50th Anniversary Kennedy Silver Set Opens at 85,670

The United States Mint has provided the opening sales figure for the 2014 50th Anniversary Kennedy Half Dollar Silver Coin Collection. From the start of sales on October 28, 2014 at 12:00 Noon ET through midnight, sales have totaled 85,670 units. The opening sales account for 28.56% of the product limit of 300,000 units.

Leading up to the start of sales the US Mint had indicated that they would have more than 180,000 units immediately available, perhaps suggesting that the US Mint anticipated a stronger initial response to the offering.

kennedy-collection

The opening sales for the silver coin collection comes in higher than the opening sales for the two previous 50th Anniversary Kennedy Half Dollar products. The 50th Anniversary Kennedy Half Dollar Uncirculated Coin Set, which includes copper-nickel clad uncirculated half dollars from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints with the original portrait design, had opened at 68,974 units. The product was priced at $9.95 and carried an ordering limit of five sets per household. Sales have since risen to 136,614 units as of the most recent sales report.

The 50th Anniversary Kennedy Half Dollar Gold Proof Coin, which contained three-quarters of an ounce of gold and was initially priced at $1,240, had opening sales of 56,694 units. The product initially had an ordering limit of five coins per household, which has since been lifted. The most recent sales report shows sales now at 65,039.

The two coin clad set is currently shown as “out of stock” on the US Mint’s website. The product was assigned a limit of 200,000 late last week and sales levels remain well below this level.

According to the US Mint’s FAQ section, “out of stock” means the following:

Out Of Stock: When products are in an “Out of Stock” status, this means we do not have inventory of the product and we do not have an anticipated in stock date. Products in this status cannot be ordered online or through our customer contact center, but you can request to be reminded when the product will be returning to sale (through the “Remind Me” function on the product detail page.)

So at this time, the product cannot be ordered, but it has not sold out.

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Comments

  1. Raphael says

    Probably would have been more, but if anyone had problems as I did, that must have discouraged them from buy the sets. I’m not the brightest guy in the world, but allowing an outside company to trace their sales is not the best idea in the world. Until I turned off Ghostery tracker, the new mint website would not sell me anything, on the contrary it would put me on a idiot loop and kept me waiting without explanation. The problem with allowing tracking by a outside company is one never knows what they will do with the Info. Don’t take my word, but at least I’m upfront about my feelings, the mint hides that info in there back pages, wonder why.

  2. J. Allen says

    Dear Mintnewsblog:
    Thank you for being so prompt with the first day sales figures for this coin set; a lot of people appeared to be agonizing over this number!
    I have a question, the past few days I have had trouble getting onto your website, I keep getting a “server error” from “Gator” something or other. Could this be due to the high number of comments over the past few days, or is this something that is affecting only my computer for some inexplicable reason? I am not very computer savvy but, given enough time, I can usually figure out the problem. I have never experienced this problem in the past with your website and am wondering if anyone else is having the same problem, and if you are aware of any such problems.
    Thanks, J. Allen

  3. Mark Rex says

    My order number is one of the lowest I’ve seen at 25919xx and the order containing only 5x K13 was done literally within 15 seconds of opening sales. I paid the $21 for One Day Air and my CC was charged instantly after placing the order as I got an Bank of America charge alert on my phone. My order is still processing and it appears others already have there orders in the hands of FedEx or UPS and should be getting thiers tomorrow. I guess I would of been better off paying the standard $5 and saving $15 to get it in the same amount of time. I wonder if the US Mint will give me a partial refund on the shipping?

    Opening days sales of 85.7k – I think that is extremely low and surprising. I think that the vast majority of people who wanted this set has ordered by now and most sales from this point out will be speculators. While surprised at the number; the lower the better. 🙂

    With 136-140k of the Clad Set sold and now being “Out of Stock” I would love to hear from the US Mint if they are in fact going to produce more. These could be the real sleepers here – easily having the highest percentage value over direct cost.

  4. JBK says

    I had major problems ordering yesterday as well. The new Mint site obviously did not like something on my PC at work, and I got as far as the last step and the site would not let me check the darn box to accept the terms and conditions to complete the order. I had to wait until I got home to order. It is an unforgivable flaw that the site blocked out so many people.

    I know that everyone is exited about the four coin set, but the two coin clad set has a lower mintage (and much lower cost ) – I wonder if that one will actually be a better investment in the long run. IF (and that is a big “if”) the Kennedy half dollar series remains popular I could easily see the clad set doubling in value, but I am not so sure the silver set will see that kind of appreciation.

    (Also, had the server error today on MNB).

  5. fmtransmitter says

    Everyone had plenty of time to buy clad rolls and bags, I don’t seen why one would complain now…I made sure I had gotten every single variety pertaining to the 50th of this design…Doesn’t hurt I ma a Gassparo fan to boot! So maybe we can get clarification that the Mint is NOT going to sell these coins to say dealers without the packaging because the the website says Mintage Limit: None…

  6. Sith says

    I also saw the Gator a few times.

    I think the household limit restricted sales, and with the flippers licking their losses on the gold Kennedy. At this point with sales slowing, and it being close to the end of the year I don’t think the mint will risk running another batch, and will terminate the mintage at 180K.

    FYI (previous thread)
    The winner of the guesstimate contest was thePhelps with his guess of 85,500 on 08/08

  7. Ray says

    I tried to find the “Remind Me” on the 2-coin $9.95 Kennedy set webpage, but I couldn’t find it. Am I blind? Or did anyone else try this and fail like me? Weird…

  8. Tinto says

    @Mark Rex

    My order is also listed as in process … I’ve been hanging on the Mint Customer Service line for about half an hour now … getting a looped recording about Mint products …

  9. Sith says

    @Ray – It is not there, if you look at the everglades the “remind me” is suppose to be right on the page

  10. AkBob says

    Eddie – I had a similar problem as you. The mints website said I had reached my HH limits when in fact I hadn’t. I just tried to order my last (5th) set and it went through so you may want to try and order your other sets now as I think the problem has been resolved. I think our accounts have been reset by the mint.

    Eagle One – I just made an order with the mint for the JFK silver set and my order # was USM026335 and I did it at 10:00 a,m, Alaska TIme which would be 2:00 P.M. EST. I hope this info helps you in your calculations.

    MNB – I just got the Gator.com website failure again. I don’t think it’s fixed yet or it has failed again:(((

  11. Brad says

    Yeah, there is no “remind me” button on the clad set product page. Maybe it really is sold out and the Mint hasn’t explicitly said so yet.

    And Mark Rex is right, the lower the number on the silver set, the better. Maybe 180,000 is all there will be of the silver sets. I honestly expected it to sell a lot more than it did in the opening hours. It may take until the end of the year or longer to sell the rest, unless the order limit is lifted.

    Whatever the case, I don’t regret my purchase of five sets in the slightest. I would have bought ten if the Mint had allowed it.

  12. says

    Thanks for posting these numbers, Michael. I think the key takeaway is this: the US Mint had indicated that they would have more than 180,000 units immediately available, perhaps suggesting that the US Mint anticipated a stronger initial response to the offering.

    I am expecting at this point for sales to top off around 110K-125K for the first week and then slow down considerably. I expected the mintage limit would have more impact than it did, but it appears not to have, and I am kind of surprised that my initial prediction turned out to be reasonably close to what happened. I am wondering now if the mint will be able to sell all 180K sets on hand. Regardless of what happens, I think the postmortems that will be coming on all the Kennedy anniversary products will make for very interesting reading.

  13. thePhelps says

    I’ve been getting the Gator error screen repeatedly over the last 20 minutes…and just got in to this site.

    I think the numbers…are about where I expected them – although I did think the total mintage limit would drive some to purchase earlier that might have waited.

    I also didn’t see the “improved” checkout function or the streamlined website Michael wrote about on the other page. I dislike the mints new website the more I use it. The fact that I have to dig out my CC every time I purchase something – as well as having my CC in the system – but having to choose it every time is annoying. I find having to search the site for items is also not very user friendly …. overall – other than the enhanced server functions… the site is a huge fail for me.

  14. VA Rich says

    WOW! What a Shocker! 85,670 sold – didn’t see that coming! While I welcome a smaller sales figure, will have to ponder this one for a while (something turned off sales).

    Congrats thePhelps!

  15. Salacious Crumb says

    I didn’t bother buying yesterday at work as I knew I would have plenty of time order. Today, unfortunately, I’m home sick from work and decided to make my purchase for 2 sets. I put in my username and password and was told I would receive an e-mail confirming a new password. It’s now 20 minutes later and no e-mail. LOL, I guess I’ll do it the old fashioned way and call.

  16. VA Rich says

    Well I concede! At 86k sold, this will not be a sell out, therefore….

