After all, at the end of the day, they are the US Mint. They will be making and distributing hundreds of billions of other coins this year. Don't sell them short.
Sure they can make billions of coins, but do they still have the capacity/packaging to put together millions of sets?
Yes, if they wanted to.
And, don't kid yourself. The number would be hundreds of thousands. Not millions.
Hasn't been for many, many years. Millions was 50 years ago. And, they did it then, they can certainly do it now.
Making artificial rarities to sell at auction, and limiting mintages on special coins like privy ASEs and FH gold coins is one thing. Restricting the public's ability to collect annual circulating coin sets is quite another. And then pricing the public out is really inexcusable for a public agency. Shame on them!
I'm with you my friend.... with the price on the uncirculated 2026 set going up almost 400% . Unless there is gonna be an addition to the set, this is ludicrous !
After all, at the end of the day, they are the US Mint. They will be making and distributing hundreds of billions of other coins this year. Don't sell them short.
Sure they can make billions of coins, but do they still have the capacity/packaging to put together millions of sets?
Yes, if they wanted to.
And, don't kid yourself. The number would be hundreds of thousands. Not millions.
Hasn't been for many, many years. Millions was 50 years ago. And, they did it then, they can certainly do it now.
Making artificial rarities to sell at auction, and limiting mintages on special coins like privy ASEs and FH gold coins is one thing. Restricting the public's ability to collect annual circulating coin sets is quite another. And then pricing the public out is really inexcusable for a public agency. Shame on them!
I'm with you my friend.... with the price on the uncirculated 2026 set going up almost 400% . Unless there is gonna be an addition to the set, this is ludicrous !
There is no addition that would justify $124.50 for base metal coins, unless it came close to $100 in face value. This is all about cents, and what the 2025 sets did in the secondary market in anticipation of that set being the last one to contain the cent.
Unlike lots of other things, they really should be making these to demand, and pricing them at a reasonable markup to the cost of production. Instead, they are using monopoly power to now make annual coin sets artificial rarities, and then pricing them like TV hucksters price special limited editions.
Shame on them, and whoever buys into it gets what they deserve. Which will ultimately be a bunch of Franklin Mint crap, when the masses either get priced out or just lose interest. Which is ultimately exactly what happened with the Franklin Mint.
And, don't kid yourself. The number would be hundreds of thousands. Not millions.
That would still make it potentially the lowest mintage non-proof cent in over 100 years. Is that enough to cause the secondary market price go high enough to make the $124 issue price "worth it"? With a start that high I can possibly see the price on the cent "settling" just below or not-quite-high-enough above that to not make the initial purchase price a "good investment". But I just get a feeling its going to go above that. Not by a ton, but IMHO enough. I guess we'll see.
After all, at the end of the day, they are the US Mint. They will be making and distributing hundreds of billions of other coins this year. Don't sell them short.
Sure they can make billions of coins, but do they still have the capacity/packaging to put together millions of sets?
Yes, if they wanted to.
And, don't kid yourself. The number would be hundreds of thousands. Not millions.
Hasn't been for many, many years. Millions was 50 years ago. And, they did it then, they can certainly do it now.
Making artificial rarities to sell at auction, and limiting mintages on special coins like privy ASEs and FH gold coins is one thing. Restricting the public's ability to collect annual circulating coin sets is quite another. And then pricing the public out is really inexcusable for a public agency. Shame on them!
I'm with you my friend.... with the price on the uncirculated 2026 set going up almost 400% . Unless there is gonna be an addition to the set, this is ludicrous !
There is no addition that would justify $124.50 for base metal coins, unless it came close to $100 in face value. This is all about cents, and what the 2025 sets did in the secondary market in anticipation of that set being the last one to contain the cent.
Unlike lots of other things, they really should be making these to demand, and pricing them at a reasonable markup to the cost of production. Instead, they are using monopoly power to now make annual coin sets artificial rarities, and then pricing them like TV hucksters price special limited editions.
