Thursday was a busy day for coin collectors who eagerly sought the US Mint Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set, which was released at noon ET to an already waiting public.
Minutes before noon, the US Mint website began closing down due to high traffic. For those who were able to eventually get through, it was still a very slow and tedious process. The online server(s) continued to choke with heavy traffic. A single mouse click could take several minutes before the desired outcome appeared on screen, if at all.
The US Mint phone lines offered little reprieve. Some collectors reported making tens of dozens of repeated calls only to hear the same "try again later" message. Eventually, after an hour or so, the phone lines cooled somewhat. The Mint's website followed a few hours later. Fast forward to evening time and everything is back to normal. And... the 2009 Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set is still available.
There was no one-day (or half day really) sell out as more than one collector thought was possible. But obviously there were thousands and thousands of orders placed. The question now is how long the sets will last. The Mint has already pushed back their shipping dates to Nov. 13. Is Friday the last day before they are gone? Saturday? Or will there be weeks? Weeks would seem a stretch.
Why the mass excitement for the set? It is limited to 50,000, and contains the only means today to acquire a commemorative proof 2009 Lincoln Silver Dollar Coin from the US Mint. The prior 325,000 sold out earlier this year. The set also hosts some exceptional packaging, and includes:
- Four 2009 Lincoln Proof Cents (the 95% copper versions)
- A reproduced Abraham Lincoln photograph
- A reproduction of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln’s handwriting
- A certificate of Authenticity
All this is for $55.95, plus $4.95 shipping and handling for a total of $60.90. Buying the Lincoln silver dollar alone on the secondary market for that price is nearly impossible as of this writing. And speaking of the secondary market, the new Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set are already commanding some significant premiums, as the block of eBay auctions below show.
The set can be ordered directly from the United States Mint Web site at http://www.usmint.gov/, or directly here.
Orders may also be placed at the toll-free number 1-800- USA-MINT (872-6468). Hearing and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468).
[Update: The US Mint on Friday apologized to customers for their experience during online ordering Thursday]
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US $.99
Also, for really detailed information, check out our sister site which features the chronicles set.
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