    The Winners of the JFK silver set sell out prediction are:

    EagleOne – Wednesday, 31 Dec
    GoldFishin – March 2015 or Bust!
    bg35765 – Never
    NC_Stacker – Never
    Hawkster – it will be a struggle to reach 300,000

  17. ibex says

    I’m a little surprised the number is this low given the # of orders we had estimated, which puts these sets at about 2 per order. I had figured lots of max buys to move the per order up to 3-4. Maybe the big boys aren’t doing max buys on this afterall – I think the grading costs may be killing this endeavor for them.

  18. Eagle One says

    AK Bob

    Thank you for your data point.

    5,500 orders have been placed so far today (2PM EST 10/29/14). Assuming 2.373 sets per order; this equates to 13,051 additional sets sold today and an estimated grand total of 98,721 sets sold to date.

  19. Eddie says

    I think that some people are so use to not having to have the money in their accounts for 2 or 3 weeks a lot of orders didn’t go through.

  20. cagcrisp says

    @VA Rich, I conceded Both contests after Hour 1

    PERFECT reason for the Mint to FINALLY quit producing the Kennedy coins. STOP after 2014 and pass new legislation that puts a spark back in the Half…

  21. grampa dave says

    I’ve been getting the gator serve error also… I first got this error after exiting from the mint site and going to Mint News Blog on Saturday.. I had been on the mint site updating my account info for the third time. (password reset issue). Maybe there is a connection here. Hmmm!!

  22. Jon in CT says

    Mint New Blog wrote on October 29:

    According to the US Mint’s FAQ section, “out of stock” means the following:

    Out Of Stock: When products are in an “Out of Stock” status, this means we do not have inventory of the product and we do not have an anticipated in stock date. Products in this status cannot be ordered online or through our customer contact center, but you can request to be reminded when the product will be returning to sale (through the “Remind Me” function on the product detail page.)

    So at this time, the product cannot be ordered, but it has not sold out.

    If one visits the Kennedy two coin clad uncirculated set product page, the set is indeed marked OUT OF STOCK but there is not a “Remind Me” option available.

    Also, it appears that the new OUT OF STOCK status might actually be the new name for SOLD OUT. For example the WA5 Warren Harding 250 coin Denver box is marked OUT OF STOCK on its product page but the Mint’s cumulative numismatic coin sales page, the availability of WA5 is marked N, just like all the SOLD OUT products.

    Can anyone cite an example on the Mint’s current catalog website where a product page is actually marked SOLD OUT?

  23. Numiman says

    I placed my order right at Noon on 10-28 via website. I received a shipping notice and a tracking number the same day. My package is arriving Thursday, 10-30. I experienced ZERO problems with the new website. Much faster shipping and I did not select an upgrade on shipping. I did follow the website instructions and updated my password and credit card prior to 10-28. Very happy with the new website.

  24. matt anderson says

    Order placed 2 pm Pacific time Tuesday has already shipped today with tracking number provided. Mint web site worked great for me.

  25. JBK says

    The summary page for the Kennedy half program shows the 2013 rolls OUT OF STOCK on the summary page (above the photo of the half), and on the detail screen it says OUT OF STOCK and has a “backorder” button. The 2014 two-coin set does not show OOS on the summary page. Very odd….

    I saw on coinupdate.com that on Oct 24 the two coin set had sold 134,631. I do not think it is unreasonable to think the mintage limit (product/packaging limit actually) of 200,000 was reached last night or this morning. A lot of people probably did what I did by ordering the 2 coin set with the 4 coin set.

  26. jim b says

    I am way glade that the numbers game of this set doesn’t matter to me. It will be a nice looking set to add to my collection. And its a mint first.

  27. cagcrisp says

    Not to get Lost in the Shuffle, the 2014 Uncirculated ASE mintage has now Surpassed the 2013 Uncirculated ASE mintage under all options…

    2013 Total all options 222,091
    2014 Total all options 222,363

  28. Bernie in FL says

    Just placed my an Order for the Kennedy’s. My Order number was 02634xxx. Seems the selling is slowing Way Down? Any ideas why? Does anyone think they will even reach the 180,000 number? If the Mint considered it a sell out at 1800,000 that wouldn’t bother me…..

  29. jeff says

    There stuck with what ever the excess will be . Count on the final mintage being around 150-180 k sets in my opinion another dud . I’m just saying I had high hopes but realization says no food for you. I’m still in for a couple sets. Ironic the clad are the sleepers.

  30. lucky43113 says

    mines scheduled for delivery tomorrow
    Louisville, KY, United States 10/29/2014 2:53 P.M. Arrival Scan

    thats the last scan on it from ups

  31. gary says

    Fairly underwhelming first day sales. After the beating that flippers received on the gold Kennedy half dollar it seems that with all the expense of shipping & third party grading on the silver coins is too much risk for them.

  32. HiCal says

    Michael, I’m still having problems with the gator error on my smart phone however, no problems connecting with my PC.

    thePhelps, good guess, congratulations!

  33. says

    Bernie,

    I judge it pretty unlikely they will hit 180K. I hope the set at least gets relatively close at 150K as I’m worried weak sales might harm future offerings of this nature.

    gary,

    I think the problem for flippers with the gold Kennedy was the “hot product” were just those coins sold at the coin shows, with a very limited supply. I think part of what causes values to inflate are limited mintage + quick sellouts catching people off guard + fulfilment/delivery problems. Basically, everyone not being able to get their order quickly. In this case, the mint fixed its website problems, dramatically improved its order fulfilment process, and also made sure to have more than enough on-hand to satisfy demand.

    I’ve actually begun considering that no “hot product” going forward will have huge “pops” in eBay prices due to the website improvements, and the only circumstances you will see such “pops” happen is with unexpected fast sellouts like the Hawaii AtB, where everyone who wanted one was not able to get one.

  34. Hidalgo says

    I am not surprised at the first day sales number. If you compare yesterday’s number with first day sales with most other US Mint special offerings, you’ll see that the numbers are under 100,000.

    The public has a chance to purchase the remaining 94,330 already minted sets. I wonder when those will sell out?

    And I wonder what the impact of the sold and unsold “raw” sets will be on the secondary market and the value of the sets that have already been purchased?

  35. ibex says

    The Captain speaks the truth ^. I doubt they ever reach 180K with this set at the rate its going. Kind of disappointing something exciting got boring real fast. They probably overstepped the first allocation mintage and have lost the buzz.

  36. Eagle One says

    Bernie in FL

    Thank you for your data point (T+28 hr / 2,634,000)

    500 order invoices have been placed in the last 2 hours. The rate of sales has decreased substantially and the peak of the curve is about to appear. Assuming 2.373 sets per order; approximately 99,934 Silver Kennedy sets have been sold to date.

    Once I have the T+48 hour data point, then I will be able to give a very accurate estimate for the 180K mark and the 300K mark.

    Raw Data

    HRS: K13s Sold

    3: 50070
    5: 64576
    8: 82137
    12: 85697
    26: 98748
    28: 99934

  37. Jon in CT says

    In my post above in which I suggested that a product status of OUT OF STOCK is tantamount to the old SOLD OUT status, I meant to use product id WA6 as an example, not WA5. See WA6‘s product page at http://catalog.usmint.gov/WA6.html ). If one then visits the Mint’s numismatic cumulative sales page, one finds that the AVAILABILITY status of WA6 is N, which is the exact same AVAILABILITY status as all SOLD OUT products.

  38. fmtransmitter says

    I agree with CO and look forward to see how the flippers navigate the forthcoming challenge…

  39. fmtransmitter says

    On to the MY most anticipated offering of the year, and I am sure many others…Birds on coins! Yea!

  40. cagcrisp says

    @Jon in CT, I would suggest that IF you are correct the Mint will continue to have the same information on the K14 for a WHILE. If you are correct that would mean Sales of 63,386 happened since the numbers came out. With that many sales going out you would assume there will be some that are returned/refused/whatever.

    When the numbers come out next week we will see how close to 200k the numbers are…

  41. Boz says

    Kudos to the vendor in Memphis if they are really shipping already. I also appreciate the mint selling items it has in stock rather than playing it coy and taking 6 months to produce. They should sell the 180k by years end with no problem.

    As for the mints website I still don’t care for it. Designed for city people on cable, not county folk on DSL or standard cell phone plans. Never had any complaints about the old site, and sure it cost millions of taxpayer dollars to fix what was not broken.

  42. Jon in CT says

    cagcrisp wrote on October 29, 2014 at 5:39 PM:

    @Jon in CT, I would suggest that IF you are correct the Mint will continue to have the same information on the K14 for a WHILE. If you are correct that would mean Sales of 63,386 happened since the numbers came out. With that many sales going out you would assume there will be some that are returned/refused/whatever.

    When the numbers come out next week we will see how close to 200k the numbers are…

    Remember that, unlike the Baseball Hall of Fame commemorative coins, these special Kennedy coins do not have a legislated mintage limit. You appear to assume that Kennedy coin sales must continue until the Mint’s arbitrary mintage limit is achieved. In the past, Mint products have frequently suffered an abrupt and unexpected status change to SOLD OUT while still below their official/arbitrary mintage limits .