Shame on them, and whoever buys into it gets what they deserve. Which will ultimately be a bunch of Franklin Mint crap, when the masses either get priced out or just lose interest. Which is ultimately exactly what happened with the Franklin Mint.
Exactly ..... The mint should have made this Lincoln a purchase separate issue all together. IMHO
After all, at the end of the day, they are the US Mint. They will be making and distributing hundreds of billions of other coins this year. Don't sell them short.
Sure they can make billions of coins, but do they still have the capacity/packaging to put together millions of sets?
Yes, if they wanted to.
And, don't kid yourself. The number would be hundreds of thousands. Not millions.
Hasn't been for many, many years. Millions was 50 years ago. And, they did it then, they can certainly do it now.
Making artificial rarities to sell at auction, and limiting mintages on special coins like privy ASEs and FH gold coins is one thing. Restricting the public's ability to collect annual circulating coin sets is quite another. And then pricing the public out is really inexcusable for a public agency. Shame on them!
I'm with you my friend.... with the price on the uncirculated 2026 set going up almost 400% . Unless there is gonna be an addition to the set, this is ludicrous !
There is no addition that would justify $124.50 for base metal coins, unless it came close to $100 in face value. This is all about cents, and what the 2025 sets did in the secondary market in anticipation of that set being the last one to contain the cent.
Unlike lots of other things, they really should be making these to demand, and pricing them at a reasonable markup to the cost of production. Instead, they are using monopoly power to now make annual coin sets artificial rarities, and then pricing them like TV hucksters price special limited editions.
Shame on them, and whoever buys into it gets what they deserve. Which will ultimately be a bunch of Franklin Mint crap, when the masses either get priced out or just lose interest. Which is ultimately exactly what happened with the Franklin Mint.
Exactly ..... The mint should have made this Lincoln a purchase separate issue all together. IMHO
They still could
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
After all, at the end of the day, they are the US Mint. They will be making and distributing hundreds of billions of other coins this year. Don't sell them short.
Sure they can make billions of coins, but do they still have the capacity/packaging to put together millions of sets?
Yes, if they wanted to.
And, don't kid yourself. The number would be hundreds of thousands. Not millions.
Hasn't been for many, many years. Millions was 50 years ago. And, they did it then, they can certainly do it now.
Making artificial rarities to sell at auction, and limiting mintages on special coins like privy ASEs and FH gold coins is one thing. Restricting the public's ability to collect annual circulating coin sets is quite another. And then pricing the public out is really inexcusable for a public agency. Shame on them!
I'm with you my friend.... with the price on the uncirculated 2026 set going up almost 400% . Unless there is gonna be an addition to the set, this is ludicrous !
There is no addition that would justify $124.50 for base metal coins, unless it came close to $100 in face value. This is all about cents, and what the 2025 sets did in the secondary market in anticipation of that set being the last one to contain the cent.
Unlike lots of other things, they really should be making these to demand, and pricing them at a reasonable markup to the cost of production. Instead, they are using monopoly power to now make annual coin sets artificial rarities, and then pricing them like TV hucksters price special limited editions.
Shame on them, and whoever buys into it gets what they deserve. Which will ultimately be a bunch of Franklin Mint crap, when the masses either get priced out or just lose interest. Which is ultimately exactly what happened with the Franklin Mint.
Exactly ..... The mint should have made this Lincoln a purchase separate issue all together. IMHO
Actually, I think they are right where they belong in the annual sets, although there is also case for just not making them at all, since they are now retired as a denomination.
But limiting mintage to create a rarity, and then monetizing that by selling them for an obscene margin above production cost, is just wrong. As in the old days, they should be making the sets to demand, and pricing them reasonably.
That said, it's their sandbox and their rules. If they want to turn the US Mint into the Franklin Mint, $124.50 for an annual uncirculated set is a fine place to start.
After all, at the end of the day, they are the US Mint. They will be making and distributing hundreds of billions of other coins this year. Don't sell them short.
