US Mint price gouging?

and it is price gouging

Yes. But they make the money and the rules. Like it or lump it like they used to say. Sad for young people and new collectors.

No clue, that's something to take up with the mint

Just say ... NO!

It's not gouging. Gouging implies you have no choice or other place to go. Closing the wallet is an option.

A leading collector in my hometown ordered 100 proof sets from the mint in 1964. He sold a few of his sets to us young collectors. I don't remember exactly how much I had to pay for my proof set, face value 91 cents, but I thought I had gold when my set was delivered to me. I mean, the President of the United States had been slain and was honored on the half-dollar coin yet those 1964 proof sets were priced no higher to collectors than in the years before.

What was the issue price of the1964 proof set? I've got a 1962 Red Book somewhere but don't want to spend the time to track it down.

How much was a '64 unc 90% quarter worth in 1964?

How about a burger & shake, a gallon of gas, a new car or house? How much did those things cost?

Spare me the Mint complaining already. One might consider thanking the Mint for all those years of cheap unc/proof sets.

@WayneCa said:
I found out today that the Uncirculated Coin Set for 2026 is going to be $124.50. Last year's set was $33.25. That's a 274.44% increase over last year. The price for the 2026 American Innovation Reverse Proof set is $60.00. Last year's set was $32.25. That's a 86.05% increase over last year.

Is it supposed to be because this is the semiquincentennial? I don't think that justifies the price increases. What do you think? Is the US Mint gouging us now?

I'm sorry that you're finding out about this belatedly. The price increases are obscene. There is no justification for a $124.50 price tag on new coins that have so little intrinsic value.
Yours truly has bought Mint Sets for over 50 years in order to keep my modern sets up to date. Not to sound morbid, but I had always thought that my death would stop that long streak, but no, instead the Mint that has ended my streak.

Call it gouging if one collects the mint-packaged sets, or wants the 2026 cent. EBay sellers, at this moment, offer pennyless sets of 2026 (with one quarter) for ≈ $35.00 (w/plastic case)

eBay sellers compete.

Singles
PD nickels $2.89
PD dimes $4.84
PD quarters Mayflower $2.90
Revolution 4.94
PD halves $5.99

This was a cursory search of current auctions/offers, a penny-pincher could do better.

@WayneCa said:
How can EBay be selling 2026 Unc. Mint sets when they haven't been released by the Mint yet? That seems a bit odd to me.

Presales. If you buy one, you’re not getting it until the Mint releases it in June.

@ernie11 said:

@WayneCa said:
There is no justification for a $124.50 price tag on new coins that have so little intrinsic value.

The "value" is in the 2026 Lincoln Cent

When I got back into collecting a few decades ago i bought mint products. I lost my taste for modern offerings soon enough (Except for ASEs which I collected up until the hideous, to me, eagle reverse redesign)

@cameonut2011 said:
They are determined to kill modern collector coins the way USPS destroyed the stamp market.

I remember when that market tanked 😳☹️

@Bullsitter said:

I like the "benefits charity". Fools.

@mbr33 said:

@johnny9434 said:

@cameonut2011 said:
They are determined to kill modern collector coins the way USPS destroyed the stamp market.

I remember when that market tanked 😳☹️

I collected stamps at the urging of an elderly Uncle in the early 1970s. As my 20’s approached, life took me in many directions and stamps fell to the wayside. When did the USPS make moves that destroyed the stamp market? I’ve been away from all of that for so long.

Maybe there’s still time for the Mint to avoid the same mistakes?

An explosion of new issues made it cost prohibitive to keep complete sets of stamps, and many gave up collecting them all together.

@jmlanzaf said:

@MasonG said:

@mbr33 said:
When did the USPS make moves that destroyed the stamp market?

Don't know for sure, but self-adhesive stamps probably didn't help.

There were a lot of things wrong with the stamp market, but I think blaming USPS is exaggerated. Yes, they increased the number of annual offerings. That could have and might have killed the market for new releases. But how did that destroy the classic stamp market?

Just as the new issues became expendable and the goal was no longer a complete set so too were older stamps which were equally common and just as expendable. It’s a domino effect. The last hold outs were the truly rare issues.

Thanks to those of you who gave their thoughts. The mention of stamp collecting made me go dig for that long buried album I had from the 1970s. Looks like I went to 1979 when I gave up and life took me elsewhere.
The “too many issues” makes a lot of sense. Can’t tell you the number of times in recent years when I’ve been standing at the PO and a person in front of me will ask for stamps and the cashier will say “do you want ducks, hearts, flags, trucks, planes, trains, automobiles, the latest person we are honoring, flowers, rocks and on and on”. Who could keep up?

@MasonG said:
"Price gouging" = "Seller is charging more than I want to pay"

No the seller is charging high prices because of their monopoly position. Yes, close your wallet is the best solution supported by the availability of the older, more attractive items which are available. > @mbr33 said:

Thanks to those of you who gave their thoughts. The mention of stamp collecting made me go dig for that long buried album I had from the 1970s. Looks like I went to 1979 when I gave up and life took me elsewhere.
The “too many issues” makes a lot of sense. Can’t tell you the number of times in recent years when I’ve been standing at the PO and a person in front of me will ask for stamps and the cashier will say “do you want ducks, hearts, flags, trucks, planes, trains, automobiles, the latest person we are honoring, flowers, rocks and on and on”. Who could keep up?

The stamp business has been in trouble for a long time. “Too much stuff” was a big part of it. The mint is headed down the same path. The big difference for the mint is that their products are often made on silver and gold, not worthless paper. The stuff from the mint will have a melt value.

@Creg said:
Call it gouging if one collects the mint-packaged sets, or wants the 2026 cent. EBay sellers, at this moment, offer pennyless sets of 2026 (with one quarter) for ≈ $35.00 (w/plastic case)

eBay sellers compete.

Singles
PD nickels $2.89
PD dimes $4.84
PD quarters Mayflower $2.90
Revolution 4.94
PD halves $5.99

This was a cursory search of current auctions/offers, a penny-pincher could do better.

It should be as it was in 1975-6. The coins were put into circulation and every citizen got to see and use them. These roll and bag sales undermine the intention of the legislation which authorized the coins. It’s supposed to be a national celebration, not an orgy of greed for the mint.

The secondary market will respond. Next year the coins in these rolls and bags the lemmings are rushing to buy will be worth face value.

Our dollar is being devalued, and this is not the only thing that has gone crazy. I bought a bottle of water from a vending machine for $3.00 last week...I still remember when it cost .25¢ for a can of soda. Our groceries are getting more expensive and the packages are getting smaller as well...that's a double edged sword. This has been a gradual change over years, but has taken off lately to new heights. Another example, regular sized Oreos which were $3.99 not too long ago are now priced $10.69....and there are less Oreos in the package!

So looking at this mint set, yes it appears more expensive, because it is, but.....it has some very interesting coins in there... New designs, dual dating, a new cent (after it was discontinued), and might be more expensive in the years to come.