Effigy Mounds and Ellis Island ATB Design Candidates (Updated)

Update, 2:35 p.m.: The CCAC has chosen the following designs for the Effigy Mounds and Ellis Island ATB quarters. The Effigy Mounds image was recommended by representatives of the park, as well as by members of the CCAC; design 2 was a close runner-up. Representatives of Ellis Island declined to make a recommendation; for that site, designs 10 and 1A garnered enough votes to come in second and third, respectively.

effigyWinnerSmall

NJ-05ASMALLer

1:00 p.m.: The U.S. Mint has shared new design candidates for the Effigy Mounds National Monument and Ellis Island (Statue of Liberty National Monument) America the Beautiful quarters, due for release in 2017.  Members of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) discussed potential designs for these issues back in October, but were unable to recommend any of the options available to them at that time. The current groups include several new design submissions, as well as some of the stronger candidates considered last year.

The CCAC will hold a meeting today, February 16, in Washington D.C. to discuss designs and put forward their recommendations. The candidates are presented below, followed by descriptions provided by the Mint; click on the images to get a closer look.

Effigy1

IA-01 depicts a deer in the foreground and a view of an effigy mound in the background; IA-02 depicts a Peregrine Falcon, part of a release program in the park, holding an arrowhead with an image of an effigy mound in the shape of a bird, from the Marching Bear Mound Group.  May apple wildflowers, commonly seen in the park, are featured to the left and right of the arrowhead.  The arrowhead was incorporated as a reference to the indigenous people credited with building the mounds, as well as to the National Park Service’s conservation efforts; IA-03 depicts a young man, pausing during an exploratory hike to consider a Bear Mound.  The hiker’s posture signals his great respect as captioned in the additional inscription “Respect for the Old Ones.”  May apple wildflowers and other foliage are seen in the foreground; IA-04 features a bird’s eye view of mounds from the Marching Bear Group and visitors seen on the left and right of the mounds; IA-05 and IA-06 depict either a hiker or family visiting the Mounds; IA-07, IA-08, IA-09, IA-10, and IA-11 depict variations on an aerial view of effigy mounds.  The mounds shown are part of the Marching Bear Group.

effigy2

IA-12 depicts a close-up view of an effigy bear mound, one of many that comprise the Marching Bear Group.  Visitors can be seen in the background, with May apple wildflowers in the foreground; IA-13 and IA-14 depict a graphic representation of the effigy mounds; IA-15 depicts an aerial view of an effigy mound in the shape of a bird.  This particular mound is part of the Marching Bear Group, a collection of mounds located in the South Unit of the monument.  The additional inscription reads “Bird Effigy”; IA-16 and IA-17 depict aerial views of Great Bear Mound, the monument’s largest mound.

effigy3

IA-18, IA-18A, and IA-18B depict variations on an aerial view of three effigy mounds that are part of the 15 mounds that comprise the Marching Bear Group.  Designs IA-18 and 18A contain the additional inscription “Marching Bear Group”; IA-19 features a bird effigy and a bear effigy against a depiction of the Mississippi River as seen from Fire Point Outlook.  The inscriptions read “Air,” Water,” Earth,” and “And People”; IA-20 and IA-21 depict hands holding earth with a bird effigy above.  Design IA-21 also features the Mississippi River in the background and mounds from the Marching Bear Group; IA-22, IA-22A, and IA-22B depict the Mississippi River in the background and a bird effigy at the top of the design.  The lower halves of the designs feature variations of the bear effigies.  Design IA-22 also features the inscriptions “Air,” Water,” and “Land.”

Effigy4better

IA-23 depicts a bird effigy with a lush forest in the background.

