John F. Kennedy Bronze Presidential Medal

Last month, to coincide with the release of the 50th Anniversary Kennedy Half Dollar Uncirculated Coin Set, the United States Mint also began offering John F. Kennedy Bronze Medals.

These medals are part of the Presidential Medal series, which have seen issuance for each President of the United States from George Washington to George W. Bush. At various times in the past, the Mint has offered complete collections of the medals in 1-5/16 inch size. In recent years, the Mint has only offered the medals for recent Presidents and periodically revisited certain past presidents. Medals currently available include the most recent past five Presidential terms, as well as Jimmy Carter, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and now John F. Kennedy.

John F. Kennedy Presidential Medal

The obverse design of the medal features a profile portrait of President John F. Kennedy designed by United States Mint Chief Engraver Gilroy Roberts. In preparing the medal, Roberts had met with President Kennedy in person to show him early models of the design and incorporated changes after meeting him. Following Kennedy’s assassination, Roberts would modify the bust used for the Presidential Medal to create the obverse design for the Kennedy Half Dollar.

reverse

The reverse design of the medal by Frank Gasparro features the Presidential Seal at center with the burning torches of liberty to each side. The inscriptions include “Inaugurated President” above and “January 20, 1961” below. A quote from the President’s inaugural address is also included: “We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose  any foe to assure the survival of liberty. John F. Kennedy” Gasparro would modify the Presidential Seal included within the design to serve as the reverse of the Kennedy Half Dollar.

The United States Mint has available the 1-5/16 inch bronze version of the medal priced at $6.95 and the 3 inch bronze version of the medal priced at $39.95.

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Comments

  1. Pittsburgh P says

    I ordered the 1-5/16 medal & wanted the 3 inch one to display with the 2014 type set of JFKs but it wasn’t in stock…

  2. fmtransmitter says

    Always nice to see Frank’s work being appreciated. What a humble and talented man. RIP Frank…

  3. VA Bob says

    Gold sure has been bouncing up and down around that $1300 mark. Could be good for those that missed the gold JFK boat and want a second chance.

  4. VA Bob says

    I don’t know why the Mint won’t make the IKE and older medals. I believe they missed a good opportunity with the presidential dollar program. The president and the spouses bronze medals would have been a good combination to offer. it’s been about 20 years or so since they had them.

  5. says

    This is a great medal, and I’m glad the mint made more to support the release of the other Kennedy anniversary products. When I last looked, they’d been sold out, apparently for awhile.

  6. Eddie says

    Why didn’t the Mint just make a set like TR’s set and include the bronze and a half dollar since the dollar hasn’t been made as of yet and a silver copy of the bronze metal? Are they waiting until the Kennedy dollar coin is minted to offer something like that?

  7. Clark says

    Eddie–That’s a great idea. The Mint would be crazy to pass up the opportunity to put together a chronicles set of all Kennedy coins and this medal. It might resemble the Lincoln Chronicles set more than TR because there are so many more coins involved. Just in time for xmas?

  8. says

    Mint BHOF excel spreadsheet update for 08/17/14:

    Gold proof BHOF 32,887 down 0
    Gold unc. 18,449 down 4
    Silver proof 279,451 down 244
    Silver unc. 144,281 down 891
    Clad proof 207,066 up 2,267
    Clad unc. 130,642 up 3
    Young Collector 16,470 up 941

    Gold BHOF oversold 1,336
    Silver BHOF oversold 23,732

  9. Brad (The Original) says

    I’d wager there will NOT be a gold coin price drop this week. The early fixes this period were likely too high for the next three fixes to overcome. We’re still at an average of $1,306.27 so far this period.

    Even if it does drop enough for the next three fixes to pull the average down below $1,300 (which would require the next three fixes to average $1,287.46), we have the added hurdle of the Wednesday pm fix having to be below $1,300 as well. No, I’d say prices for U.S. Mint gold coins will be holding steady for this week, at least.

  10. says

    Eddie,

    I’ve been supportive of a Kennedy Coin & Chronicles set ever since I got my hands on the TR set. The TR set was outstanding in terms of attractiveness and presentation, and a similar set for JFK would be a great nice product.

    Maybe a silver version of the JFK medal, a JFK proof dollar coin, a proof silver JFK half dollar, and a Jackie Kennedy FS medal would make for a nice set?

  11. gary says

    A terrific ultra high relief portrait by Gilroy Roberts. The 3″ bronze medal is CHEAP! A great addition to my Kennedy collection.

  12. says

    2014 American Eagle One Ounce Gold Proof Coin (PF1) has Sales of 19,784. Product limit is 20,000 so IF you want one you Better get one Soon.

    Currently it is showing : Product will be available for shipping 09/02/2014

  13. says

    2013 United States Mint Annual Uncirculated Dollar Coin Set (XA5) has Sales of 43,595 and Continues to Roll shipping dates. Currently : Product will be available for shipping 09/02/2014

    Please Mint Pull the Plug on this Offering

  14. says

    An excerpt from another article that I thought was Laughable if it was not such as serious matter:

    “U.S. Mint and ANA officials were caught off guard by the size of the crowds seeking the coins, which numbered in the high hundreds at each venue. ”

    Caught Off Guard? Is that the Sgt. Schultz ” I See Nothing Defense” ? Exactly what part of Caught Off Guard did they Not anticipate?

  15. Eddie says

    Really wished the Mint would post some pics of the 4 coin silver set and what the presentation case looks like. It would be great if it is made like the case for the gold Kennedy coin so they would match. If the presentation case is crappy then I am going to get 4 gold coin cases to put them in. I might get 2 of the gold coin cases to put the 2 coin set in not sure all depends on how they box up the 4 silver coin sets.

  16. Pittsburgh P says

    Eddie I’d say there is zero chance that the presentation case will be the same or similar for the silver set as the gold. JMO – you never know but it won’t be cardboard or anything like that… I hope

  17. Eddie says

    @cagcrisp
    I have noticed the Mint pulls sets when they release this years. How in the world could the Mint be caught off guard? They could have had a 1000 or even 2000 coins at each venue and still have sold out.
    I may get one of the bronze metals does anyone know which would be the best to get the 1-5/16 or the 3 inch one?

