is, we're basically dealing with a monopoly.. we know it, they know it, and they know we know it.. the only competition the US Mint has is (are?).. third-parties like eBay and coin dealers.. NO ONE else is gonna sell a hot, limited-to-one (unless yer sneaky).. $55.95 product, which people have been drooling for, for months.. so you KNOW it's going to be a virtually instant sell-out.. NO ONE else is gonna sell that set for $55.95.. no one.. some third-party could take the same five coins and make their own version of the set, but it wouldn't be the same thing.. the real deal.. they know it, we know it.. so unless they really DO something about their
Other than that, I don't have any opinions one way or the other..
.......got mine yesterday! SUPERB!!
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Hmm.. I wonder how many customers Amazon or eBay have online at once.. hundreds of thousands?.. Millions?.. How often have you NOT been able to get on Amazon?.. eBay used to go down all the time.. they poured a ton of money into beefing up their server capacity.. how often does it go down these days?..
True.. eBay and Amazon don't operate on the same kind of business model the Mint uses.. neither is a monopoly.. and both of those operations have millions of different things for sale, while the Mint only has a few hundred.. most of which languish there for an entire year without selling out.. because they're muy expensive.. so in this depress.. err.. recession.. many people just aren't in a position to buy them, or maybe they're cheap, but people simply don't want them..
Remember the 2004 Mint sets?.. $14.95.. Remember how they cut off sales early and everyone who had been waiting to get one said
Look at the prices of those now.. $30.00.. why?.. Because the Mint had a "Last Chance" clearance sale, put up a bunch of old inventory they wanted to get rid of, and amongst those things were 2004 Mint sets.. guess which item in their clearance sale was gone in hours?.. 2004 Mint sets.. the market got flooded with them, and down down down went the price..
Can Moy or whoever his head IT guy is possibly NOT know that there's gonna be total gridlock if they throw up a hotly-anticipated item, limit it to one per, limit it to only 50,000, and then flip on the green light for everyone at the same second?.. Yeah, I got an order placed for the Lincoln Set in twelve minutes.. twelve agonizing minutes.. and ONLY because I set up "quick checkout" the day before, and ONLY because I ASSumed that as soon as it appeared, and I mashed "add to cart", that it was instantly IN the cart, and there was no need for the next page to load to tell me it was in the cart.. others in this thread mentioned they used the same "trick", which isn't so much a trick, as it is just knowing how a Web-based shopping cart system works.. or at least how the Mint's works.. but I didn't log into my Mint account at the stroke of noon ET that day.. I logged in an hour or two earlier, and went from page to page, just to keep from getting logged out after thirty minutes of non-activity.. in the grand scheme of things, twelve minutes isn't very long.. but you could do a "Buy it Now" on an eBay item in twelve seconds, if you wanted to..
There are plenty of horror stories here of people who DID have agonizing experiences trying to place that order on 15 October, 2009.. a few hours later, things sped up, as expected.. and still, people got shut out..
I don't know how many tried to order the set and failed.. or just gave up.. I can't fathom why someone would buy the set on eBay for $349.95 (still the highest price I've seen), as a "per-sell" BEFORE the Mint opened the doors and let'em loose at 1/6 the price.. I can't wait to see how much dealers ask for them when the first print ads appear..
Eh.. enough.. sorry for rambling.. I gotta go over to kodakgallery.com and use a $15.00 freebie coupon they sent me before it expires..
- John Wayne, "The Shootist" (1976.. his final film)..
I still feel that the mint has improved over what I have seen in the past. The main problem is everyone going after the same coins at the same time. Once the initial multiple thousand's got their order in, the site calmed down and the shipping has gone very smoothly and with even the correct size boxes for a change.
Congradulations to the mint on this one !
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......