    I also wish to suggest that any FAQ which is hosted on http://www.usmint.gov (instead of on catalog.usmint.gov) might be vestigial and might, therefore, not reflect the Mint’s actual new software and fulfillment processes.

  43. Pittsburgh P says

    My 12:10 order just shipped! It had 3 different products in it which shipped at the same time in 3 different packages with 3 different tracking numbers… New site, same ol’ mint…

  44. cagcrisp says

    @Jon in CT, I have a hard time thinking the Mint would come out with a 200k limit on Friday and then Stop selling on Wednesday Unless they were real close to the 200k limit.

    IF I was going to pull the plug Today, I sure would not have put out a 200k limit on Friday.

    I do NOT disagree that they could be sold out…

  45. ibex says

    With these sets already minted which should hold them for awhile whats the Mint going to be doing? All I see is Everglades for the next two months. Yawn

  46. Erik H says

    With 180k minted they will sell AT LEAST 180k (minus any defective returns). The question will be if the end sales before Dec. 31st or after because they can’t produce them in 2015.

  47. cagcrisp says

    The Silver Kennedy’s HAVE arrived.

    Order of 5

    Budget Shipping. Upgraded to Expedited because of the $300 barrier

  48. VA Bob says

    Lucky – that isn’t your set on eBay that FM linked to is it? 🙂 Whoever it is, they probably had to get the bidding started by bidding themselves.

  49. Naga says

    Hmmm, order was completed by 12:01 but still hasn’t shipped. I wonder if the others items I ordered like the Kennedy medal are holding up shipment.

  50. Pittsburgh P says

    Naga, I thought the same thing but my first order from 12:10 has shipped and it had a Kennedy medal in it… As I said before my order is in 3 seperate packages and only the silver set has left Memphis. The other 2 just had labels printed.

  51. VA Bob says

    I want this set to do well, at least for those planning on holding onto them (life happens). It IS an attractive set, but it is expensive. IMO (that some might be tired of hearing) the Mint reached a bit too high on the price. Between $50 and $60 would have been the sweet spot, again IMO. The Mint would have made more money in volume, and the customer would have got some intrinsic value, since we don’t know what the numismatic value outcome will be.

    The Mint will still sell more sets, at least up to the 180K+ they already made. They might be on sale through 2015 (2016) to achieve that. I do hope the Mint has learned a lesson. Old forgotten presidents on coins don’t appeal to all the younger coin buyers who only remember Washington, Lincoln, and maybe the current president. There is no nostalgia for them. A popular president coin might do better than say Buchannan coin. Classic designs still work because they are one; attractive, and two; represent a time when our money had real value.

    There’s still hope for this coin, if they don’t force sales to stretch out forever.

    BTW Congrats to thePhelps.

  52. Pittsburgh P says

    Cag I wonder if that will be the practice for the mint from now on out or if it was just for the silver sets to upgrade budget shipping over $300…
    If you read the facts under shipping and returns it says you only get an upgrade to expedient shipping if you purchase Standard Shipping for 12.95$ & budget doesn’t get upgraded any longer even for platinum & gold! That’s why I got standard – was charged for expedient and they shipped overnight???? When I called they said it was a glitch & sent my invoice to the credit department for reveiw & said I’d get at least 5$ credited… He confirmed what the website says but it seems like a lot of people are getting the upgrade anyway.

    Seems like a lot of glitches 🙂
    How do the sets look?

  53. VA Rich says

    After reading through all of the posts (when that lil nasty gator would let me), something kinda stuck out, it appears that Memphis may have had the set boxed and pre-staged for shipping, here’s why –

    A few of you all that had a single silver set ordered seemed to ship first (at least in receiving a tracking number), then those that ordered 5 received their tracking # later in the evening. Those that placed another item in with the silver set hadn’t received your shipping confirmation until late last night or until now. So, if true, if you want them sooner, don’t commingle! 😉

  54. wes says

    I think what is concerning is that 300,000 product limit and that mintage won’t be limited. Will these somehow be included in the release date undetermined or some other set like they did with one of the coins from the ASE 2012 set. I don’t care for it when the mint keeps things a surprise.

  55. VA Rich says

    Naga – Yep! See above

    Erik H – who are they going to sell the remaining 94,000 sets to? Collectors, Flippers, Retailers, or Speculators?

  56. VA Rich says

    Wes – answer is ‘No’ – Louis has an article out that speaks to that in a readily found place –

  57. wes says

    Thanks VA Rich I did see some comments yesterday referencing his article but I didn’t go searching for it.

  58. cagcrisp says

    @Pittsburgh P, I ordered 2 separate Gold orders last week and both I was charged Budget and both were Upgraded to Expedite and I got 2 days after shipping

    @VA Rich, I only Ordered the Silvers by themselves. I got Confirmation/tracking number Much later than those that I read that Only ordered 1 Silver. I think the Key for me is living close to Memphis. Once I saw the distribution center was Memphis I figured I was golden.

    @Pittsburgh P, the Silvers are at church right now (don’t ask). The packaged weighed 5.90 lbs??????????

  59. VA Bob says

    VA Rich – I believe you are correct. The Mint had stacks of boxes of one (maybe 5’s too) pre-staged to get out quickly. Makes sense. I just got my order ship confirmation, ordered before 12:01, but had medals in the order too, Not too shabby Mint.

    The numbers seem to bear out that many of the orders placed were for less than the maximum.

  60. Pittsburgh P says

    Huh, so the website lies and got me for an extra 13$ unless they refund my money… That’s what I get for reading the fine print!
    Unless they are using standard for budget in the wording.
    Oh well, lesson learned. Thanks

  61. GoldFishin says

    I like the mintages of the JFK Silver Set where they are currently, couldn’t have asked for much better as a collector. The Mint would be crazy to produce any more, if the mintage ends up being no more than180K later this year or next, I will be very happy I own a couple sets.
    Thinking about FedEx and Memphis, reminds me of the movie “Castaway”. You never know what the next tide may bring in. Be vigilant and flexible!

  62. Hawkster says

    I guess the answer came quickly as to the collector base for the Kennedy silver set. On to the Everglades 5 oz. ATB.

  63. bfn says

    My order took about two minutes from login attempt to logout and my order showed “shipped” status in under 5 hours – I only purchased one set. I am astounded at the speed of the transaction. I still cannot believe how well the Mint’s new system functioned. My congrats on a job well done!!

  64. GoldFishin says

    I now have Order History that only dates back to June of this year. I did have history that went back as far as 2011 even the day before these sets went on sale. Has everyone else lost their transaction history as well? Not a happy camper about that…..is there something I am missing, some way on the site to retrieve all of it…..at least what I had until yesterday?

  65. jj says

    does anyone know how much silver content in each coin? also both of my orders are shipped and shows progress from Memphis? ordered with iPhone no glitch at all……

  66. Wes says

    Years ago when the mint redesigned the website my past order history was lost. I am just glad I keep the invoices and never relied on the website to for my purchase history.

  67. Erik H says

    VA Rich says

    Erik H – who are they going to sell the remaining 94,000 sets to? Collectors,
    Flippers, Retailers, or Speculators?

    Probably a combination of all. I’m just guessing based on the clad numbers of 136,614 so far. If they don’t sell 180K by Christmas they aren’t going to start up the presses again and buy more packaging IMO. Sales could go into late 2015.

    I think announcing the 300K limit turned people like me off that though there would be too many (plus the Gold fiasco). I might order 2 extra with my Everglades next week since my original first order went MIA.

  68. cagcrisp says

    @Pittsburgh P and VA Rich, Pleasantly Surprised! Much Nicer than I expected. Much Larger Display than I expected. ALL 4 coins are Beautiful.

    More than I Even Hoped for.

    You will Not be disappointed.

  69. Hawkster says

    Any remaining inventory will surely make it to the Philly and Denver Mint’s gift stores. The sets will be bought by older baby boomers (also known as senior citizens) because they can’t resist the nostalgia of the Kennedy years.

  70. says

    VARich,

    That’s a good catch, makes perfect sense, singles and 5’s left earliest.
    My order of 2 shipped today which means it had to be packaged, at least it’s not taking two weeks. There’s a chance for the mintage of these puppies to be much lower as GF mentioned above, so from a collectors point of view, “winning.”