  18. VA Bob says

    Ikaika – My gold JFK vacationed in Richmond this weekend. It’s been out for a drive (since 6:30) this morning.

  19. Brad (The Original) says

    Eddie,

    The Kennedy 4-Coin Silver Set presentation case is NOTHING like the gold coin case. The prototypes that were on display at the Rosemont ANA show were in flat, paper folder type packaging. I too had hoped for a nice presentation case, but not this time.

  20. VA Rich says

    There are photos of the 4 Silver JFK coins out on the web under Images, the Reverse of the Enhanced Silver looks SHARP! Probably my favorite of the lot.

  21. Clark says

    Well, look on the bright side: we get the four coin silver Kennedy set for under $100 ($99.95). Nice presentation cases would hike the price well over $100. I have closets literally filled with empty OGP that I keep only because I may want to sell something someday, but never do. E.g., I have 66 first spouse wooden presentation cases alone in several bankers boxes that make my shelves sag under the weight. Then there’s OGP for buffaloes, AGEs, ASEs, commems, etc., etc. The coins are safe and sound in the bank vault, but their skeleton packages remain.

  22. Ikaika says

    @VA Bob

    Yes, UPS does not deliver on weekends. So the coins hangout somewhere until Monday 🙂

    From the comments, the coin looks great. I could only afford one, but will build a JFK 2014 set with all the other offerings. My clad set is IS&R but no tracking yet and I hope I do not get a return, since I was late to place my order.

  23. VA Bob says

    Clark – Well @ $28.62 worth of silver in the four coin set, I hope we get something for the money. I know boxes become a PITA over the years, like most collectables, it’s worth much less without the box. The Mint should have a cheaper, no box option. maybe have the coins come in mylar like the older unc mint sets or the bronze medals do. Maybe attached to a folded pouch to keep the COA with the coin. It wouldn’t afford much protection however.

  24. Clark says

    VaB–True that. There are box collectors out there that will pay more for the set. However, I have noticed that collectors of graded and encapsulated coins seem more willing to forego the OGP, probably because they store them in slab boxes and because the slabs don’t fit in OGP. In any event, we pay for the fancy OGP whether we want it or not.

  25. Pittsburgh P says

    VaBob you have to remember that its not 1 coin that has 30$ silver melt value sold for 100$… There are 4 different coins with 4 different finishes all which cost money in labor and production & the use of many more dies for these versions other than the unc… Jmho

  26. Hawkster says

    Eddie,
    You’re wondering what the presentation box will look like for the Kennedy silver set? I’m guessing that the Mint will use a dark blue case, dark blue box, and dark blue outer sleeve. Does this combination sound familiar?

  27. Dan in Fla says

    I.m a box collector I suppose. Since all my coins are tucked away in the boxes they came in. The way I see it I paid for that expensive OGP and I will keep them as pristine as the coins they contain.

  28. VA Bob says

    PP – $7.08 worth of silver in each half dollar (unless they changed the composition from 90%). 4 X $7.08 is $28.32 (I did put 28.64 in my initial comment which was wrong). As far as I know all four coins in the $100 set are silver. 😉

  29. VA Rich says

    Clark – playing catch up here, going back to Friday’s BHoF comment – Yes, I couldn’t agree more, the first shipments the second week of April and then around the 1st of June had the best quality for the $1 – we’re in totally agreement there! You would have thunk?! I have some opened boxes, they’ll stay that way, I’m afraid to look. With the overtime of the presses and the final push to get them out the door, think they let a lot slip. I carry a ‘lucky’ silver proof around in my pocket – that thing will start more conversations! Even used it this morning on a difficult coworker that’s a baseball fan to ‘sway’ him to agreement on an issue.., ya just can’t fight the power of a big honking silver BHoF!

  30. VA Bob says

    JFK gold arrived. I checked it out under 10x and I’m very happy with it. No extraneous hairs or other foreign matter.

  31. Pittsburgh P says

    VaBob what are you talking about? I rounded up 1.68$ to 30$ & said the set was100$…

    Again it is not 1 coin with about 1.5 oz of silver it is 4(four) so they are producing 4 different coins with 4 different finishes costing 4x the amount(at least) than it would producing 1 in labor & production costs. If that wasn’t clear I apologize. It is a numismatic set not bullion regardless so the melt value is moot.

    I will be buying 5 sets- if you feel that 100$ is to much for 28.32$ of silver don’t buy it… Keep the mintage numbers down.

  32. GoldFishin says

    @VA Rich- I received my 5 gold JFK’s Saturday…I am sending all 5 of them back, not a 70 in the lot of them. I am really disappointed to put it mildly….to put it angrily I am really xxxxxx off. On coin 1 chemical milk spot on obverse. on the other 4 heavy nick damage on various letters on the reverse of each, and on glaring shield nick, obverses were great on those, but the damage on the reverses was such that if they were to grade 70 I wouldn’t want them. If it wasn’t so early in the shipping stage I would think I got all returned merchandise, but it just looks like somehow the lettering was damaged, maybe encapsulating , just not sure. I am trying to decide whether to ask for replacements or not. It is such a hassle to have to ship back items and now I probably won’t make the ER date. I just wanted one good 70 to keep out of 5 is not asking too much I don’t think. Hope everyone else has better luck than me.

  33. Pittsburgh P says

    VaBob glad to hear you got a winner, I get mine tommorrow…

    GF what do you mean if they would grade 70 you would not want them? Are you saying theres a shot even with the lettering damage on the reverse they would? Sorry about your luck too-that would upset me also… Its definitely not too much to ask for!