Sure they can make billions of coins, but do they still have the capacity/packaging to put together millions of sets?
Yes, if they wanted to.
And, don't kid yourself. The number would be hundreds of thousands. Not millions.
Hasn't been for many, many years. Millions was 50 years ago. And, they did it then, they can certainly do it now.
Making artificial rarities to sell at auction, and limiting mintages on special coins like privy ASEs and FH gold coins is one thing. Restricting the public's ability to collect annual circulating coin sets is quite another. And then pricing the public out is really inexcusable for a public agency. Shame on them!
I'm with you my friend.... with the price on the uncirculated 2026 set going up almost 400% . Unless there is gonna be an addition to the set, this is ludicrous !
There is no addition that would justify $124.50 for base metal coins, unless it came close to $100 in face value. This is all about cents, and what the 2025 sets did in the secondary market in anticipation of that set being the last one to contain the cent.
Unlike lots of other things, they really should be making these to demand, and pricing them at a reasonable markup to the cost of production. Instead, they are using monopoly power to now make annual coin sets artificial rarities, and then pricing them like TV hucksters price special limited editions.
Shame on them, and whoever buys into it gets what they deserve. Which will ultimately be a bunch of Franklin Mint crap, when the masses either get priced out or just lose interest. Which is ultimately exactly what happened with the Franklin Mint.
Exactly ..... The mint should have made this Lincoln a purchase separate issue all together. IMHO
Actually, I think they are right where they belong in the annual sets, although there is also case for just not making them at all, since they are now retired as a denomination.
But limiting mintage to create a rarity, and then monetizing that by selling them for an obscene margin above production cost, is just wrong. As in the old days, they should be making the sets to demand, and pricing them reasonably.
That said, it's their sandbox and their rules. If they want to turn the US Mint into the Franklin Mint, $124.50 for an annual uncirculated set is a fine place to start.
The good old days of under market priced US Mint Products is gone .. If Mint products too pricey let seonsary resale markrt decides the price But the secondary market decides > @PTVETTER said:
It doesn't matter what the public thinks.
If you want mint products, you have mint prices.
Lot of money has been made by Dealers ,investors Coin Collectors buying Mint Products ,then reselling over last 20 years .
Such as the 2006 20th Gold Eagle set .. The easy money 2008 Reverse '07 Silver Eagles ..and on ,Even Still have some 2008 Rev '07 raw. At some point the Mint wised up wanting to keep some of the money for themselves. .
@bestday said:
The good old days of under market priced US Mint Products is gone .. If Mint products too pricey let seonsary resale markrt decides the price But the secondary market decides > @PTVETTER said:
It doesn't matter what the public thinks.
If you want mint products, you have mint prices.
Lot of money has been made by Dealers ,investors Coin Collectors buying Mint Products ,then reselling over last 20 years .
Such as the 2006 20th Gold Eagle set .. The easy money 2008 Reverse '07 Silver Eagles ..and on ,Even Still have some 2008 Rev '07 raw. At some point the Mint wised up wanting to keep some of the money for themselves. .
Yes. "Some of the money." This is why limited mintage gold product now sells at a $1,000 premium to spot.
It is not an excuse to make clad product in limited quantities, and then charge crazy premiums for them. Some things should be produced to demand, without insane premiums.
Otherwise, the market will simply collapse, as has happened so many times in so many markets when producers got too greedy. At which point there will no money for anyone.
That point is now sooner rather than later when 190K base metal uncirculated sets are selling for $124.50 at release by the Mint, because they contain pennies that no longer circulate. Clad proof sets always contained coins that didn't circulate. They never warranted such an insane premium. This doesn't either. Just watch.
Buying coins from the mint is not fun. It's one thing for you to purchase them and then have the market fall. It's another when they charge monopoly prices. The mint has become of profit center for the government and their issue prices are generally way too high.