Effigy Mounds National Monument is located along the Mississippi River in Harper’s Ferry, Iowa. The Monument preserves a series of more than 200 Native American burial mounds shaped like a variety of animals, including bears and birds. The site was designated a National Monument in 1949.

ellis1

NJ-01, NJ-01A, NJ-02, NJ-03, NJ-03A, NJ-04, NJ-05, and NJ-06 feature immigrant families approaching Ellis Island with a mixture of hope and uncertainty.  Elements seen in the background of the designs are as follows:  NJ-01, the interior of the Registry Room; NJ-02, the Main Immigration Building; NJ-04, the Main Immigration Building and the ferry terminal; NJ-05, the Hospital Building; and NJ-06, the Ellis Island Ferry Building; NJ-07 depicts the arrival of immigrants to Ellis Island, as they descend from a ship to the dock in front of the Main Immigration Depot. The new arrivals show expressions of hopefulness at the prospect of starting new lives in a new country.  The Ellis Island Hospital is visible in the background; NJ-08 depicts a family of European immigrants just after they disembarked a transatlantic ship, which can be seen in the background.  The direction of the wooden dock boards symbolizes the path that will lead them to better lives; NJ-09, NJ-09A, NJ-10, and NJ-10A feature an immigrant family waiting on Ellis Island, hoping to be granted entry into the United States.  Views of the Ferry Building and its Art Deco spire or the Main Immigration Building can be seen in the background; NJ-11 depicts an immigrant woman approaching Ellis Island with the Hospital Building in the background.

ellis2better

Ellis Island is located in the Port of New York and New Jersey and was the nation’s busiest immigrant inspection station between the years of 1892 and 1954; it served as the gateway to the U.S. for more than 12 million people. Interestingly, a sovereignty dispute between New York and New Jersey led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s finding that, contrary to long-held belief, the majority of Ellis Island is in New Jersey rather than New York. It was designated a National Monument with the Statue of Liberty in 1966.

The recommended designs for next year’s other ATB quarters, which will feature Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Frederick Douglass National Historical Site, and George Rogers Clark National Historic Park, can be viewed here. Updates on today’s CCAC meeting will be posted as more information becomes available.

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Comments

  1. Sith says

    Wow good thing CCAC kicked the initial designs back, they are a massive improvement. I will let everyone else pick the ones they like the best.

  2. The Real "Cool" Brad says

    IA-02, no idea what the bird’s significance to the sight is, but that would make a good looking coin.

  3. KCSO says

    This isn’t Picture Pages, RC Brad…

    IA-02 depicts a Peregrine Falcon, part of a release program in the park, holding an arrowhead with an image of an effigy mound in the shape of a bird, from the Marching Bear Mound Group. May apple wildflowers, commonly seen in the park, are featured to the left and right of the arrowhead. The arrowhead was incorporated as a reference to the indigenous people credited with building the mounds, as well as to the National Park Service’s conservation efforts;

  4. Robert says

    Great designs for both, especially Iowa’s Effigy Mounds (design #9). While I like design #2, the idea of effigy mounds is completely lost within a collage of other elements. Probably the reason why representatives of the park went with #9… to emphasize the mounds themselves.

    The textural treatment of the prairie grass could be really cool if it’s done right, especially on the 5-ounce pucks.

  5. cagcrisp says

    da partie is O’verrrr…

    Party was Over when the Mint didn’t have adequate inventory on Hand to meet Demand for the Proof Gold…

  6. says

    Regarding the 2:35 pm Update above –

    My first thought was “Well that Sucks!”.., so I’ll say that I’m quite disappointed with the CCAC’s recommendations…

    On a Positive Note – the CACC & Mint continue to save me $$$!

    As I stated more times than I care to recall over the weekend, beyond this year, WRT to the AtB Pucks.., there’s a dwindling list to look forward to, IMO. At least we might get the cooter on a Ozark..

    I will not be collecting the AtB Puck series through its entirety.., Good Luck to those that do!

  7. says

    Cag – very true.., now with sales so low, ya sit back and throw bones as to where we’ll be by year’s end.

    Where’s Jeff, thought he’d have a commentary to share on the animal crackers 😉

  8. says

    GF – Fat’s is back, little over 2k available since my other comment.