  71. cagcrisp says

    There is One thing that Many will complain about. The Box is a LOT bigger than I thought. IT will not fit in a small lockbox. The dimension are 5.75in x 10in x about 1.25 high. Big Boxes…

  72. Zaz says

    The bus(t) has come and gone for flippers and speculators of first day US Mint products. Not too surprising first day sales. The product type (special “one-off” set) is getting old, and this was the third release of three off-metal strikings, so it wasn’t exactly totally new either. Another point, the Mint did not “debut” the silver at the Baltimore show like they would have, very possibly due to the Rosemont Gift Shop debacle of August, turning off all but the most determined deep pocketed flippers, the wholesale coin cooperatives. I would think the greater chunk (maybe 60% or greater) of the 86K orders were actually sold to customers that actually LIKED and CARED about coin collecting, and bought sets they would either send in to the TPGs, keep in the OGP or even use as upcoming holiday gifts. The Mint had really gotten major black eye with bad press with K15 rollout, when the mainstream outlets feature it on the nightly newscast to mom and pop America, you’ve got a huge credibility problem. Formerly it was just limited to those that had a long standing customer relationship with the Mint, such as us here… But after the 5th and for weeks afterward, everyone knew about the gold coin… and it’s problems. K13 finds them in retreat mode, and they’re not going to aggressively promote it, also limiting sales. Another perfect firestorm this time negatively affecting sales. It may yet become a sleeper hit if the total distribution stays under 150K. Which is a good thing for everyone that owns this collection in the long run. Yet another fascinating wrinkle to this long running saga of the marketing and distribution issues of the US Mint. Would make for good reality TV, but no one would believe it!

  73. A Bob says

    The new website took my order for 5 with no issue. Their website NEVER recognizes my mailing address but it did this time. I am confident of a sell out. They will make great gifts.
    Sellout prediction 11/20/14.

  74. says

    I completed an order for 5 sets by 12:01pm yesterday, order ‘2xxx. Just got the shipping notification at 8:43pm today. I know others had theirs ship out earlier (I think a few of you even have the set already!) But all in all I’m extremely happy with the new ordering system.

  75. TimTom says

    @fm – interesting way to phrase that. was it a typo, hyperbole, or a real guess? $1 a gram/$31 an ounce for silver? you think ending QE will be a boon to silver? I would assume the opposite, that it’d more likely tend toward $13 an ounce as ending QE would portend a stronger dollar. but it’s all conjecture anyway. they pumped up the street with horse steroids, err QE, and there has to be a true correction at some point. i’m really just talking to myself, however, if that was a typo. 😉

  76. Jerry Diekmann says

    It’s pretty obvious to me that this new rollout was NOT properly tested. I still cannot place my order for 5 of the JFK half dollar sets. I have talked with CS yesterday and today. They sid there are a lot of problems with people getting errors related to having reached the maximum and “management” has to review the orders and “reach out” to those of us who have tried to buy the sets. They have my info but can’t process my CC until “management” reviews the screwups in their new and advanced order system. Of course, this problem would exist because of lack of beta testing on the Mint’s part, but the problem has been exacerbated by them putting a limit on the sets just a couple of days before they went on sale. The people who are running the Mint should be fired for incompetence IMO. This is just another example of the government spending taxpayer’s money on something that doesn’t work. The State of CA spent millions of $ to “improve” the DMV computer system and it didn’t work and now the lawyers are getting rich suing everybody. The Mint managers have absolutely no idea what they are doing. The whole Kennedy gold and silver set sales have been a gigantic F-up.

  77. Ikaika says

    Ordered a silver and clad set yesterday at 12:15 PM. Shipped this afternoon in two separate boxes.

  78. Eagle One says

    If we could get another K13 data point from anytime tonight; that would be great. Or is everyone done buying?

  79. NC_Stacker says

    I’m only off by 15,000 sets. I posted a total sales of 195,000 on October 27, 2014 at 9:35 pm

    To post why not a total sellout… I think its two things.. burnout and to quote James Carville.. “It’s the Economy Stupid”

    The mint is trying to sell to the everyday collector but I feel the everyday collector is now in week hands. Do I buy 5 sets of JFK coins ( your pick from this year) or save up for whats about to hit next year. (pick your tinfoil hat issue, healthcare, cost of living increase, Jobs,…etc) and Christmas is around the corner too.

    Not everyone wants coins. Most want the flip. Also look at the YOY sales figures, they are on a downward trend. Trying to spark interest in coins is like trying to play darts on a carrier flight deck while pushing thru a storm. Some will hit the board, others not so much.

  80. Dave says

    @Jerry Diekmann October 29, 2014 at 10:10 pm

    I too had issues where in the past I had no problems. My response — Screw Em; no reaching out, or around will help in my case. I’ll eventually obtain a couple of nice graded set for a great price one way or another.

    Sell out — naw, not anytime soon, but if I had to guess, if at all — end of first quarter/begin of second quarter 2015.

  81. Dave says

    Oh and not worry, many of the contractors the government hires knows exactly how to screw them dollars wise. For example years ago the civilian federal Gov”t employees TSP (401k), computer system over haul was contracted out and the contractor got paid$50 Million and did not complete the job; the government was going to sue, but then decided not too and just let the TSP participant’s foot the bill.

    This is the way, I remember it. But then of course I have to say “in my opinion,” as advised by my lawyer.

  82. Dave says

    @NC_Stacker, October 29, 2014 at 10:57 pm

    True that — how right you are, how right you are! I recommend buy the JFK’s now and go conservative on next year’s item’s.

  83. Dave says

    Funny — seems like I own the night on this blog — that is after owning the night, before coming home. Let’s just say, I can see you, but you can’t see me.

    LOL 😉

  84. Jon in CT says

    I find that I now can only access comment #1 from the first 100 comments (first comments page) to this blog entry.

  85. Hidalgo says

    Gold and silver prices are falling again. Silver is less than $17 per ounce right now. Gold is nearing $1200 per ounce. How long can it go? How low can it go?

  86. Microdon says

    You may not know this, but selecting budget shipping, especially for multiple items, is very cost effective. Ordered 5 on 10/28 at around 4:30 PM eastern time. Shipment notification from Mint came late afternoon of 10/29. Receipt by UPS was at 2:18 AM on 10/30. ETA for delivery is 11/3. So much for those 7+ days to ship.

  87. Blair J Tobler says

    My set (along with 8 other items) shipped last night. It definitely looks like they shipped orders for the JFK set only first, while orders with other items were secondary priority. It doesn’t bother me any. It still shipped only one day after I ordered it, even with budget shipping. With the old fulfillment center it would take several days before it would finally ship. Major improvement as far as I’m concerned. Even if navigation on the site isn’t as good as before, the order process and shipping is MUCH better.

  88. stephen m says

    Hidalgo, At least to 2003 prices whatever they were. That’s the last time I was able to buy a proof gold eagle. It’ll be interesting for sure to see the slide down to the bottom on both silver and gold.

  89. GoldFishin says

    @Blair- I think VA RICH was very correct that the fulfillment center already had 1 set and 5 set packages pre-packaged and ready for a shipping label. I purchased 2 sets only and had to wait like all of you that had puchased multiple items with some items other than the JFK silver set. Mine shipped out last evening also. Still very quick shipping no matter how you slice it. They had months to prepare to ship these items, so I would credit them for at least not sitting on their hands for the last month.

  90. says

    Just received two sets by overnight UPS. This is my first comment here. I have to say the Kennedy Silver set has exceeded my expectations. The packaging is very well done, the coins are beautiful, and the outer box fit like a glove (not like the last fulfillment company that just threw the items loose in a box).
    Now the problems: I almost damaged the sets trying to get them out of the tight cardboard box, the coins are very tight and you would probably have to risk damaging the packaging trying to pry them out, and the whole set is much larger than I expected.
    I paid the extra shipping because I wanted to see what they looked like. Although I am generally very pleased I would like your suggestions on how to safely remove the coins so I can see the reverse of the coins.

  91. Dave SW FL says

    Gold is holding up much better than silver. Gold may be setting up a relative strength divergence, but it’s too early to be sure. The old low around $1180 is certainly key here. Silver is already in the tank since it broke $19. Platinum has been annihilated and is getting close to par with gold. That does not bode well for the economy down the road. The auto stocks reflect that.

    For us at MNB, this could be good news. Below $15 for silver, I believe there will be an adjustment down in price. Of course, gold & platinum will be automatic.

    So, again, no hurry on the Kennedy gold and silvers. The end of the year may present a good bundling opportunity to save on shipping. Thus, I have cancelled all subscriptions.

  92. vaughnster says

    My package with 5 Kennedy sets arrived this morning! Much better packaging than in the past. Very compact packaging with nothing moving around. Sets look great! The Mint gets a total “Thumbs Up” on this one.

  93. GoldFishin says

    @Dave SW FL- I agree completely with everything you said…..I think the relative strength of gold over silver, platinum, etc. can be explained by the later metals links to industrial production which is definitely in the early stages of what could be dramatic decreases. Gold is outperforming relatively because of its utilization as a currency hedge in my opinion. We definitely live in interesting times. History has to be a wise person’s guide.

