An affordable price, a key coin, a symbolic serial-numbered banknote, and a sellout in the prior issue set the stage today for a whirlwind of activity when the 2015 American $1 Coin and Currency Set launched.
A wave of collectors, dealers and flippers stormed the U.S. Mint’s website at noon ET to order the new set. Many of them ran into a wall. All the traffic, evidently, brought online ordering to a crawl for the first 30 minutes or so. Frustrations over the problems lessened as the set’s limits averted an early sellout. With persistence, clicking past error messages and browser refreshes, those who stuck around got one. They are still available, in fact. As for the website problems, the Mint is looking into them.
"We are investigating the problems with our web site and apologize for the inconvenience this caused our customers," Adam Stump, deputy director of the U.S. Mint’s Office of Corporate Communications, said in an email at 3:56 PM ET.
Similar issues happened often during high-profile product launches before the U.S. Mint rolled out a new website and ordering system in late 2014. After that, buying new products became easier, quicker and problem-free. Then, about two weeks ago, on Aug. 11, the Mint’s website crashed during the launch of the 2015 Dwight D. Eisenhower Coin & Chronicles Set. The Mint at that time said it was "due to an issue with a computer application" and unrelated to the set’s release.
Available for $14.95, the 2015 American $1 Coin and Currency Set includes a tri-fold presentation folder that holds one enhanced uncirculated 2015 Native American $1 Coin and one $1 Series 2013 note from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York that has a beginning serial number of "911." The $1 coin is available only in the set. The set’s product page is right here.
The U.S. Mint will release first day sales of the set by late Tuesday morning.
I was one of those who ran into a wall trying to order these. However, I stuck with it through many, many refreshes, page not available messages and trying every way I could think of to complete an order. Finally, at 12:34 pm I was successful in placing an order. I wanted to be among the earliest placed orders in order for the dollar bills in my sets to have low serial numbers. Maybe, some day the mint will figure out a way for their website to function normally.
I wasn’t really that excited about the site dropping me off because I didn’t figure a sell out would occur with 90,000 sets being offered. I don’t expect there to be much of an upswing on secondary market prices on this set.
Sort of like the Presidental Dollar sets, the best is over with the remaining issues having a higher mintage then the 17,000 for Truman and Ike. We shall see what the market does!
At 06:28PM EST the sets are still available.
Similar situation to Jerry. At 12:15 I got all the way to a final confirmation page and the site crashed. Didn’t know if it had gone through till I checked my credit card transactions page, where there was no record of the sale. Restarted and found my order still there, easily finished up and got an email confirmation soon afterwards. May never go up much but a neat looking item at a reasonable price.
Same situation, crashes, refreshes persistence. Only wanted one, but with the multitude of restarts, it computed that I ordered 4. Oh well, still purchased them and will unload 3. A crazy 30 minutes not knowing what the h___ was going on.
Same M.O. and excuse from the Mint, that we encountered with the Eisenhower c&c set. Time for changes with their computer software, otherwise same dilemma with the upcoming Kennedy c&c set
I too had problems with the mint web site, I got kicked out several time. But I was able to purchase a couple of sets. But the question I have for everyone is? If you notice on the mint graphic they show a number of 91100001A and if they are only minting 90,0000 sets will number 91100002A or 03A be worth more than 911900000A/ something to think about, what number will the mint send you?
Jeffery ATL: If the mint is honest, they should attach the lowest serial no. bills to the earliest minted (sharpest strike, highest grade) coins.
I should think these sets should go to the earliest orders and be a little more valuable. A bill with serial no. ending in 911A should also be desirable.
Also, bills with interesting serial no’s. such as 91112345A, 91123456A, 91111111A, 91190000A, 91188888A, 91177777A, etc., etc. are usually desired by currency collectors.
8:02 PM Central. Ordered. No problem.
Would not count on getting a good serial number. Probably cherry picked before the mint ever got them. If you think standing on your head for bronze coins with no intrinsic value is crazy, try collecting paper. Backed by the full faith and credit of a nation now dedicated to union busting and dumbing down the “middle class,” give me a break!
This offering is a crap shoot.Little investment with little or no gain.I see no financial gain this item is a collectible for the collector.The buying frenzie was over in 35 minutes.I believe this offering will linger.We shall see.
I agree, with 90K to be sold there is not going to be a sellout. Last year’s 50K will be the one to have!
Exactly. If you own the 2014 set, buy this one at the US Mint price.
Also, there’s a good chance, that somewhere down the road, you will be able to buy this set at below the US Mint price.
The mint continues this knee jerk marketing pattern up down no consistency.Pleas e establish a moderate mintage pattern and stay the course.The gimmicks are tiresome.
Have you looked At the Bay $28.This 2015 coin and currency set may be original but it’s pre destined to be doggie.Sorry
I will pre apologize for my rant please 30 -35 thou. These numbers will work. Balance the numbers. It’s really simple.
The problems here first and foremost is the US Mint (Our Government) having a crap website to begin with – compounding this is the US Mint’s “We Don’t Care” attitude. For those of us who didn’t get coins during the last debacle, we simply don’t care why it happened but that it happened and never should have. The next and worst problem is the US Mint’s obvious collusion with coin dealers and the ability of coin dealers to get 100’s of coins that allegedly have limits of 5 and 2 per customer. We constantly see jeffs coins on ebay advertising… Read more »
As far as the comments about dealers, I don’t really think they are doing anything wrong. They are having to pay people to order for them because they are limited with what they can order themselves. I think the US mint is doing the best that they can, but they obviously have room for improvement. Because they limit the purchase amount it just drives more people to sale the same amount and that breaks the web site. There is really no way for them to distinguish between a collector, a reseller and a dealer unless they force you to register… Read more »
Maybe avoiding and discouraging a surge of dealer buyers by having the Mint’s wed-site difficulties is the answer?
@SENZA
I agree, the Mint really doesn’t care about small fry collectors like myself, but they do care a lot about their big customers, the big coin dealers and bulk order companies because I read somewhere that this Mint Director designate had a special private meeting with them at the last ANA show. But NO press release on it as far as I can see from the Mint’s website. And did the Mint Director designate take time to walk the ANA floor, however brief, to chat with collectors ..? I haven’t seen any news on that front either.
The mint is in a monopoly position, therefore, they have almost no incentive to respond to complaints of individual collectors as long as orders keep coming in.
Did the Mint issue the sales figures for the Sac C&C ?
We just heard back from the Mint. First day of sales reached 44,344 sets.
Thanks Mike!
@Jerry in Jersey
Yeah, the Mint cares only about orders from the big time dealers and companies so long as they keep rolling in do they care about itty bitty buyers like me? The Mint is just putting on an act about caring for collectors, maybe to pull the wool over any politicians or bosses (Treasury) overseeing them.
How many are real collectors ? I think less than 50000 people And these people are most 40year-old + . So we need new blood to continue this classic hobby.
Most of recent mint purchaser are coin flippers, buy and resell quickly.