    Shawnee is still at 75,000 sold to AP’s; mint’s rationing ASE to 1 M a week now.., Sith, think you said about that prospect last week if I’m correct.

  9. Jeff says

    Well as I see it another whiff by the mint particularly Ellis Island No STATUE OF LIBERTY nowhere to be found on the coin. There heads up their arse. Any how saving dollars I’ll wait till August.

  10. cagcrisp says

    What 5 oz Puck program comes After the conclusion of the America the Beautiful series?

    Currently there has been 30 ATB pucks and through 02/14/16 sales numbers, Total $ales for the 30 P pucks have been $125,876,621.25 (assuming all Sales in 2014 were at the subscription rate). Assuming 26 additional P pucks @ $149.95 @ approximate Sales of 17,500/ offering = $68,227,250. 00

    That would put Total $ales for 56 P pucks at $194,103,871.25

    I see Another 5 oz Puck program following the conclusion of the America the Beautiful series. Just too much profit and too much Demand for these programs to stop (AND…my numbers do Not included the Bullion pucks).

    Those of you that want to Continue to Buy all 56 P pucks…Good Luck…When it’s all said and done, the Mint has flipped the switch with 120k Bullion offerings in 2016 and All you are going to get for All you work is an outlay of $9,785.20 (assuming $149.95 x 26) AND you will have a total of 280 oz of Silver. That’s an Average of $34.95/oz (and IF Silver goes Up So will the P Puck prices).

    Good Luck…The Mint flipped the switch in 2016 and these things are going down the Bullion road…

  11. Dustyroads says

    cag, Just for fun, because I don’t buy them anyway, I looked at prices that the ASE bullion coins are bring in 20 count tubes on ebay by year.
    What I found was that the coins increased in value at around the year 2000 and only became more valuable with each year moving back.
    It looks to me like if one were to buy ASE rolls at the $385-$400. level of the 2000-2003 years, then the rolls would begin to appreciate very quickly not long after.
    May be a plan.

  12. cagcrisp says

    @Dustyroads, I actually buy the 20 roll ASE’s vs. the bullion pucks. I like them for years of birth for children…

  13. tP says

    cag… there is an option to continue with the ATB series… through a 2nd National Park series. I honestly hope they don’t go that route. I wouldn’t mind someone going in and cherry picking the National Parks that got missed the 1st time around – but as has been pointed out… a lot of these other parks are not going to provide interesting coins.

  14. Jerry Diekmann says

    This newest Ellis Island design candidate is the very best so far!

    I have never seen the Effigy Mounds, but I would think they would look different than cotton puffs or imaginary clouds.

  15. Jerry Diekmann says

    cagcrisp – your analysis has reinforced why I am so glad I never bought these 5-oz. pucks, nor will I be buying any other series of them… After 2021 we might go back to ATB series #2, only this time I wish they would stick to just national parks and national monuments. If a state has more than one of them, let them all be shown. If a state doesn’t have either of them, then there is no need for anything for that state. The states are only equal in the Senate, not in the House.

  16. Hawkster says

    The Ellis Island is a nice one, with an immigrant family and the reception building sharing center stage.

    Jeff– The Statue of Liberty is on Liberty Island, not Ellis Island. It’s also part of New York, not New Jersey. Do you remember what’s on the New York State quarter?

  17. Robert says

    @Hawkster: The administration building featured in the selected Ellis Island design is also in the state of New York. That’s right, I looked it up. Not all of Ellis Island is in the state of New York. Wow… I wonder how New Jersey folks will like having a NY building on their quarter?

  18. Jerry Diekmann says

    KCSO – thanks! Now I understand them a lot better (I think!) Will the quarter be edible too?

  19. GoldFishin says

    I finally got around to checking out my APMEX Shawnee pucks. Excellent dmpl quality and the cleanest coins I have seen in a long while. Too bad I overpaid for the high mintage…..