  94. GoldFishin says

    @Dave SW FL- Of course if we end up doing nothing but fighting major wars all over the globe industrial production will rise because of military spending. It seems to be the trend lately that major world powers sensing weakness in the U.S. are expanding military budgets exponentially. Our 3rd quarter GDP number also shows huge increases in government spending for military expenditures. Bottom line for me is, I think gold has held up rather well considering we have had significant sell offs in the commodity markets.

  95. jeff says

    So $20 worth of silver for $105 I’m thinking the set is not worth it . GL I’m out I’ll lurk on the bay for a fire sale on this set in 2015 better deals await . No sell out dreamers I guess ..

  96. GoldFishin says

    @jeff- the biggest portion of my coin budget is going towards the purchase of bullion for the foreseeable future. I hate to say it, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense to pay high numismatic premiums with bullion prices low and falling.

  97. fmtransmitter says

    @Stuart Bradley: Many haven’t had a chance but the Mint website DOES state you can remove them here…
    Each set also contains a separate printed Certificate of Authenticity and booklet about the development and design of the Kennedy half–dollar inside the folder.

    The four coins with different finishes are encapsulated and secured in coin wells within the packaging. The coins appear from left to right inside the folder: reverse proof (West Point), proof (Philadelphia), enhanced uncirculated (San Francisco), and uncirculated (Denver).

    The coins are displayed to show all obverse (heads) sides. The back of each coin can be seen by removing the capsule from the packaging.

    The obverse and reverse design descriptions appear on the packaging.

  98. VA Rich says

    Still a lot of issues with the Gator – I’m missing my MNB and was just able to get in. Using a droid and Firefox

    Glad to here all of the positives with the JFKs – mine are ready for pick up at the PO Box – $4.95 shipping can’t beat it! 🙂

    (Above posting was from an hour ago) – site is really intermittent now

  99. VA Rich says

    GF – you’re like a mentor out here (among a some others (and that’s a really big compliment coming from me seeing how I’m always right! LOL), and thus, I must ask, any bullion in particular you’ll be watching that you anticipate to have an appreciable side (outside of spot value)? Thanks!

  100. fmtransmitter says

    Feb. 5, 2010 were the lowest for spot gold and silver. Looks like we are headed back their and maybe beyond until the bubble bursts…

  101. Hidalgo says

    @Stuart Bradley – I have not received my silver Kennedy half set. However, if the packaging is similar to that used for other US commemorative coins, then you can push the back side of the packaging behind the encapsulated coin to pop it out. Once you pop it out, you can view the reverse side.

  102. AkBob says

    HSN had the sets graded by ANACS for sale (Pre sale) last night (early this morning) for $479 in 70! That’s a awful big premium IMO.

  103. fmtransmitter says

    jeff says
    OCTOBER 30, 2014 AT 11:48 AM

    So $20 worth of silver for $105 I’m thinking the set is not worth it . GL I’m out I’ll lurk on the bay for a fire sale on this set in 2015 better deals await . No sell out dreamers I guess ..
    These are one of a kind numismatic items, always will have more value than melt.

  104. fmtransmitter says

    AkBob says
    OCTOBER 30, 2014 AT 12:32 PM

    HSN had the sets graded by ANACS for sale (Pre sale) last night (early this morning) for $479 in 70! That’s a awful big premium IMO.
    Wow, and they will sell them all too!

  105. Tinto says

    After I called the Mint’s CS asking why mine was still “Processing” , they sent me an email notification around 8:50pm saying it had been shipped.

    So I went to the FedEx website and checked and was informed the label had been created. I waited until this afternoon (east coast time) to follow up and it still says label had been created. Sees slow I thought …..

    Anyone else got this kind of delivery situation ….?

  106. GoldFishin says

    @VA RICH- right now I am looking at the 5 oz everglades from provident. They have them for less than $100 with $5.95 shipping. They could have some value other than spot price, even the earlier versions from this year are selling for a bit more. In the past I have purchased the Maple Leaf Wildlife coins….1st issue coins do the best. But I also REALLY like the Canadian Maple Leaf limited production Reverse Proof versions that have the “Year of” Privy mark. They are not out yet for 2015. I wish they would hurry up and come out. Just look at what price they are offered at when they come out and see if it makes sense to you. They sell well on Ebay if you ever want to sell them off. Some of the limited production Perth coins do well also, but they generally are too expensive for my parameters. Bottom line, it pays to shop, look for limited production if possible, and check aftermarket performance for whatever you are thinking about.

    I really appreciate the comments…I an not sure they are well deserved. But thank you!

  107. Eagle One says

    I keep waiting to hear someone’s personal critique of the Silver Kennedy Set(s) they received. Strike, finish, centering, mirrors, spots, anomalies…….

  108. Hawkster says

    Vaughnster,
    Could you give me the dimensions of the shipping box for your Kennedy silver set(s)? I’m trying to determine if it will fit in my mailbox, or the postal delivery person will drop it off at my garage door. I want to give my neighbor a heads up, as he is collecting my mail while I am away. Thanks.

  109. CasualCollector says

    @fmtransmitter
    Regarding the HSN Revenue vs. Cost — you are forgetting the costs associated with slabbing 8,056 Coins. And that assumes every single coin submitted was a perfect 70 (although I’m sure he gets away with some “questionable” 70’s every now and then).

    Still a nice haul for him — how the heck is he able to get 2014 (plus the sets that do not grade 70) when the household limit is 5?

    The Clads could be the sleepers (as others have mentioned). Because on a percentage basis, how many high-grade (SP69’s) are there compared to the entire 200,000 run (assuming that is the Mintage and Product Limit).

  110. cagcrisp says

    @Hawkster, I’ll give you the dimensions of a box of 5:

    10.25 long x 6.75 high x 6.25 wide

  111. Hawkster says

    Let’s see: You can plop down well more than $500., with the $480. item cost, shipping fee, and sales tax for a graded Kennedy silver set from HSN. Or, you can buy 5 sets directly from the mint for $505. What would be your choice?

  112. cagcrisp says

    The design for the 2015 March of Dime coin has been selected. Thanks to the choice, I will Only concentrate on the Earlier release of the Gold and Silver US Marshal coin. I doubt if the sell enough to pay the $10 surcharge.

    Being from Arkansas I love the reverse of the Silver US Marshal coin (Fort Smith)

  113. Hawkster says

    CasualCollector,

    As HSN is undoubtedly the largest customer of the ANACS grading company, I’m pretty sure he gets the benefit of the doubt on those borderline 70’s. At one time ICG was his preferred grading company, but it looks like he got a better deal (arrangement) with ANACS.

  114. cagcrisp says

    Item K14 50th Anniversary Kennedy 2014 Half-Dollar Uncirculated Coin Set now has a Remind Me button. Still listed as “Out of Stock”. So…..it Appears that there is No sell out just an Out of Stock…

  115. lucky43113 says

    people buy the label now days i have seen Morgan dollars sell for over a grand on eBay with no pic of the coin just the label

  116. VA Rich says

    lucky – you originally from Louisville?

    Thanks GF!

    cag – Yup! While my sensitive likes the the March of Dimes design, it’ll be check in the cost savings column for next year

  117. mark says

    A co-worker just received his five sets. UPS shipping box crushed on one corner, and the sets fit in the box very tight. No room for any packing material, which it did not have. Three sets damaged due to the crushed corner of shipping box. Coins look nice except all five of the enhanced proofs, kind of smudgy looking. I was not very impressed.

  118. cagcrisp says

    @VA Rich, I think you said you were IN for the 2015 Ultra? The more I think about it the less I like. The Mint is going to have to do Something Different if they keep expecting to Sell High $$ coins. There Must be some Price Increases on the Secondary market or eventually the Mint’s base goes Away.

    I will be in for the 2016 Gold Mercury Dimes and some Gold Walking Liberty halfs…

    I’m in the Market for some St Gaudens and some older stuff that doesn’t have a 35% Premium at the Git Go…

  119. A&L Futures says

    @ Mark,

    I just got off the phone with Gabriel from PCGS, and yes…these are being grading at Baltimore.

    Did you hear differently and if so, from who?

  120. VA Bob says

    CC – it’s easy to get past the household requirements, for the big sellers. Any parcel delivery place can put any range of “box numbers” associated with one address, even if a physical “mail” box doesn’t exist. You can do it with your home address, for example 1313-A (B, C, or 1, 2, 3) Mockingbird Lane. Their reps on the computer have a list of buyer “names” and Credit Card information (probably a company CC, not hard to get), a few people to place all the orders on existing accounts.The big modern US coin sellers have their drop box in the same location (city) as the Mints distribution point, so it never gets on the FedEx plane, it’s delivered locally. They are getting their coins the same day ours are boarding the plane for delivery to our home towns. Theirs are opened and boxed then sent to the TPG’s before you get yours even with 2nd day air from the Mint. The TPS give them their bulk discount, and apparently looser grading criteria, unless the coin is noticeably flawed. So the big dealers have multiple advantages over the small guy, even with the Mints improvements.