One of my pet peeves is the issue price for base metal clad commemorative half dollars. The mint used to sell those coins in cute cards at prices YN’s could afford. Now the mint charges over $50 for coins in cheep boxes.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
Is there some group or organization with some clout that can reach out to powers higher than the mint and bring attention to the fact that these absurd prices are being directed at base metal mint sets? $125 for a mint set of circulation quality coins really is out of line. Who has the ability to bring this to light, notify the right people, and try to have corrections made before things are too late?
@Batman23 said:
Is there some group or organization with some clout that can reach out to powers higher than the mint and bring attention to the fact that these absurd prices are being directed at base metal mint sets? $125 for a mint set of circulation quality coins really is out of line. Who has the ability to bring this to light, notify the right people, and try to have corrections made before things are too late?
Unfortunately, there are no "right people." Most of us here have a point of view that the Mint should use the numismatic program to serve the collector community, but there is absolutely no Congressional mandate that they do so.
As long as they don't require Congressional appropriations to run the numismatic program, they can do whatever they want. And they are.
Collectors coins are not food, water, shelter or health care. There is no entitlement, and none of us need anything they sell. Period.
No corrections are going to be made in the near future. Maybe not ever.
It is what it is. I don't need $6 worth or pocket change, including 2 pennies that don't circulate, at any price, let alone $124.50. So I will do without.
If you need them, you'll pay, and they are doing right by the US Treasury by forcing you to. Otherwise, you too will learn to cope without adding any more annual coin sets to your collection.
Some clerk at the mint who does number entry must have seen the auction results from those non-circulating 2025 omega special mintage Lincolns and thought, hey we can jack these bad boys WAY up in 2026!
Ok....so after doing some more "research" I'd like to change my vote, if possible. Seems something that might take a similar "price journey" to the Mint-Set-Only 2026 cents is the Mint-Set-Only 2019-W cent, which even though it also has a very very low mintage (around 350k) only sells for a few bucks unless you get into the ultra-high grades. And though I suspect the hoopla over the dual dates and the SemiQ coins seems to be likely to push the price on the 2026 cents above the price of the 2019-W cent, it's hard to see the value of the piece going anywhere near the triple-digit levels that would make a $125 clad mint set worth purchasing for anyone thinking they'll be able to recoup that "investment" any time soon. So IMHO my original assessment was incorrect.
@jfriedm56 said:
Of course YES. I’ve been a loyal Mint purchaser since the early 80’s and as of 2023, have cut back to maybe 2 or 3 coins since then due to their greed. Last silver proof set I purchased was in 2020 for $63. 95 which essentially has the same configuration of coins for which the Mint is now charging $245.00. Come on! No one in their right mind is going to pay that much, unless you’re an idiot. I see their numbers dropping dramatically. The mint is done!
Comments
I'm with you my friend.... with the price on the uncirculated 2026 set going up almost 400% . Unless there is gonna be an addition to the set, this is ludicrous !
There is no addition that would justify $124.50 for base metal coins, unless it came close to $100 in face value. This is all about cents, and what the 2025 sets did in the secondary market in anticipation of that set being the last one to contain the cent.
Unlike lots of other things, they really should be making these to demand, and pricing them at a reasonable markup to the cost of production. Instead, they are using monopoly power to now make annual coin sets artificial rarities, and then pricing them like TV hucksters price special limited editions.
Shame on them, and whoever buys into it gets what they deserve. Which will ultimately be a bunch of Franklin Mint crap, when the masses either get priced out or just lose interest. Which is ultimately exactly what happened with the Franklin Mint.
That would still make it potentially the lowest mintage non-proof cent in over 100 years. Is that enough to cause the secondary market price go high enough to make the $124 issue price "worth it"? With a start that high I can possibly see the price on the cent "settling" just below or not-quite-high-enough above that to not make the initial purchase price a "good investment". But I just get a feeling its going to go above that. Not by a ton, but IMHO enough. I guess we'll see.
Exactly ..... The mint should have made this Lincoln a purchase separate issue all together. IMHO
They still could
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
And @ that price I truly think it would TANK !