    NY or NJ….no problem…hand grenades and horse shoes. 😉

  20. cagcrisp says

    That’s funny. About an hour ago before KCSO posted the link, I was trying to describe the coin and I said it looked like Animal Crackers. That’s the best and brightest we have…

  21. Hawkster says

    Robert.
    Correct. The bulk of the main entrance building is in New York State, while the majority of Ellis Island is in New Jersey. The original 3 acres of the Island, which includes most of the main building, was given to NYS through a 1988 Supreme Court decision, while the remainder of the Island, built from landfill, was awarded to NJ.
    So yes, the portion of the entrance building depicted on the ATB quarter is actually in N.Y.S. I guess that means that NY will actually be getting a second ATB quarter. If you didn’t like Saratoga. . .

  22. The Real "Cool" Brad says

    Effigy mound design looks like it came from one of those stupid magic eye books from the 90s where you relax your eyes and see a sailboat.

  23. So Krates says

    @ Jeff/Hawkster/Robert- Like Ellis, Liberty Island also has portions which belong to each state although the vast majority is in NY. The entire Statue is in the NY portion.

    NJ owns nearly 90% of the land and all the surrounding waters on Ellis Island. Even the main building on the coin is not solely in NY jurisdiction but is also “shared”. The kitchen and laundry are technically in NJ.

    @ Goldfishin – While the media depiction of NY/NJ may be similar, any observation of life on the ground 25 miles out in any direction from Central Park would surprise you. It gets country quicker than you’d think….

    “For many years now there have been stories of a degenerate race of people who live an isolated existence removed from the civilized world in New Jersey’s Ramapo Mountains. As far back as the revolutionary war New Jerseyans have heard, and told, tales of a motley group of social outcasts who had taken refuge in the northeastern hills of the state and inbred to the point of mutation. The group, which has been alleged to be comprised of a mongrel hybrid of renegade Indians, escaped slaves, Hessian mercenary deserters, and West Indian prostitutes, have come to be known as the Jackson Whites.”

    http://weirdnj.com/stories/fabled-people-and-places/jackson-whites/

  24. Hidalgo says

    I am pleased that the U.S. Mint chose an immigrant family for its Ellis Island coin. How many depictions of the Statue of Liberty (or Liberty) do we need to see on our U.S. coins? It’s a refreshing change to see a different design.

  25. fmtransmitter says

    The Falcon for sure would look very cool on a coin…The animal crackers will look nice if they come out with a Frosted Cameo appearance against a mirror like finish…

  26. cagcrisp says

    @Brad, Cigar, No cigar, Cigar, No cigar…

    A couple of Dollars could Cost or Save First Spouse people $50,000 (2,000 x $25)…

  27. KCSO says

    JD – that’s what those gold foil GW quarter chocolates that come out around Christmas are for.., they’d pair nicely with those animal crackers (designs), maybe the mint has plans to broaden into holiday food distribution as well…

    cagcrisp says – What 5 oz Puck program comes After the conclusion of the America the Beautiful series?

    Doesn’t matter partner, you see actually, we’re part of a social experiment. Someone on the CCAC made a bet with someone on the mint’s SLT that they could put any crapola design on a P puck and still sell 17,000+ of them. And it’s working, that why it doesn’t matter what comes next, they’ll still sell 17,000 for bad art work and progress PC agendas…

    NOW, in all SERIOUSNESS , after the AtBs conclude, I would decouple the Pucks from the Quarter program and do either one of two things:

    1. Go Retro – and redo the ALL of the State Quarters in a 2.5 inch Proof Puck 5 oz offering

    – Or –

    2. My preferred – Go Classic and redo the top 10 Classic designs in a 2.5 Proof High Relief 5 oz offering, and do 2 a year.

    Either way, decouple the pucks from the quarters.

    Now, How would you like to handle a 5 oz thick Proof Peace Dollar???