    HSN and the others do incur more costs for most new coin issues, but their pricing more than makes up for it. I don’t know if people are in so much of a hurry, too lazy, or just don’t know any better making these buys from those shows, especially when the coin is still available at the Mint, but they seem to have a steady, and large flow of buyers.

  121. says

    So far I have only managed to pry one coin loose from two sets. They are really in there tight and the packaging is thick behind them so that is not an option. These are tighter than the ATB 5 oz US Mint version.
    I agree about the thin outer cardboard, if it gets bumped on a corner or crushed there is no protection for the sets inside. The boxes appear to have been custom made to fit one set, two sets or five sets from what I can tell. Again, my two sets were extremely snug and the glue they use is stronger than the cardboard. Don’t use a knife!
    I ordered another item at the same time as the two Kennedy silver sets and it was delivered in a second box with it’s own tracking.

  122. VA Rich says

    cag – that’s an excellent point, and funny you mention it as I’ve been thinking a lot about my 2015 strategy in the last day and what GF commented above on bullion prices.

    What’s changed for me is that the drop in Ag & Au has now made a lot more options available to me (or my buying power has gone up), perhaps it’s psychological, though I’m looking at Au bullion a lot more this week than anything else. A $320-$400 premium just isn’t sitting well with me, actually I thought of picking another JFK later this year though decided against that in favor of non-US bullion (maybe).

    With the exception of the AtBs which I am now collecting in 4 forms, I don’t know what else I may be committed to at this point for 2015 (numismatically speaking). And as far as these one-offs, I’ll be watching the performance of the RP Buff & JFK closely over the spring of next year (and by that time, hopefully we’ll see a resurgence of BHoF enthusiasm)

  123. VA Rich says

    Oh, I’m just showing up for the cold beer, hang out with some booth babes, and take a grading class so I can grade my own coins! 😉

  124. mark says

    Thought that I read that ngc wont be grading these at baltimore. Guess they changed their mind. Good luck with you submissions. Especially with the enhanced uncirculated.

  125. jeff says

    So VA Bob it’s alright for HSN COIN VAULT to lie, cheat the rest of us joe public. The mint says this is alright sad that’s why I’m not buying from the mint anymore I’ll buy off the bay at more realistic price mint can shove it from here on out GL

  126. thePhelps says

    I haven’t gotten my Silver Kennedies yet… but I’ll comment on the box I recieved from my last shipment. I also thought the packaging was a little less than protective. It basically is nothing more than a cover to the contents and is highly likely it will get damaged if abused in transit. I had a box of quarters that barely fit in the packaging and one end had a little stuffing in it… much prefered the old shipping boxes. Protective padding was usually on the top and bottom of the package and even if there was abuse in transit your contents were not harmed.

  127. Eagle One says

    I’m just waiting for one more data point. I was hoping for one of the coin blogs to report the 48 hour sales number. However, if I get a new official sales number from the Mint, then I will be able to forecast the sell out date to some degree of accuracy. I have a graph and a fitted function ready to go for the data below. I just need one more point from the last 48 or 72 hours. Right now, the cumulative data extrapolates that the 180K mark will be reached in 1047 hours (43.7 days) from the first hour sales began.

    Hrs. K13s Sold
    1: 35832
    3: 50070
    5: 64576
    8: 82137
    12: 85697
    26: 98748
    28: 99934

    Michael or Mike, got new sales data?

  128. GoldFishin says

    @VA RICH- I didn’t mention any gold products in my post above for a couple of reasons.
    First, Gold had not broken down technically yet, and is still holding above support by the narrowest of margins. If it breaks down significantly below that support we could see another significant leg down in prices. I would be a buyer at that time.
    Secondly, it is really tough to find bullion gold products that perform above and beyond spot price. You really have to get into numismatic offerings for that potential. If AU(gold) got to $1000 I would probably pick up a JFK gold for a good price or just stick to buying a quality bullion product for as little premium as possible(which is typically what I do). Or, do like Cagcrisp and see if you can get some deals on pre-1933 gold.

  129. Fred says

    Just got my 5 sets from UPS. Incredible difference from the old fulfillment center. Not sure if I should open or keep in mint box. Thoughts?

  130. rob says

    Fastest delivery I’ve ever seen. 5 Kennedy anniversary sets delivered- flipped- and reshipped in just under 48 hours! Now to buy one for myself.

  131. GoldFishin says

    @Fred- If you have plans on having them graded by PCGS in the future you should keep them sealed or if you plan to flip now or later it wouldn’t hurt either. In any other circumstance I would open and enjoy them!

    @Rob- nice going! You must have been one of those early lucky sellers that got bought out by a couple of large buyers. They were on ebay the last two days buying in bulk, but seem to have gone away now. You got out just in time I think!

  132. VA Bob says

    Jeff – Where did I say HSN’s prices were fair or they don’t provide mis-information? CC wanted to know how they (and others) get a large number of sets, so I told him. Don’t put words in that aren’t in my comments.

  133. VA Bob says

    VA Rich – I saw that deal from Provident. I guess it all depends on if Josh Wise is a good driver. 43 cents an ounce is a fair premium over spot, but 1 cent would be very nice. Of course Provident might know something about the spot price of silver when the markets open up on Monday. 😉

  134. jeff says

    I did not put words in your mouth made a state mint how can HSN grade 2014 sets when the HH limit is 5 I guess trickery by these individual is accepted by the mint to bad they could not change that process it’s all about how to manipulate the system and it’s approved by our us mint discussing that’s why I will no longer buy from the mint game is rigged, prices over inflated, cheating allowed, this hobby is going down thanks to the us mint enjoy your over inflated coins talk nicely about them and the mint they are your friends lol.

  135. VA Rich says

    Bye, bye!

    American Eagle 2014 One-Quarter Ounce Gold Proof Coin
    West Point (W)

    The expected in-stock date is Thu Oct 02 2014.

    Qty: 1
    $410.00

    American Eagle 2014 Gold Proof Four-Coin Set
    West Point (W)

    This item is currently not available.

    Qty: 1
    $2,890.00

  136. VA Rich says

    Good to know GF – I need to replenish my coin bongos soon, though I suspect we may see depressed PM markets for some time. I used to think I understood economics and a thing or two about global economies…, until the past couple of years.., what’s going on now is throwing me for a loop. I still don’t think the US economy is all that strong, though I appear to be in the minority,

  137. Pittsburgh P says

    Wow, I’m finally able to access MNB and post…

    VaRich saw that promo too and Wise is terrible lol but if he finishes top 20 which is possible I’m in fir at least a roll!

    Can’t really go through all I’ve missed since the gator had me locked out… Everyone happy with the Silver set and the Mints service this time round? Mostly? Except Jeff who flip flops more than a fish out of water and just wants to aurgue – unless it’s about loving ebay 🙂 Get mine tommorrow, happy with the speed it was sent-just curious if they’ll be what I expect, better or worse.

    I’m in for a gold merc in 2016 is it also but will now be concentrating on bullion also with the drop… And continued drop?

    Idk what else was chatted about… Anythin exciting?

  138. Dave SW FL says

    You can thank the Federal Reserve. They have prostituted all major markets.
    You can also thank Congress, who refuses to audit the Fed’s books.

    Anyone who can explain how they unwind their balance sheet without ruining the country , I’m all ears. U S government debt requires interest rates near zero. NO ONE in DC will cut anything.

    Someone please enlighten me.

  139. VA Bob says

    Jeff – Isn’t there a BHOF out there somewhere for you to bid on? Good grief man, the TV coin hawkers and the Mint aren’t anyone’s friend, and neither is eBay, they are in it to make money. If this or any other coin topic upsets you, perhaps for health reasons, you shouldn’t read them. Both positive and negative comments are welcome, but you take it to a personal level. We get it, you don’t like these coins or something about them, everyone knows where you stand. Thanks for your input.

  140. GoldFishin says

    Cagcrisp Says “There Must be some Price Increases on the Secondary market or eventually the Mint’s base goes Away.”

    This is an excellent and succinct way of saying what is a very complicated and systemic problem in the coin hobby right now. It is going to take a while for things to work themselves out if free market economics are allowed to operate freely. The TPG’s have gotten greedy and overpriced their products which hurt retailers and makes them unprofitable. The aftermarket venues like Ebay and others have continued to raise fees and structures in order to satisfy stock holders, also making it very difficult for resellers to make a profit. The federal government has placed burdensome regulations on large dealers and have also required entities such as Paypal to report to the IRS if customers accounts reach certain levels of sales, thus also making it less profitable for dealers. Meanwhile the U.S. Mint has started to basically mint bullion coins with supply far outstripping REAL collector demand. The US Mint should either become less transparent about mintage and product availability limits and/or limit supply to something that is reasonable and enough to meet near term demand.
    I know some have said that it is not the Mint’s job to ensure a profit for collectors or retailers. I understand that, but they aren’t in the business of selling overpriced bullion coins either at the retail level. I would like to make it clear, that I am not in favor of going the way of Perth or RCM and offering everything under the sun with mintages from 5 coins to 500, to 5000, etc. They too have created problems by producing too many products that may do ok in the very short term, but lose value and demand as time passes by. It is nearly impossible to develop a loyal series following when you have 50 different series going on at any given time. There aren’t enough real collectors to support that kind of system either. Enough said about all that. Sorry for the length. Be vigilant, there will always be opportunities for the informed in any environment. MNB is the best place I have found to receive real time information and have fun doing it!