Actually, I think they are right where they belong in the annual sets, although there is also case for just not making them at all, since they are now retired as a denomination.
But limiting mintage to create a rarity, and then monetizing that by selling them for an obscene margin above production cost, is just wrong. As in the old days, they should be making the sets to demand, and pricing them reasonably.
That said, it's their sandbox and their rules. If they want to turn the US Mint into the Franklin Mint, $124.50 for an annual uncirculated set is a fine place to start.
Zinc? Those cents are made of gold!
I understand your point of view
The good old days of under market priced US Mint Products is gone .. If Mint products too pricey let seonsary resale markrt decides the price But the secondary market decides > @PTVETTER said:
Lot of money has been made by Dealers ,investors Coin Collectors buying Mint Products ,then reselling over last 20 years .
Such as the 2006 20th Gold Eagle set .. The easy money 2008 Reverse '07 Silver Eagles ..and on ,Even Still have some 2008 Rev '07 raw. At some point the Mint wised up wanting to keep some of the money for themselves. .
Yes. "Some of the money." This is why limited mintage gold product now sells at a $1,000 premium to spot.
It is not an excuse to make clad product in limited quantities, and then charge crazy premiums for them. Some things should be produced to demand, without insane premiums.
Otherwise, the market will simply collapse, as has happened so many times in so many markets when producers got too greedy. At which point there will no money for anyone.
That point is now sooner rather than later when 190K base metal uncirculated sets are selling for $124.50 at release by the Mint, because they contain pennies that no longer circulate. Clad proof sets always contained coins that didn't circulate. They never warranted such an insane premium. This doesn't either. Just watch.
Buying coins from the mint is not fun. It's one thing for you to purchase them and then have the market fall. It's another when they charge monopoly prices. The mint has become of profit center for the government and their issue prices are generally way too high.
One of my pet peeves is the issue price for base metal clad commemorative half dollars. The mint used to sell those coins in cute cards at prices YN’s could afford. Now the mint charges over $50 for coins in cheep boxes.
Is there some group or organization with some clout that can reach out to powers higher than the mint and bring attention to the fact that these absurd prices are being directed at base metal mint sets? $125 for a mint set of circulation quality coins really is out of line. Who has the ability to bring this to light, notify the right people, and try to have corrections made before things are too late?
Unfortunately, there are no "right people." Most of us here have a point of view that the Mint should use the numismatic program to serve the collector community, but there is absolutely no Congressional mandate that they do so.
As long as they don't require Congressional appropriations to run the numismatic program, they can do whatever they want. And they are.
Collectors coins are not food, water, shelter or health care. There is no entitlement, and none of us need anything they sell. Period.
No corrections are going to be made in the near future. Maybe not ever.
It is what it is. I don't need $6 worth or pocket change, including 2 pennies that don't circulate, at any price, let alone $124.50. So I will do without.
If you need them, you'll pay, and they are doing right by the US Treasury by forcing you to. Otherwise, you too will learn to cope without adding any more annual coin sets to your collection.
Some clerk at the mint who does number entry must have seen the auction results from those non-circulating 2025 omega special mintage Lincolns and thought, hey we can jack these bad boys WAY up in 2026!
Ok....so after doing some more "research" I'd like to change my vote, if possible. Seems something that might take a similar "price journey" to the Mint-Set-Only 2026 cents is the Mint-Set-Only 2019-W cent, which even though it also has a very very low mintage (around 350k) only sells for a few bucks unless you get into the ultra-high grades. And though I suspect the hoopla over the dual dates and the SemiQ coins seems to be likely to push the price on the 2026 cents above the price of the 2019-W cent, it's hard to see the value of the piece going anywhere near the triple-digit levels that would make a $125 clad mint set worth purchasing for anyone thinking they'll be able to recoup that "investment" any time soon. So IMHO my original assessment was incorrect.
The USM may not be done, but I am!