  28. cagcrisp says

    I’ve been thinking about the Classic designs that are Suupposed to be released in 2016. In 1916 you had the Buffalo head nickel , the Winged Liberty head dime, the Standing Liberty head quarter, the Walking Liberty head half dollar and in 2017 you are going to have animal crackers on a Circulating quarter.
    I bet the graves of those classic designers are spinning like a rotisserie …

  29. cagcrisp says

    If Gold stays above the $1,200 mark on the PM fix, that $50,000 the First Spouse people will be contributing to the Mint will Not be spent in vain. The $50,000 will pay for yesterday’s meeting that sollected the Animal Crackers. SO… Rest assured that when you see Animal Crackers in circulation , that you helped pay for that design…
    That would make me sleep better at night…

  30. stephen m says

    The “animal crackers” look is the way the Indian designs, crude looking, were. We have Rock Eagle close by here in Georgia. It features an observation tower, put in by the white man, to climb and view a huge eagle made of rocks. For a coin the IA-02 design sure would look good.

  31. Hawkster says

    Good news for New Jersians (at least I think so): As indicated on a map of Ellis Island, the front left of the Reception Building, as depicted on the recommended design, is actually part of New Jersey. The original Island, as shown by a dotted line on the map, did not include this part of the main building.

  32. KCSO says

    If you take a close look at the trees in the CCAC’s effigy recommended design, they appear like trees fallen off a page from a cartoon.., so I guess the only missing is Sponge Bob SquarePants to come along to start munching on the animal crackers…

    Circus coins, cartoon coins, heck, maybe will get a pink gold Comm in 2018! Things are looking up!

  33. Zaz says

    “Animal Crackers-” ha! You guys consistently “crack” me up with your quaint, yet on point, sobriquets on cheesy designs. While i concur the falcon design was the best of the miserable bunch, any obvious connection to the mounds themselves were lost in too many elements.

    Ellis Island’s pick will look good on a puck, it seems a bit too PC and too modern, conforming to 21st century taste perhaps? It doesn’t give that old world feeling as did NJ-10 and NJ-10A.

  34. Robert says

    Here’s an aerial view of Iowa’s effigy mounds, only visible because they outlined the mounds with lime:

    http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/efmo/hrs/hrs8.htm

    Yes, the shapes look crude to western eyes, but my guess is since the mounds are thousands of years old, it’s possible that they were much more detailed and ornate when first built, and we are seeing them now only after they have been exposed to centuries of erosion. JMHO…

  35. Hawkster says

    On further review, the structure depicted on the Ellis Island design is, more than likely, the administration building and not the main reception building. This building is on the opposite side of the water inlet containing the docks.
    The building on the coin design has a roof dormer, which is consistent with the administration building. This is the first building an immigrant would see on the left side entering the docking inlet. This is consistent with the coin design, showing the structure and bulkhead to the left of the immigrant family. It’s definitely part of New Jersey.

  36. cagcrisp says

    The 2015 Mint Annual Report “and the shrinking customer base of numismatic hobbyists”.

    You have NO Proof 2016 ASE
    You don’t have a Completed Product Schedule for CY16 and we are in late February
    You didn’t have 10,000 Proof Mark Twain Gold coins on Day 1 for a coin that is to be Sold for a year
    You are going to put an Animal Cracker on a Circulating quarter
    You put ‘Just Say No’ on a Gold coin that in 100 years NO one will know what that references….AND….

    You wonder “and the shrinking customer base of numismatic hobbyists”…

  37. Brad says

    Well, I’m going to hold off a week buying the Pat Nixon coins. I don’t give a rat’s about “First Strike” or “Early Releases”, so I’ll wait and see if gold dips back below $1,200 for next week’s price determination. I doubt anyone’s rejected coins could be turned around and shipped to me that fast.

  38. earthling says

    That f-o-g Quarter gives me a sense of deja vu. For some reason the Wyoming State Quarter comes to mind.

    In a few years we’ll be saying shoulda-coulda-woulda about the New Jersey ATB Quarter. Shoulda put some Trump Casinos on the Coin.