  141. VA Bob says

    “Idk what else was chatted about… Anythin exciting?”

    PP – Mostly the shipping experience and some of the glitches in the new website, that some experienced. A few comments on the packaging. Some early opinions of the coins themselves.

  142. GoldFishin says

    @Dave SW FL, VA Rich

    The U.S. and world economies are like playing a Monopoly game but with changing rules. You know in the beginning every player has a certain amount of money and they all go about the playing the game. Eventually, with the rules being the same for all players somebody inevitably makes poor decisions or doesn’t understand the game well or is just plain unlucky because of unforeseen circumstances and they reach the point of bankruptcy. However, the banker(federal reserve, ecb, chinese authority, take your pick) comes in and magically produces a whole new treasure trove of cash and gives it to the player that was just about to lose. All of sudden there is more cash in the game…more wheeling and dealing….property prices go even higher than they were before and going to jail is just a minor annoyance. Then still later in the game, another player eventually runs out of luck or makes bad decisions, but still again the banker comes in and doles out more cash. Rinse and repeat. Price of property goes up, railroads are all owned by one player(Warren Buffett), he makes a killing and wipes out yet another player, you get the idea. As long as the banker keeps changing the rules and keeps doling out more cash, the game goes on. Until it doesn’t….because…..in real life there are real consequences and somebody will eventually lose. But the banker and the other players were just playing a game. It meant nothing to them!!!

  143. lucky43113 says

    i called a place not far from me and asked if they were buying the kennedys he said no he was an authorized mint dealer he can buy them cheaper straight from he mint if he buys any that way he can sell them at the price we paid and still make a profit. its a very small shop to

  144. Samuel says

    somebody just said above that did not hear any complaint about the silver set? received 5 sets this afternoon. huge box! complicated packaging! very tight capsule holder. one unc, there are two dings on JFK’s cheek, not sure if i want to return it.

  145. VA Bob says

    Samuel- If you decide to return anything, let us know if there are any changes or issues in that process. Thanks.

  146. VA Rich says

    Some random thoughts –

    VAB/Pitt – the over-reactions may be due to it now getting dark before 6 and feeling blue ass cold out, just wait until Monday after the clock change, it’ll likely be cookoos out here on MNB.

    The last 10 days have been so pleasant out here on MNB without any shots fired across anyone’s bow – been quite refreshing. It’s like the first cease fire we’ve had in 10 months, thanks guys (& two ladies, I think).

    Glad to see the ’14 Buff firmly planted in 19k land and going strong, some nice separation from ’13 is a very good thing…, once Au starts in the other direction.

    Wishful thinking has me expecting a $10-$20 drop in the ’14 LESPS along with improved packaging and they get it right this time. Though with all the Kennedy’s this year, this set may linger longer than last years, hard finding the value, makes the 4 coin set appear cheap.

    Guess we’ll find the true AtB P collector base when Everglades opens at $154 and Ag at ~$17, after being spoiled with the 10% discount.

    Beginning to think the silver BHoF sell out was premature and forced by speculation, and many of those coins are now finding their way to liquidation. Perhaps after the holidays some the excess will have dissipated.

    It’s possible we could be buying the US Marshall coins in a little over 60 days.

  147. Bob R says

    I have stayed away from this Kennedy set because of the price and high volume mintage, and with silver falling like a rock. We just may see silver at under $13 by the end of the year. Look at the price of oil and other commodities, the strong dollar is ruling now. IMO this Kennedy set should be priced well under $70. I will wait and pick them up on the bay for $50 come February. Time will tell.

  148. Larry says

    @ Bob R, maybe, maybe not. In my opinion, this is such a nice set folks may want to actually keep them. So the supply may not be as much as you think, and the price may be more than you think. Just my opinion, we shall see.

  149. VA Bob says

    VA Rich – The RP gold Buff had a lot to do with the low proof versions mintage IMO. Many couldn’t afford both and that bodes well for both coins, as long as the Mint doesn’t go RP happy.

    Yeah, that’s going to be a tough price to swallow for the Everglades 5oz. I haven’t canceled my subscription yet, I wanted to wait and see if they adjusted the price downward, but I will when the 4 week notice goes out. I’ll still pick one up, as I like the design, but I believe sales will be way down especially if silver prices are down further.

  150. Jerry Diekmann says

    Sith – from your comment earlier, it’s not deflation as much as it is “a return to normalcy”, to quote one of our most stupid presidents, Warren G. Harding. Supposedly a journalist and a newspaper editor and publisher, he used the non-existent word “normalcy” when he should have used the coreect word in the English language – “normality”. Nevertheless, the word caught on and is now, I guess, part of our language, if only colloquially. Too bad people didn’t realize just how stupid he really was – his cabinet was a bunch of crooks, a couple went to jail, and his Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Mellon, caused the Great Depression. To this day we don’t know if he was poisoned or if he had what they called “a heart attack”. he’s just an earlier version of who killed JFK, if there was just one guy or a conspiracy. If silver is priced right, gold is way overvalued, at least on historical terms.

  151. lucky43113 says

    the person i sold to has bought 300 boxes 5 sets per box all ready to get graded he’s working for a dealer

  152. Hidalgo says

    I’m not sure if you checked, but silver prices are tanking. The price of silver has, as of this writing, reached $16 per ounce and on its way to go lower than that. Compared to historical values, silver prices still have room to fall even further.

    Also, gold prices are tanking as well. However, it’s got a way to go before it falls below $1100 per ounce…..

  153. Sith says

    Anyone know were I can buy at these prices I can.’t seem to find anything under $20 per ounce in silver

  154. GoldFishin says

    @Sith- I bought some of the Everglade pucks at Provident yesterday….they have them this morning for $98 with $5.95 shipping. It is a presale, but I have no problem waiting. One of the best deals going with a quality coin. I don’t buy rounds so I don’t know what is available there. Happy Hunting>>

  155. GoldFishin says

    @Sith- Gainesville has ’14 Maple leafs for $18.72 per coin, but their shipping is a little higher.

  156. A&L Futures says

    Come one, come all to the Baltimore Expo…no lines and a balmy 49 degrees. (this is dedication)

  157. Pittsburgh P says

    Thanks VaBob… Fell asleep early last night, maybe due to the darkness VaRich pointed out was making everyone grumpy over reactors 🙂

    Bob R I think you will be waiting for a long long long time before you’ll be able to buy a set for 50$ imo…

    Numismatic coins aren’t effected by silver and gold prices as much – I welcome these drops and will keep buyin bullion until it rises and levels out… Lowering my cost average.

    I can’t see silver below 15$ but that just me…

  158. A&L Futures says

    @ Pittsburgh P,

    No rush. We’ll see ya then. If memory serves, VA Rich plans on opening a tab here for all the MNB’ers.

  159. mgm says

    I pulled the plug at the mint for my Everglades National Park 2014 Uncirculated Five Ounce Silver Coin until they drop the price or do something else. With the price of silver at $16.18 an ounce the mint is asking way to much.

  160. Dave SW FL says

    Coming to a mint near you………lower prices for the Kennedy gold coin. The pros are taking all the stop loss orders out. How long will it last? Only time will tell, but significant support has been violated. Look for capitulation and HIGHER lows before getting carried away with bullion buys – it could get a lot cheaper. The hedge funds are in control and they are a merciless crowd of pirrana!

  161. Jon in CT says

    Dave SW FL wrote on October 31, 2014 at 8:56 AM:

    The hedge funds are in control and they are a merciless crowd of pirrana [sic]!

    Um, national central banks (Fed, ECB, BOE, etc.), if the spirit moved them, could utterly crush the gold positions held by all of the worlds hedge funds combined by 10 AM on any given morning, without even breaking a sweat.

  162. VA Rich says

    You guys weren’t josh’n, that’s one big box set, & they’re in there tight! My Enhanced looks smudgy, otherwise all looks good on one set. Oh, and the blue is a tad darker than the mint page photo, which is helps.

    Pitt – what’ that? “Cold beer here!”???

  163. VA Rich says

    Hey Captain – you should swing by the convention center later this evening, believe a few of us may be ‘trick or treating’ the mint booth.