  34. GoldFishin says

    Pitt P- What I mean is I trust to graders anymore to really scrutinize a coin and grade it properly. I know what a 70 coin looks like and even if they were to grade one of these 70,which they probably would if I sent it all 5, I wouldn’t believe it was a 70, so I wouldn’t want it as my only graded example. There is no way on this green earth that all those coins in Chicago, Denver, and Philly were 70’s if what I received Saturday is any example of the quality that is represented with this issue. As I said above all of the obverses were perfect with the exception of the one milk spot. But the reverses were 68-69 grade, which is inexcusable I think. Heck, I didn’t even get to a 10x like VA Bob did, I could see these marks with my naked eye. Maybe I just got into a bad run or something. I have had that happen before. I really like this coin and think it is beautiful and ordered 5 just so I would get a couple of goods ones, one graded and one OGP to keep. Ok, enough venting, thanks for listening. 😉

  35. Levi says

    I was just looking through the medal section of the USMint website.
    The Code Talkers medal series has some really interesting designs. I think I would be very interested in this series in half-ounce gold instead of bronze.
    Is that even POSSIBLE, for the Mint to create a gold series out of the code talker medals? Would anyone else take a chance on that series?
    …sorry for the off-topic

  36. Sith says

    2Levi – No

    The Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008 (Act) (Public Law 110-420)…Under the Act, unique gold medals are struck for each Native American tribe that had a member who served as a code talker. Silver duplicate medals are presented to the specific code talkers, their next of kin, or other personal representatives. In addition, bronze duplicates are available for sale to the public.

  37. GoldFishin says

    @gary-there was hairlike debris on the outside of the capsule, I think it comes from the little black cloth they place over the capsule when I first looked at one of them I thought, oh no, but then saw it was on the outside, it looks just like little curly poodle hair 🙂

  38. Pittsburgh P says

    GF-understood & vent on 🙂

    I don’t trust graders either- I’m sure you know my stance on graders esp with modern coins… I only hope when I get mine they are 70s. Unlike you I only picked up 2 figuring at least 1 would be to my liking… Now I’m not too sure

  39. MN says

    I received my 12:25 order of two Kennedy Gold Friday. One appears perfect but the other had a good sized frosted “shave” nick on the shiny field under the chin so I sent it back for exchange; they received it back at noon today so maybe there’s a chance a “first strike” replacement will be sent out right away. The outer box sleeves fit a bit loose and they got bent up a bit in transit.

    Someone wanted an update on my “missing coin order”…I had mentioned everything in several past posts except that the Mint had reimbursed my cc for the three missing BHoF B34 UNC Silvers after I faxed back the form they had mailed me. They charged my cc for three B34 coins when they shipped them (upgraded to UPS 2nd Day Air service). I received the 3 coins today and they are all rejects (probably from the Mint’s circulating return stock). Two coins had a “car wash water/streak look” and the other had a 10 o’clock dot, all obverse issues. I agree the best BHoF Silver Dollars were shipped out in the early going. I had placed several small BHoF Silver orders and only managed to get two B33 and one B34 in top quality (one each came from the Denver Gift Shop thanks to PP posting that ordering tip/info); I was trying to get another B34 so I am disappointed (2 grandchildren). I noticed the sheen is different on the last B34 obverse and reverse sides. Who knew we should have ordered 100 of each of these BHoF Silver coins the first day to make sure we’d get the quantity we wanted to keep?! Returning would have been much simpler too.

  40. says

    BTW, Received one more proof silver BBHoF last week, looks nice, maybe a 70. It proves that late ordered coins really can be something other than rejects.

  41. Eddie says

    I have never been as excited as I am about the Reverse Proof. The Kennedy Reverse Proof is the best I have ever seen. The enhanced one doesn’t look to bad but it nothing will ever compare to the ASE enhanced coin.
    I hope ever who said the set was going to be in a cardboard folder is so wrong because that will be so disappointing to no end.
    I think the prices on the gold Kennedy will come down just because there are so many of them. I just hope the price on the graded 2 coin set will come down and the only way that will happen is if they lift the 5 set limit. I am going to try for a 68 set but will settle for a 67 set.

  42. simon says

    Hope Y’All received the survey indicating that the US MInt will be preparing Coin & Chronicles Sets for the upcoming Presidential Coins.

  43. says

    Sorry Tim, I was referring to the 2013 United States Mint Annual Uncirculated Dollar Coin Set (XA5) and you were referring to the 2013 United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set® (U13) which IS sold out…

  44. Louis says

    Tim- backordered, not sold out. This thing will not die.

    Anyone else get a Mint survey by e-Mail? I don’t have time now, but will respond.

  45. Terry says

    After hearing comments about the Kennedy gold I think I am going to cancel my order for one.. Sounds like I will get someone’s return.

  46. Larry says

    @ Eddie – glad someone finally agrees with me about the reverse proof Kennedy. I can’t wait order it.

  47. stephen m says

    @MN & Dustyroads, Looks very likely the rejects do ship to another unsuspecting faithful Mint customer. I’ve always tried to order first day but got on the waiting list for 2 BBHOF silver uncs that were ordered on 4-11-14@7:42AM. Still in process. I’m afraid surly the two will be somebody’s rejects, if I do get them. Kennedy Bronze medal is very nice on the reverse.

  48. VA Rich says

    GF – that sucks, sorry to hear. At first I thought you were describing an order of $1 PRFs that you had received, then it hit me. Yeah, my blood pressure was up there like yours on Thursday, I was HOT and deflated! Anyhoo, those 3 arrived back up in Plainfield today and I hope they end up in the scrap pile. I called CS on Saturday and she said they had them (replacements) in stock though couldn’t tell me if I would get front on the line privileges or bring up the rear…, my luck, I’ll get your rejects. We’ll see when the new ones ship out…, fingers crossed!

  49. Brad (The Original) says

    I wonder if the U13 is REALLY sold out this time? The Mint had marked it as sold out a few weeks ago, but it turned out it was a mistake. They meant to put the sold out sign on the 2013 Proof Set (P15), but accidently marked the Uncirculated Set as sold out instead. They corrected the mistake a few hours later. It’s possible that this time they actually meant to mark the 2013 AUDC set as sold out and made a mistake yet again.

    If it really IS sold out this time, then yes it will be a new mintage low for the modern sets, beating the 2012 set by quite a large margin. A few weeks ago Michael said it would have been the lowest mintage of a Mint set since 1961. I don’t know if that still holds true or not, since I haven’t looked up Mint set mintages lately.