  39. So Krates says

    @ Hawkster – Good catch, I agree. The dormer indicates the vantage point is SW or left when entering the slip. The building depicted is clearly on Joisy turf.

  40. fmtransmitter says

    Just wanted to pass on an FYI and fraud becomes more and more an issue with bullion. Attached is a link from Doug and Numismatic Crime Information Center. He is a retired Chief of Police and does endless hours to help our hobby and protect us. IF you buy bullion ingots or bars, rounds, etc. Make sure is it from reputable dealer with refund/return policy AND I personally ONLY use Air-Tite holders for my bars, which is how I discovered some bars were fake one time, they would not fit. In this link you will see that some are actually already in plastic holders. Those holders are way too thick, RED FLAG! If you use Air-Tite brand and buy Sunshine Mint with the anti theft decoder, your chances of being taken for a ride diminish greatly! Buyer beware! Cheers and good luck all>>>>

    http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=62035a8f-3ebb-4417-baec-0db4f2da0b85&c=dcb1dcc0-9590-11e3-aaf7-d4ae529a863c&ch=dcb697b0-9590-11e3-aaf7-d4ae529a863c

  41. cagcrisp says

    For those that don’t know, there Will be another Gold price increase Later today. The First Spouse coins will go Up $25 this afternoon.

    Oh Boy…

  42. fmtransmitter says

    @cag: I agree, need a new Mint Director BAD! All the good ones are retired and/or doing private sector work. Wonder why. No one wants to work as a slave for the US Mint and make it the World’s premier Mint, even though they have the tools do so…No wonder I hear from over seas people that Americans are the laughing stock of the World…God help us all…

  43. So Krates says

    WRT the Deputy Director, how can we expect a jarhead to think outside the box and innovate? They are trained to go along and not question the system they are a part of.

  44. Tinto says

    I hope gold doesn’t go up any further, I just want to get the NPS gold (both unc and proof) come March 24th. Hopefully the Mint is not “borrowing/rerouting” the NPS gold blanks to fulfill the MT’s first ….

  45. cagcrisp says

    Gold pricing has been done. You have to give credit where credit is do. The Mint website was systematically re-priced. They Started with the Sold Out Items and re-priced them and then they went to the Currently Unavailable Items and changed them and then they went to the First Spouse coins and lastly the two Back Ordered Twains…

    How much Effect did $25 have on the FS that we can see? In 30 hours the following:

    Mamie +2
    Lou +3
    Coolidge +1
    Harding +1

  46. Hawkster says

    In the interest of historical accuracy, the structure depicted on the Ellis Island winning design is the end section of the Hospital Building; it is located on the south side of the ferry inlet. The administration building is located in the enter of the hospital complex.
    The exteriors of the buildings on the south side of Ellis Island have been stabilized in recent years, although the interiors remain in rough shape due to moisture damage.

  47. earthling says

    Anyone got any info on how the bulk sales program operates for the First Spouse Golds? How far in advance do they sell/ship to their friend dealers?

    Remember the Kennedy FS going to backorder immediately? They seemed to have sold the entire production run way before us mere earthlings were able to order. I’m thinking the initial sales surge on everything is due to large advance order from the preferred crowd of Dealer customers.

    How many small time real “Collector” customers are still out here? I suspect most sales of new issues are from the uninformed , thru the TV Shopping Channels.

  48. data dave says

    @earthling – I already have my PR70 Nixon FS coin in hand, but I know the right people. Just kidding! I don’t believe anyone can order until tomorrow at noon and then if you participate in the bulk sale program you would get any applicable discount. I think for the FS program, most sales are to individual collectors as the big sellers have determined there is not enough interest in that series for them to hold inventory. Now on some other series (like the dollar RPs or the platinum 1 ounce) I think the resellers and flippers make up a lot of the sales.