  164. Dave SW FL says

    Jon

    Yes they COULD, but that is not likely as gold is disdained by all central banks. They’re lovin’ it!

  165. says

    The US Mint must be trying new tricks to bolster their bottom line. I guess it’s working…to an extent. I wish they would not have made the packaging so big that it almost would not fit in the shipping box, that was an error on their part. What’s this smudging I’m hearing about on the enhanced?

  166. Hawkster says

    fm,

    In regard to the email on a possible price change for the Everglades–Did you receive it from the Mint?

    One thing about the uncirculated pucks: Although silver is currently tanking, these are numismatic products with relatively low mintages. They generally do well on the secondary market. When they were first introduced a four years ago, collectors didn’t know what to make of them, including myself. I have since come to enjoy collecting pucks with nice designs, and those which depict Parks I have visited.

  167. Hawkster says

    Can anyone clarify this smudging on the enhanced that has been mentioned in a few of the comments? I’m wondering if it is from a die run, or whatever.

  168. says

    Hawkster, Don’t get me wrong, I really do agree with you, and side with the saying “buy what you like,” but many, including me feel that it could be decades before an over priced 5oz. AtB P could gain any real appreciation in value. I don’t like having to do it, but ending purchases of the numismatic P’s after the loss of the 10% discount was at least in my mind a necessity until the US Mint lowers it’s silver prices. I’m really hoping they do, love the big coins.

  169. Dave SW FL says

    This may become a great opportunity to pick up the bullion versions at a big discount to the price at issue. Just looking at the Gettysburg on the bay – might have to do some shopping on these by the end of the year.

  170. Pittsburgh P says

    I would like to know more about this smudging on the EU also. Is it on all of em being from production or is it from handling?

    That’s what I heard VaRich 😉 or did you drink it all?

  171. CasualCollector says

    Does that “smudge” on the EU look anything like a “fingerprint”? Happy Halloween 🙂

  172. mark says

    The smudging is from the wire brushing of the planckets. Some areas of the coin look uniform and other areas look like you blew your hot breath on it. Very distracting in my opinion, but will probably grade o.k.

  173. cagcrisp says

    I agree with Mark. I think the smudging is the way the light reflects in the grooves. Under some light it’s not noticeable and others it does…

  174. ibex66 says

    Any official numbers or estimated on how many of these sold at this point? Saw first day numbers but nothing since.

  175. Teach says

    I have been trying to find the sold numbers as well and nobody is posting them. Maybe the mint doesn’t want us to know? 🙂

  176. cagcrisp says

    Are you Serious? 30 Day Savings Challenge on the Mint’s website. Looks like the Same person that thought up the Mint bag thought this 30 Day Savings Challenge. Are you Serious???

  177. Eagle One says

    My extrapolation from a function based upon the data shown below estimated 112K at the 48th hour.

    The plot has an elbow at the end of the first 8 hours and then has a table top with a slight upward slope.

    Hr. K13s Sold
    1: 35,832
    3: 50,070
    5: 64,576
    8: 82,137
    12: 85,697
    26: 98,748
    28: 99,934

    I was going to spend another $104 to get the next data point. However, the numbers should come out soon.

  178. gatortreke says

    I’ve been away from the blog for a bit so this may have been discussed elsewhere but the upcoming Swiss vote on their “Save Our Gold” referendum has interesting implications for gold. Recent polls show much stronger support for this referendum than anticipated. The latest Grant Williams newsletters discusses the referendum and implications, http://www.mauldineconomics.com/ttmygh/pdf/this-little-piggy-bent-the-market. I can see a wild ride for gold until this referendum vote takes place.

    Re: the 5oz subscription, I canceled mine as soon as the Mint ended the discount but that doesn’t mean I don’t plan to buy the coin…eventually.

    As a University of Florida grad, I’ve rather enjoyed seeing the Gator appear when I’ve tried to access the blog. 🙂 (JK)

  179. halfpint says

    received 4 coin set today ,I thought they were really nice and nicely displayed,but for $100.00 I guess they should be,i’am sure not everyone will be happy .Already asking crazy prices for the graded sets

  180. Boz says

    Gonna postpone the P Everglades unless there is a price adjustment. Wait until next year and see how things go. So purchases from the mint in 2014 are done. Already got the baseball coins to give away for holidays.

  181. Webracer says

    I just got my kennedy 4 coin silver set today, my RP coin has some kind of smuge near the hair part,close to his temple. Also capsules are in the coin well so tight I’m afraid it may
    Break if I try to put muvh pressure on them, any sugestions?

  182. Jayarejr says

    Have to give the Mint their props on this one…smooth ordering, immediate e-mail confirmation, coins arrived within 5 days, packing looks great, and coins look great too. The Enhanced does show evidence of the burnishing process The so-called “smudging”, but it is minor and really only noticeable on the obverse under a glass. The reverse is pristine. Not worth a send-back, I think, especially since others are noticing the same thing on the EU. A whole different and better ordering experience compared to the past, hope the Mint can keep in up.

  183. Jayarejr says

    Use a very small screwdriver, like a jeweler or watchmaker would use, to get the coins out. They are in tight, and that is a pain. The Everglades 5 oz. is a nice coin, but the price has to drop to $124.95 before I get interested.

  184. Pittsburgh P says

    Just got home earlier tonight from Baltimore, didn’t catch up with any of the MNB crew yesterday in Baltimore… Did anyone get together?

    Catching the Steelers whip up on the city I just left 🙂

    Was able to grab a roll of prospectors from Provident for 16.35$ each before they sold out tonight too… Turnin out to be a goodnight

  185. Wes says

    Just received this set and it did not disappoint. Shipping box had some minor damage but no damage too the case and coins all look great. Enhanced uncirculated is my least favorite but there is nothing wrong with it. In fact the obverse makes a nice contrast with the other coins in the set. I give the mint an A on this one. A+ if it was a bit cheaper. Despite the spot price this set is a good deal when I compare it to the 2012-2013 ASE sets. It looks great on display.

  186. dave b says

    I Had a chance on tuesday nov 4/2014 to check over my 5 kennedy sets.
    My First order was for 3 sets, then later in the day I Ordered 2 more.
    2 separate orders and 2 different boxs. BUT all 5 sets have the same deep mark
    under kennedys eye. ONLY on the uncirculated coin !!! All 5 sets headed back to U.S Mint !!!!
    Anyone reading this take a Look at your kennedys!! Dave in ohio

  187. JohnM says

    I purchased three sets, knowing I would end up returning two, based on what I have heard about the coin quality so far. True to form, I picked the best of each type out of the three sets to make one good set. The other two sets each had problem coins. Most notable is the milk spot on the proof coin and scratches on the uncirculated coin. I am really disappointed with the quality of these sets. I end up having to pay return shipping because I can’t trust the US Mint to send a quality product the first time.

  188. Wes says

    There were no milk spots on mine and I do see one small mark under Kennedy’s eye on the uncirculated coin. Not enough of a problem for me to return it and the replacement set may end up having that same mark or worse. Would like to know if all the uncirculated Kennedy’s from this set have that mark.

  189. David W says

    I ordered the Silver Set, the Uncirculated set, and the small bronze presidential medal all together for my Kennedy Half anniversary package (can’t afford the gold!).

    The cardboard ‘face’ piece (with the holes for the capsules) on the Silver packaging had come unglued (will maybe have to try to re-glue it?), the outside sleeve was dinged, and the capsules are embedded way too tight… capsule almost flew across the room when I finally managed to pop one out. And I’m not a fan of the flag stripe running through JFK’s hair… looks like a bad hair dye attempt. The reverse of the reverse proof coin is my favorite of the set.

    The Uncirculated set had one of those clear gummed mailing circles that held the folder closed that I had to try to peel off without tearing and damaging the folder. Left gum on the cover, so will need to try some solvent on that and hope I don’t ruin it. Was that really necessary?

    The bronze medal came in the usual crimp-sealed cellophane packet… no disappointment there. I could immediately see the very cool relief sculpture of JFK on the bronze obverse, and the torches and seal on the reverse… the original design that the half dollar was based on. Sometimes simple is better. Maybe I should have sprung for the 3″ bronze!

  190. Wes says

    David, I don’t know if you just wanted to see the inside of the Uncirulated Kennedy set but the coins will slide out without taking the clear mailing circle off.

  191. Wes says

    dave b just saw the uncirculated D coin on Ebay a 70 with that same line you call a gash. That seems to be the way they were minted and yes it only appears to be on the D. All 5 sets sent back what a waste.

  192. M says

    I ordered two of these sets and the coins were in horrible shape. Scuffs and scratches. So I returned for a replacement. The US Mint received the return and refunded my account. I waited a few days for the replacement to show up but nothing. I called the US Mint and they said the new system no longer orders replacements…the customer has to re-order. I found this odd…and a major step back. Especially odd that the return form had an option for replacement. I did re-order and received two perfect sets.

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