  50. VA Rich says

    There was a couple of Gents on here a few weeks back commenting to the advantages of getting a US PO Box – who ever you were – thanks! After going around and around with UPS and their sucky My Choice shipping interface system which is worse than the mint website has ever been, I decided to remove UPS from the picture all together and just a PO box today with the street address options. I think things will be so much easier now.

  51. Small time collector says

    Any reason my posts are not showing up and some are saying they are a duplicate when I repost and the original is not there?

    regardless, I received a k15 update, not real impresses, supposed to be 2nd day. needs to come out to the left coast yet…

    Louisville, KY, United States 08/18/2014 3:20 P.M. Departure Scan
    Louisville, KY, United States 08/16/2014 9:36 A.M. Arrival Scan
    Indianapolis, IN, United States 08/16/2014 2:53 A.M. Departure Scan
    Indianapolis, IN, United States 08/15/2014 6:41 P.M. Origin Scan
    United States 08/15/2014 3:01 P.M. Order Processed: Ready for UPS

  52. VA Bob says

    PP – I’m talking about the silver value of the 4 coin JFK silver set, Clark and I were talking about the packaging, and I expressed hope that we would get something for the money than the price of the silver. No said they were disappointed, or were not buying. They appear from the little shown that they will be nice. Enjoy your 5 sets when they are issued, personally I don’t need that many for my collection.

  53. GoldFishin says

    @Va Rich- one of those folks asking about a PO BOX was me and there were a lot of people that helped me decide to get one. I have been so happy with it, and don’t have to worry if I am at home for a delivery. At the PO I am using packages usually arrive very early and they are ready to pick up by the time the PO opens.
    And by the way Rich if you are receiving packages from the US Mint, you don’t have to use the physical address, they will only mail USPS if you have a PO Box. I have received a couple of deliveries from Ebay sellers that shipped UPS and all I had to do was call UPS and give them the physical address and everything was cool. I haven’t had any problems with it at all. It was a great decision and I can’t remember who helped me here, but I could thank them all again!

  54. VA Rich says

    Oh cag – that’s a big sore spot with me at the moment WRT these 2 day air shipped packages…, trust me, it depends on who you ask, if the packages are ON THE TRUCK when the handheld says that they should be, if they lady in India say that they will be delivered and the doesn’t even show, if My Choice accepts your vacation times and relays to the rest of the dysfunctional organization.., I could go on!

    GF, Dusty, MN – Oh Boy, my email survey just showed, gonna have some fun! I’m still PMS’ing from having to send those sets back!

  55. VA Bob says

    Levi – Even if they could make the code talkers medals in gold, it would suffer the same as other medals with no monetary value assigned to it IMO. Also the small size of the half oz. gold wouldn’t do some of the designs justice, also IMO. Bronze might not be valuable but it is a nice canvas. It also ages well under most circumstances.

  56. VA Rich says

    This survey was identical to the one I commented on about a month ago regarding the Presidential C&C sets, though this time they listed a price range of $60-64 – I said “No thanks!”

  57. VA Bob says

    MN – I had asked you to keep us updated on your missing coin experience. I’m glad the Mint sent you replacements. Sorry to hear they were sub-par, but I’m not really surprised this late in the game (BHoF silvers).

  58. Louis says

    No offense to anyone who makes this argument, but this business about how much the silver in the JFK silver set costs per oz. is bogus. If you want to stack silver, try something else. The premiums are comparable to other collector products.

  59. Louis says

    Va Ric- I hope the PO box works out for you. I had one about 15 yrs ago and was not pleased since if something was insured or registered and required a signature, I could not get it without taking vacation time from my job so I could go and sign for it during business hrs. Thankfully it’s not an issue for me now.

  60. VA Bob says

    GoldFishin – sorry to hear about your gold JFK’s. That is either some bad luck or the Mint is hoping one or two ok coins will pacify the customer (or they are keeping them in sealed boxes for ER/FS resale later). They probably believe a collector wouldn’t buy 5 and might not care close enough to the condition of each coin. Put a little label on the back of the coin so the next person to get it knows it’s a return. I’m glad you are sending them back.

    I was initially concerned with my shipment as the outer box was crushed on one end. But it was packed well inside and the coin sleeve was in good condition. Speaking of the box, mine was pretty plain. No labels covering seams. These can easily be faked for TPG submissions IMO. Seal box buyers beware down the line.

  61. VA Rich says

    PCGS – 8/18/2014 (69, 70, & Total)

    2014-W 50C Gold 50th Anniversary, 133 944 1,077
    2014-W 50C Gold 50th Anniversary Chicago – August ’14, 97 800 897
    2014-W 50C 50th Anniversary Gold First Day of Issue- Philadelphia, 16 73 89
    2014-W 50C 50th Anniversary Gold First Day of Issue – Denver , 19 71 90
    2014-W 50C Gold 50th Anniversary First Strike, 1 0 1

  62. VA Bob says

    Louis – agreed silver content in numismatic is not as important, as it would be in stacking bullion. That said, high bullion value to cost is always a bonus on a collectable. It has a much better chance of holding its initial premium especially if a lot of the item is available or there is a high demand. as I say, and I’ve heard you say as well, buy what you like. One will always be satisfied that way. The JFK is going to be both a nice set, and popular too, IMO.

  63. Ikaika says

    Just received the JFK coin. Very nice. The weight feels kind of strange in my hands, not 1 not 1/2 oz 😉

    @ Louis
    Got the email too. Will see what’s the deal.

  64. VA Bob says

    Another advantage for a PO box is for people that sell sealed boxes. It ensures someone isn’t getting your home address when they open the box and get the invoice.

  65. GoldFishin says

    @Va Bob- I have noticed that when I buy bigger lots of product the quality seems to suffer. I am not sure if it is just coincidence at this point or not. I would really prefer to buy 1 or 2 coin lots, but with time being so important in the first hour of ordering I just buy all that I want at one time. I am glad you received a good JFK coin! I want a good one so bad, I am going to try and get them replaced. I have normally had my coins replaced within 2 weeks, but if I don’t make the ER window, I am going to keep one OGP and return the rest.