    I guess I am a more trusting person then some on this blog because it seems there are constant conspiracy theories about how the dealers control the game. I got my Jackie proof on the first day without a hitch.

  49. Robert says

    @Hawkster: I stand corrected, you are right. The building depicted in the Ellis Island island is the southern end of the hospital complex, which would in fact be in New Jersey. However, the viewer and the family are still standing in the state of New York. Well, if the representatives of NJ are okay with the design, so be it.

  50. tP says

    data dave… if you want conspiracy theories – just ask about the return policies and practices at the Mint… most here seem to believe the mint sales more returned product than they produce. If you ask most will tell you to buy early in the process or you’ll likely just get someone’s (insert large reseller’s name here) returned product.

  51. Boz says

    Hmm. Relaxed my eyes to see the animal crackers and stay puff ghostbuster designs. but instead I could only see Cindy Crawford, a horse, a pickup truck, and a can of cola. The music is playing too, now what was that tune?

  52. earthling says

    I want a big redo of the Pan Pac $50 Gold Slug. Or a monsta Moon Landing Gold Disc of about 3 oz , or more, would be cool.

    These 5 oz Silver Slugs? If the design isn’t right, I don’t bite. The recent Hands/ Sword design, no interest at all. F-O-G, no can do. Moultrie, ditto.

  53. Montana John says

    As a long time collector of U.S. Mint products the bloom is off the rose for me..or to quote Nancy Reagan “just say no “

  54. Hawkster says

    Robert,
    I agree with So Krates in that the land and dockage area outside the main building is part of New Jersey.

  55. Hawkster says

    It seems that those who submitted the finalist designs for Ellis Island were very aware of what structures and land belonged to New Jersey, with one glaring exception: design NJ-01, which depicts an immigrant family standing in the Great Hall of the main building. I believe that a sliver of the Hall might belong to NJ, but the majority of the Hall is in NY.

  56. says

    Tomorrow the CFA meets to review and recommend 2 designs for the above AtBs.

    It will be very interesting to see the final outcome if you’ve followed these recommendations and final decisions in the past.

    Given the current trend, if all 225,000 were minted, the 2014 JFK 4 coin Silver Set should sell out in 10 to 12 weeks, so call it the end of May; ceteris parabus.

  57. says

    New Naxion survey out – this one is very interesting…,

    In the next few sections, you will be asked about a few bronze medals that the United States Mint is considering offering in the next year or two. Please note that these dates are not definite and that the ideas that the United States Mint is considering are not necessarily dependent on each other or activity from any other years.

    The United States Mint is considering producing a special bronze medal to honor the brave Foot Soldiers of the Voting Rights Movement who first attempted to march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama in protest against the denial of their right to vote. The bronze medal would be produced in the following two sizes:

    The United States Mint is considering producing a special 1 ½ in. Selma Bronze Medal Set in order to honor those who marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama alongside other Civil Rights heroes that the United States Mint has celebrated in past years. We’d now like to ask you about some potential 1 ½ in. Selma Bronze Medal Set offerings that the United States Mint may potentially offer in the next year or two.

    Another special 1 ½ in. Selma Bronze Medal Set design would consist of 7 bronze medals:
    The entire set would be available at the approximate price of $52.50
    Likelihood to purchase 1 ½ in. Selma Bronze Medal set including:

    Selma
    Tuskegee Airmen
    Rosa Parks
    16th Street Baptist Church
    Jackie Robinson
    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. / Coretta Scott King
    Montford Point Marines

    Another special 1 ½ in. Selma Bronze Medal Set design would consist of 12 bronze medals:
    Selma
    Tuskegee Airmen
    Rosa Parks
    16th Street Baptist Church
    Jackie Robinson
    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. / Coretta Scott King
    Montford Point Marines
    Jesse Owens
    Little Rock Nine
    Brown vs. Board of Education
    Senator Edward Brooke III
    Dorothy Height
    The entire set would be available at the approximate price of $90.00

  58. says

    There was also inquiry as to what have you EVER bought from the mint, HAVE bought in the past 12 month, and INTEND to buy over the next 12 months to include quantities. Almost probing as if their gauging demand.

