It has been slightly over four months now since the Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set was released by the United States Mint. On that day, October 15, 2009, eager buyers wasted no time in snatching up the Mint’s inventory.
In fact, it took less than thirty hours for the 50,000 sets created by the Mint to be sold at their issue price of $55.95. And that was with many buyers experiencing technical issues during the first few hours of availability on the Mint’s website and via their phone ordering system.
Making the set so unique were the five coins included inside: a 2009 Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar and four versions of the 2009 Lincoln Cent. The $1 was minted in Philadelphia while the four pennies were struck at the Mint’s facility in San Francisco. Each has a deep cameo proof, with the four pennies struck from the same 95% copper alloy used when the Lincoln Cents were first issued back in 1909.
It is not hard to imagine, then, of the intense interest in the Chronicles Set that was placed on the secondary market in the days following the Mint sell-out. As CoinNews reported, in about three weeks, eBay saw over 1,000 auctions offering the set with the average price hovering slightly lower than three times the original issue price.
This significant premium appeared to be adjusting slightly downward by the end of that period with many auctions closing around $130.
But what are the market conditions like lately?
In doing a bit of research, it appears that prices have not improved much for interested buyers (sellers, of course, are quite happy). In the last 30 days, almost 300 sets have been offered on eBay and most of those sold without a problem.
Averaging the final bids shows the set still demanding a price of almost $150. Once again, close to three times the original issue price.
It must be noted, however, that the average has somewhat been inflated with buyers paying even more for sets that are still in the original sealed Mint packaging.
A few notes of interest for anyone who might be looking to purchase a set for themselves. It appears that auctions closing on Sunday are the best time for getting a better deal. Prices on that day averaged almost $10 less than the rest of the week. On the flip-side, Thursday is a day to avoid with prices going well above the weekly average.
To check out current listings and bid prices, see Lincoln Coin & Chronicles Sets on eBay.