  66. Pittsburgh P says

    Small time collector-ups doesn’t include weekends in their 2 day delivery window. You should have it tommorrow…

    VaBob I know what you were speaking of & I was only clairifying my comment since it seemed you misunderstood me at first. I just don’t believe in taking melt value into consideration when it comes to coins like the JFK set & also feel people don’t consider that it costs more to produce a proof/RP/enhanced unc than it does a regular coin for circulation. We do agree that if you just buy what you like you can’t lose… I will enjoy my 5 set but will only keep 3 for my collection-one will be displayed in my 14′ JFK type set, one graded, & one stored away in ogp. Two are gifts…

  67. Ikaika says

    @ VA Rich

    Thanks for the PCGS stats. Based on the ratio of 69-70 grade, I am almost certain I have a 70 in my hands right now. I can even print a First Coin Sold-Internet MS70DCAM First Strike Label in my printer and place it in the box for my enjoyment 🙂

  68. Clark says

    To all who are receiving poor quality gold Kennedy coins and returning them, take some comfort in knowing that the Mint is refunding BOTH the original shipping cost ($4,95) and the amount you pay in postage to return poor quality items. I now have a small stack of colorful US Treasury checks for small amounts that I’ll eventually get around to depositing. If we return enough bad coins, maybe they’ll realize that: 1) Quality Control needs improvement, and 2) that we are sick and tired of receiving coins that have been returned.

    I’m seriously considering making a big diagonal line with a metal object across all coins I return from now on. At least some poor person won’t be stuck with it. I wonder how the Mint would respond to that?

  69. Brad (The Original) says

    Clark,

    Be careful with doing something like that. The Mint may deny your refund or replacement if it determines you deliberately vandalized the coins. I know they would have no proof, but they may be smart enough to know that coins with that kind of damage would never have been shipped out in the first place. And if they don’t realize you did it, you could end up getting the person who inspected your order for such obvious damage in trouble, or maybe even cost them their job.

    Besides all of that, deliberately damaging the coins before returning them is just plain wrong!

  70. KEITHSTER says

    Sounds to me like the mint may have had the first dancers to the cherry pickers ball? And can’t blame them seems to be the game many are into now days. Would almost be funny if it wasn’t also so sad!Beat the cherry pickers at there own game take the nice ones to the show and send out the leftovers first wave. Might have to go slow on the show offers from now on? Hope it’s only the first half hours they went threw you would think they would know better then to dig too deep but they don’t mind stepping on a little joe or three to get what they need.Mine was to show up today but a late ups trailer arrival has caused a delay we’re adjusting plans to deliver your package as quick as possible! And I’m sure they will but they may need to adjust the saying to 2nd or 5th day air? My on holds are still instock and reserved with the button still there so the beat goes on Better Luck From Here Out All:>:>:>

  71. Clark says

    BradO–You are dead wrong and I think it is equally wrong for the Mint to sell rejected items as new. Returned coins should be thrown in the scrap metal pile just like they did with the one a Mint employee handled with his bare hands during Michael’s recent W Mint tour. Was it “just plain wrong” for them to discard that coin? It sounds like you haven’t been getting nasty, damaged coins from the Mint like many of us here. I work damn hard for my money so when I spend it on something advertised as “new” and receive “used,” it pisses me off.

  72. Tinto says

    @simon

    I haven’t gotten any surveys from the Mint since the gold Kennedy one. Maybe they are writing me off since I also put down that I was cutting back my purchases from the Mint!

  73. says

    My Gold Kennedy’s were Really good quality. I had an Early order number so maybe, just maybe, I was able to get some of the 1,300 coins that were not Sold at the ANA show or the Mints and returned for Online shipment. Looking at VA Rich’s PCGS numbers it sure looks like there are some 70’s floating around somewhere and I would think all mine are of that quality. And the last Silver BHOF coins I got were just the opposite. I could find something wrong with the majority of those…

  74. VA Bob says

    PP – Yeah, I generally prefer when the silver content is around 50% of the value or so (like the proof and unc ASE’s and even better the ATB 5ozers). It helps dampen any huge depreciation that can occur immediately after Mint availability ends and can be hard to overcome, even years later. We see this a lot with commems, especially after the introductory prices as of late. But I’m not deterred by the lower overall silver value in the upcoming JFK. I believe these have a lot going for them, but there will be plenty of them sold. I just think it’s nice when the Mint gives something a little more that makes the purchase a bit more enticing, the TR CC is a good example of that. The sum of it’s parts give value. Now I know the JFK packaging won’t be on the level of a CC set, but it still could have a nice presentation that would add to the set. It’s not like I’m selling anything anytime soon anyway.

  75. VA Bob says

    GoldFishin – I think you have a good chance of getting newly minted coins, if you get them back quickly. why do I believe that? Because the Mint is all ready striking new coins to meet the current demand which is over 40K. When the first returns start rolling in, it takes awhile for someone to open those boxes to certify a coin is indeed there, plus process the paperwork and get the returned coins back over to packing and shipping. I’d venture to guess a one and half to two week sweet spot from when the first return rolls in at receiving. Good luck.

  76. Tinto says

    @VA Rich

    I’ve had a PO Box since the late 90’s. Never regretted it. I’ve had all the coins from the Mint and others like Apmex sent there.

  77. fmtransmitter says

    Anyone have any experience with aspencoins on the bay? Got a coin that was, to say the least, sub par for what I paid, so I sent it back for a refund and they blocked me from bidding on any more coins. WTH?

  78. Wes says

    Uncirculated Kennedy’s ordered late in day on 7/24 shipped today. Wasn’t expecting them as the expected shipping date kept moving.

  79. VA Bob says

    FM – sounds like they did you a favor. Who’d want to do business with a company that takes their ball and goes home when a customer isn’t satisfied.

  80. NC_Stacker says

    @VA Bob Don’t forget about the UPS Store for a BOX. There is someone always there to sign for a package. They will sign for UPS and FedEx. The only issue is when ordering from the Mint it wants to use a P.O. Box. So I made a address on the mint site and then called their help desk to modify it .Putting the Box number (without the P.O.) after the street address. Just using the box will throw the website errors since it will try to force it to a P.O.BOX. This also messes up on the bay as well. So if one was to use the UPS store you have to watch very carefully on the shipping to address. So far no issues with my ATB subs. 🙂

    I did this after an order from APMEX that was just left at my front door.