  59. Tinto says

    @Keep Calm & Stack On!

    Thanks for sharing.

    I got an earlier “survey” from Naxion a few weeks ago, and I gave a “3” on how likely I was going to buy from the Mint in the next 12 months. The survey ended after I filled out the the “why, why a 3” followup questionnaire to explain my rating ….hopefully my comments there will among those shown (if that is the procedure that is, the Mint seems to operate on only wanting to hear good things about themselves.) to the so called “management” of the Mint …. but not holding my breath …

  60. KCSO says

    Tinto – Yes, this was quite different than past surveys as it tried to assess past, current and future buying trends specially down to certain sets and quantities that I plan going forward.

    They asked how many ’16 APE’s I planned to purchase, didn’t know how to answer that one! That depends on the mint and if the release is screwed up from the onset.

    While I do appreciate these surveys, I’m not sure why they just don’t run their sales number to address database and do comparative analysis to figure out buying trends. They should have my 10 year history. Surprisingly, the survey DID NOT ask about the Tributes or silver HR Liberty Medals, that’s going to take a toll on the rawhide in the back pocket.

    Found it peculiar though that a survey was sent assessing the interest level on repackaging many of past medals with an added new one. I figure the medals sold in the past or didn’t, repackaging them isn’t going to spur new interest in any great number, I would think.

    I think the mint really needs to start publishing the Mintage of Medals.., call it the MoM report, besides, most medals are lovey dovey anyway.

    The survey did make me think though about my most recent purchases and by the end of this year, I will have purchased the equivalent on the entire first 30 AtB Pucks though through channels via Banco de Mexico, the RAM, Perth, RCM, & the Panda Palace.

    I don’t think “…the shrinking customer base of numismatic hobbyists” is so much the issue in as much as the money is simply just going elsewhere (with respect to acquiring Modern releases).

  61. earthling says

    If the big daddy mint could custom package some of the old tired Medals in new Limited Edition packaging I think there would be increased interest from the junkies. Maybe there could be a reverse proof Lincoln added to the sets or even an enhanced uncirculated Lincoln? Very low cost to the Mint but a ravenous response from the Mint junkie no life lo life customer base.

    Go big daddy mint! Slam it to the suckers. Errr .. I mean give the collectors something precious… with true collectibility.

  62. data dave says

    Kennedy Halves – There must be a lot of loyal collectors out there. Whereas the mint ATB quarter sales keep falling, down 50% from 2010 to 2015, the mint Kennedy half sales have stayed right at about 3.2 million per year from 2008 to 20015.

  63. Mike in NY says

    WRT Kennedy Halves it would be nice to see the 4 coin silver set pulled. It has been languishing for over a year. Same with the High Relief Liberty gold. Perhaps those will finally sell out when the High Relief silver is released.

  64. says

    Kennedy 4 coin silver set is selling 250+ sets a week, no way the mint will pull those until they are all gone.

    KCSO says
    FEBRUARY 17, 2016 AT 9:10 PM –

    Given the current trend, if all 225,000 were minted, the 2014 JFK 4 coin Silver Set should sell out in 10 to 12 weeks, so call it the end of May; ceteris parabus.

  65. says

    250 sets per week x $99 x 4 weeks/mos = $99,000 in revenue a month!

    225,000 sets x $99 = $22,275,000!

    Not too shabby!

    At 15% margin – $3.34 Million in Take!!

  66. cagcrisp says

    I track the 2014 Kennedy 4 coin Silver Set and I am quite Impressed with the Sales numbers. Consistent , consistent, consistent. There is NO way they will be pulled and they shouldn’t be pulled.

    As KCSO said the Mint is in the business of selling what they customers want and of the 226 items the Mint had for Sale last week only 17 items outsold the Kennedy Siver Set on a volume basis…

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