    On selling a sealed mint package with a (P.O.)Box you also have to make sure if you use a CC to make sure the CC billing address has the same address as the (P.O.) Box. Otherwise ( like the invoice from the mint) whoever you sell to will have your box number and your billing address. 🙁

  81. VA Bob says

    Wes – I have some come (shipped today too). No expectations that they will of superior grade though.

  82. fmtransmitter says

    agred VA Bob…sore losers. APMEX gave me a ONE TIME “courtesy” refund today when I ordered the wrong item. You know they have a NO REFUND policy on the bay? Be careful, don’t make any mistakes!

  83. GoldFishin says

    @fmt- there are quite a few ebay sellers that will block you if you return an item…some rather large ones will do it as well, or if you leave neutral or negative feedback.

  84. fmtransmitter says

    Nothing positive feedback and good communication. Just mis leading photos. Like VA Bob said, they did me a favor. They are looking for the suckers…

  85. fmtransmitter says

    I’m gonna break back from this hobby for awhile. Lease is up, have some personal things to tend to and this negative feedback about this hobby is good but oh so bad for it! It’s getting ruthless. So sad…I won’t play on that kind of ball field, can find other hobbies that are inspiring and not bringing out the greed in humans…

  86. Jerry Diekmann says

    GoldFishin – Some Ebay sellers will also block you if you report to them that they have a shill working with them to drive up bids. Be wary of any second offers – it just means the auction closed when the shill had the highest bid, and you can buy the coin or whatever for your highest (and too-high) bid. Also, if you return an overgraded coin.

  87. Jerry Diekmann says

    fmtransmitter – you have been a great poster for quite awhile on this site. Hopefully you will come back. I do have to agree with you that the hobby is being taken over by a bunch of unscrupulous and greedy Gordo Gekkos. Fortunately I got started in this hobby when it was much more simple, and I think, a lot more honest. The big dealers and the TPGs have ruined the hobby, killing the golden goose.

  88. Tinto says

    @Jerry Diekmann

    “The big dealers and the TPGs have ruined the hobby, …”

    And the new kids on the block (relatively speaking) the “approvers” of some TPG grades for coins …. a sticker on a label …

  89. fmtransmitter says

    Thank you Jerry and Dusty, always enjoy reading your posts as well…I will be lurking around but just reading from time to time. Take care and good luck all>>>>>KEITHSTER 🙂

  90. Jon in CT says

    fmtransmitter wrote on August 18, 2014 at 11:30 PM:

    I’m gonna break back from this hobby for awhile.

    . Tschüß.

  91. VA Rich says

    FM – Tschüß is German, it’s a pleasant way of saying ‘farewell or so long, see you later’. It’s really a nice gesture since its coming from Hitler.

    Good luck with everything Bro! I think you’re addicted worse than I and you’ll be back soon, though Tschüß none-the-less!

  92. VA Rich says

    Hey Pitt – it’s a little ways out, though for the Baltimore show, IF you’re able to roll in, is there a day your tied to? Starts Thursday, 30 Oct.

  93. Eddie says

    I am going to try to save at least $100.00 a month and by this time next year I just might have a gold Kennedy. I would just about trade my BHOF set for one but they are going to be worth more the the gold Kennedy so that would be kinda dumb thing to do. There are going to be so many gold Kennedy’s out there I mean as of now there are twice as many gold Kennedy’s and it is even over with yet. So my thought are the gold Kennedy’s will be coming down in price it is only a matter of time..
    Anyone agree or disagree?

  94. Eddie says

    @fmtransmitter
    Wish you the best I have learned quite a few things from you so I will miss you and understand your reasoning.

  95. Brad (The Original) says

    Clark,

    I don’t mean to sound like I’m defending the Mint, but I’m sure there are times when sending a returned coin out again may be justified, especially in the case of a limited mintage item. Take the Baseball Hall of Fame gold and silver coins for instance. Since there are so many collectors striving for getting a perfect 70 graded coin these days, they are going over the coins with a loupe looking for the slightest imperfection(s). If they spot even one such tiny flaw, the coin is returned so they can try again. However, the flaw on the returned coin may be so slight that there would be other collectors out there (especially wait-listed ones who figure they have a snowball’s chance of getting one) who would be perfectly satisfied with the coin that was rejected by the other collector. To deliberately deface it just because it didn’t pass muster for you is not a nice thing to do. I do hope you were just kidding about that idea.

    I too have received coins in the past that were not perfect. I’ve never had one so bad that I felt I had to return it though, because I leave all of mine in OGP. I’ve never been concerned about grading the modern coins.

    I highly doubt that all of the coins you’ve received with flaws had previously been rejected by someone else. I would like to give the Mint the benefit of the doubt and think that coins with severe flaws visible to the naked eye (which obviously never should have been shipped out in the first place) ARE taken out of the equation and destroyed. I’m pretty certain that is the case, since final mintages of sold out limited items seldom EVER match the mintage limit. The discrepancy most likely results from returns deemed unsellable.

    So anyway, I don’t feel my position on the deliberate defacing idea you had is “dead wrong”, and I stand by it. We need to be considerate of our fellow collectors.

  96. Pittsburgh P says

    Eddie I disagree about them coming down in price but I woukdn’t trade my BHoF set for one that’s for sure…

    VaRich I’m looking at Friday the 31rst and/or Sat… It’s looking solid right now that I’ll be going but it is aways off.

  97. says

    @Eddie, Concerning the Gold Kennedy I don’t see much price movement until after the conclusion of sales. There really is No reason for price appreciation as long as they are available and IF the price would fall below issue price the Mint would have to reconsider their sales position.

    As I have mentioned before the Gold Kennedy is a Mint product vs. a Legislation product. The sole responsibility for success/failure of the Kennedy offerings lies on the shoulders of the Mint. They have too many offerings in the upcoming years to screw this up…Eventually they will do what is Right for All stakeholders…

    The Mint can only get “caught off guard” so many times…

  98. Jon in CT says

    A few days ago I commented about references to the new US Mint Order Management System contract made during PFSWeb’s earnings call with analysts and I linked to a copy of the transcript which was on a private commercial website which required free registration in order to read the entire document. That registration requirement might have been a problem for some readers so here is another link, this time to a federal government website which doesn’t require any type of registration:
    http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1095315/000119312514311874/d776481dex991.htm

  99. VA Bob says

    Eddie – unless gold tanks, you’ll never get one cheaper than they were at issue price. I do understand your choice though, it’s a tough decision and that’s why a secondary market exists at all. The gold JFK will be available in numbers for years to come, what the prices will be like is the big question.

    I’m a little more bearish on the long term outlook of the BHoF since I have re-examined similarly themed coins. I feel even with the 40K the saturation is a bit on the high side. lot of people bought to make a quick buck (and did so), From a coin collector perspective the curvature of the coin holds greater interest than the theme itself (IMO previous baseball themed coins bear that out). As long as the Mint doesn’t decide to make an annual “curved” coin set (like the upcoming RP set purported) it should do well in the long run.

  100. Jon in CT says

    VA Rich wrote on August 19, 2014 at 9:40 AM:

    FM – Tschüß is German, it’s a pleasant way of saying ‘farewell or so long, see you later’. It’s really a nice gesture since its coming from Hitler.

    It’s funny that you assumed FM wouldn’t be able to figure out on his own what that word meant. And I’m not an Austrian.

  101. VA Bob says

    Brad O – I’ve sent coins back to the Mint with obvious defects. These coins should have never been issued if just a cursory amount of QA were applied. The Mint must get some feedback on the number of returns of a particular coin. Seem it’s the only way they can learn. I wouldn’t advocate damaging the coins further, but I am all for the receiver placing a label on the capsule that would alert either a QA person or an unsuspecting customer that the original purchaser got a defective coin. You’re right when you say some might not mind a rim nick or a minor defect, but they do deserve, as Clark mentioned, to know that they are receiving someone else’s return.

  102. Eddie says

    It is mainly frustration not being able to afford one of the gold Kennedy’s at this moment while they are still available from the Mint. I too think the BHOF coins will hold there value. My reason for thinking the gold Kennedy would remain low in price for awhile is because we could end up having 150,000 to 200,000 of these being minted and a lot of 70s out there for sell. The BHOF you have less than 40,000 proofs minted.

  103. Small time collector says

    Brad the original, I have a little confusion on your post in that if the mint felt a coin was good enough to send out the first time and the recipient cherry-picks and returns coins shouldn’t all returns be destroyed? I can see the day where the mint implements measures to prevent such activity. I can see early buyers purchasing the limit, keeping two, returning three and buying three more. What if the returned three were sent out to you?
    A way to prevent it is to establish a quality assurance of a coin being at some threshold (68?) and a purchaser can return 10 % of coins in an order or one coin, whichever is more. Returns would then be destroyed and qty removed from the mintage. That would restrict cherry-pickers and make sure the mint does not eat a lot of returns, while at the same time keeping the odds of receiving a perfect coin equal for all buyers. That seems to me to be the best way to be considerate of our fellow collectors. To suggest allowing fellow collectors to accept your or my returns, I think not.

  104. Pittsburgh P says

    Eddie like VaBob said unless gold drops a ton the JFK gold will hold mint value at a minimum imo. I understand these are far from done being sold through the mint but 200,000 mintage will not happen. Imo I don’t see them reaching 100,000-last week over 1000 were sold according to prelimanary numbers and that suprised me & if that continues through the end of the year it would only be approx. 85,000 before cancelations…

  105. stephen m says

    @Brad the original, Your point of view to Clark on returns was very interesting to me if the Mint does indeed send back out rejected coins as you suggest. I’m sure some folks would not mind but I don’t want a reject. I would however possibly feel different if I knew the Mints policy on the coins that are received back from it’s customers. Better QA and knowing what the Mint actually does with a returned coin would go a long way with it’s customers.

  106. Brad (The Original) says

    Small Time Collector,

    I guess the gist of what I was saying goes back to the old saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

    It certainly is true that the Mint needs to exercise better quality control, as those coins with obvious major defects should not go out at all. But in those cases where the defect may be so slight that the majority of collectors couldn’t care less about it, it shouldn’t be deliberately defaced by the collector going after a 70.

    Transparency WOULD be a great thing, though. Any return that was originally rejected but deemed sellable could easily have a note tucked inside it identifying it as a return, thus alerting whoever may receive it further down the line that it was returned. I doubt that would ever happen though, since then the next person may return it simply because they don’t like to KNOW that someone else examined their coin first. I’m sure the Mint would rather just gamble that the next recipient is an average collector who is not worried about grading or tiny defects only visible through a loupe. Eventually someone will end up keeping the coin as-is.

  107. Eddie says

    @Pittsburgh P
    That is what I was trying to say wouldn’t they stay around issue price for a while $1250.00 – $1300.00?
    For some reason I had thought they had already reached 1000,000. I haven’t been able to stay on top of all of this like I should having to take care of my mother and my aunt it takes a toll after a while.

  108. Tinto says

    @fmtransmitter

    Enjoy your break from this hobby. Hope you’ll jump in with comments here every now and then.

  109. Pittsburgh P says

    Eddie yeah they should stay in that price range for awhile. You can buy a PF69 for less than 1400$ & a 70 for less than 1700$ right now. In you question you asked if they might be cheaper in the future & I was only saying I doubt they’ll be less than 1250$ at anytime. I don’t think prices will really stabalize on these for at least a year.

    Right now total sold is under 65,000… I know how draining taking care of family is – family first though. Everything else will still be here.

  110. Pittsburgh P says

    UPS man just left… Opened my JFK golds up hopin for the best but fearing the worst. He did ask if it was GOLD since I had to sign-told him NO!

    Both perfect! Not a scratch, scuff, dead spot or hair 🙂 I’ve been worried after reading some of the posts here…

  111. says

    Burn City… A PF69 ANA Inaugural Release Gold Kennedy Sold at auction on the bay for $1,350.00.

    Pay Someone to Stand in Line All Day (or Purchase from Someone that did), Pay $1,240.00 for coin, Pay $100 for Grading, Pay bay/pal fees and Only get $1,350.00 for Said Coin—-PRICELESS….

    The seller stated: “CERT #’S WILL VARY AS WE HAVE MORE THEN 1 COIN TO SELL”

  112. Small time collector says

    Brad to – I think the mint will ultimately take note of the secondary market and it’s effect on the desirability of perfect coins (it’s a product of the secondary market and what happened at the recent show circuses).
    Implementing a return standard I mentioned (no more than 10% of an order, or 1 whichever is less and destruction of returns by the mint) would restore the luck of the draw. I don’t agree that the “average joe” should accept returns.
    Your suggestion of returns having a note tucked in (by to original buyer or the mint?) would red-flag and should be potentially offered by the mint at a discount. Odds are that the average collector is going to get something less than perfect (unless original buyer buys 5 and sends back two perfect out of 3 returns because he wanted two perfect). Transparency says it needs to be disclosed as a return. i.e. if the seal on a box is broken, it’s a return. A restocking fee could also be implemented. If something is not done production can and will likely be inflated on all mint offerings until only all coins sent are perfect or this label and grading trend plays out.
    I also feel the mint being silent on returns being re-sent would be disastrous and places them in the position of encouraging cherry-picking. This is a growing trend created by the grading co’s and the mint surely is not blind.

  113. Small time collector says

    oh, p.s. my ups guy left 20 min ago. I think I’ll leave the box sealed and await a couple sets of the 50th Ann Kennedy half Silver Collection and get a membership at that point, or, I may even open them and not grade them as I don’t think even a 69 will sell less than the original price.
    I’m just a small guy that wants the same chance, as any buyer should, of getting a perfect coin (car, furniture, apple,….. ).

  114. Erik H says

    Jerry Diekmann saysAUGUST 18, 2014 AT 11:39
    some Ebay sellers will also block you if you report to them that they have a shill working with them to drive up bids. Be wary of any second offers – it just means the auction closed when the shill had the highest bids.

    Not all eBayers are dishonest because they are offering a second chance. Time is money, if a bidder is willing to pay “xx” for an item one minute then why should that person reject an offer if a seller has additional items? I know some people just like bidding over and over in order to save a dollar or less. I love when I offer a reasonable BIN and it goes to auction and sells for more. I think some people just like throwing away money.

  115. VA Rich says

    Pitt – good deal! Maybe you can place my order for my silver sets! lol

    That auction above is Priceless…, the stamina of those labels is quickly evaporating…

  116. Pittsburgh P says

    VaRich yeah I’ve been having some good luck with the mint. Idk if it is something I think Cag or GF said earlier- seems you get better coins if you place smaller orders. I am in the habit of placing several smaller orders rather than one for the maximum(more to split payments)-at least with the BHoFs I did. I only
    wanted 2 JFK Golds… I’m gonna do the same for the silver sets-order of 3 and 1 of 2… We will see if my luck holds 🙂

  117. Clark says

    BradO–Your view that it’s OK for the Mint to sell returned coins as “new” does violence to the notion of “mint condition”… a notion that the MINT, above all other coin sellers, must exemplify. Like any other ethical and honest seller, the Mint should discount returned merchandise or at least place consumers on notice BEFORE they buy, that a coin is only available in “used” or “returned” condition.

    It is presumptuous of you to say that some people won’t mind a glaring nick or fingerprint on coins they expect to be new and in mint condition. I would love to hear any folks on this board come forward and say they want to pay full price for coins from the Mint with visible flaws that should have been removed from inventory. Anyone?

    Finally, your defense of this unscrupulous practice ignores reports posted here from people, for example, who actually received coins in capsules on which previous recipients had circled visible defects with Sharpies. I don’t intend to be unkind, but if low quality coin standards are acceptable to you, your collection probably reflects those standards. You are entitled to compile a collection like that, but don’t browbeat collectors who strive for collections with the highest quality coins they can acquire.

  118. says

    @Clark says, You may not “intend to be unkind”, but, you sure are unkind. And I for 1 would buy as many as I could afford for coins with “visible flaws” from the Mint at spot price.

  119. Brad (The Original) says

    Clark,

    Everything you said goes against what I was saying. I’ll clarify here one more time, but this is the last I’ll be talking about the subject.

    Of course it’s ok to strive for the best possible collection. I said nothing to the contrary. And no, it’s NOT ok for the Mint to send out coins that were returned for obvious flaws visible to the naked eye. Of course no one would want a coin with a “glaring nick or fingerprint” on it. Those are the ones that SHOULD be deemed unsellable after being returned and destroyed.

    All I was saying was that your idea of deliberately defacing a coin just because it wasn’t acceptable to you is not right, especially if the flaw is so tiny that most collectors would not be concerned with it. Why make it useless to everyone just because it didn’t meet your standards? A wait-listed buyer who just wants one for their collection might be perfectly happy with a coin that has a tiny flaw only visible under a loupe.

    I’m quite proud of my collection and the condition of the coins in it. If the fact that I’m not maniacal about going over them with my loupe looking for the tiniest imperfections or sending them off for bogus grading labels makes me a sub-par collector, then so be it.

  120. Pittsburgh P says

    Well said 2cents and Brad (The Original) – Brad most here got what you were saying… No need to explain yourself as much as you did.

  121. natatack says

    FM enjoy your break, get 12 bottles of Tito vodka a lot of bloody mary mix a large bottle of tabasco sauce and when you finish your 12th bottle, break over! :} just kidding

  122. merryxmasmrscrooge says

    George Washington and George W. Bush should not be put in the same sentence. One stands for Democracy the other stands for the opposite.

  123. NewGuy1 says

    I like this site, interesting discussions, just wished it was a bit more organized. This page seems to be about the Kennedy Bronze medal, but the comments are a free for all about anything and everything (from rants about the Mint to BHoF and whatever else).

    That said, I’ll still be back cause I like coins 😉 I guess we’ll add my comment to the sea of random comments, unrelated to the topic.

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