A 2012-S Proof American Silver Eagle from San Francisco and a Series 2009 $5 note with the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank designation are combined in a joint U.S. Mint and Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) product called the Making American History Coin & Currency Set.
"To celebrate the United States Mint’s 220th year and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s 150th year of service to our country, this Making American History Coin and Currency Set features a coin and a note made in America," the U.S. Mint states.
The Coin & Currency Set was released by the U.S. Mint on August 7, 2012 at a price point of $72.95.
To commemorate the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s 150th anniversary, marked on August 29, 2012, each Series 2009 $5 note has a unique serial number that begins with "150." Each also bears the signature of Rosie Rios, the 43rd and current Treasurer of the United States.
The Making American History Coin & Currency Set has a mintage, or what the U.S. Mint calls an established production limit, of 100,000. Its initial production amount is 50,000 sets, with the other 50,000 in the works if demand calls for them.
To curtail customer complaints about accessibility, collectors will remember that the recently issued 2012-S American Silver Eagle Two-Coin Proof Set was available during a four-week window only, with its mintage based on demand during that time. The U.S. Mint did not offer this option for the newer set, perhaps due to the joint nature of the release and the product’s inclusion of the Series 2009 $5 note.
The 2012-S American Silver Eagle Two-Coin Proof Set contained a 2012-S Proof Silver Eagle, which is the same one within the upcoming Making American History Coin & Currency Set. That makes the 2012-S Reverse Proof Silver Eagle a key issue in the American Eagle program, as it will not be offered elsewhere. The last reported sales of the older two-coin proof set was 251,302. Secondary market values of the 2012-S Proof Silver Eagle would expect to take a hit with more of them available.
Additional information on the Making American History Coin & Currency Set is available via the U.S. product page located here.
Wow, maybe I should go back to collecting Morgans, at least the mint won’t pop a few more million of them out of the hat after previously closing out a specific ordering period for a product (although Chiese counterfeiters probably will).
If you are going to pull a flim flam like this and have a second ordering period, at least would have been advisable to fulfill the orders and collect the income from the first “limited edition” period. Can I hear the word “cancellation?”
You forget that the 2 coin set contains one coin not included in this coin and currency set so you’re stuck buying both unless you don’t care for the reverse proof (which personally I don’t think is any near striking as the standard proof).
This certainly deserves a second look by collectors who ordered the San Francisco Two-coin Proof Set! Most collectors buy these coins for numismatic potential, and when the mint undermines that potential, they also undermine their credibility, which is questionable in the first place! As Bos indicated above, a cancellation may be in order.
This is simply b/s. The mint certainly needs to explain themselves, offer complete refunds and apoligize. What is the thought process here? Come up with a third and differant strike like in the 2011 sets. Maybe a proof coin that has no frosted cameo, an extra high relief……something. I just can’t believe this.
Maybe I’m just jumping the gun here. The mint’s web sight says:To celebrate the United States Mint’s 220th year and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s 150th year of service to our country, this Making American History Coin and Currency Set features a coin and a note made in America. It says A COIN MADE IN AMERICA, not SAN FRANCISCO. Maybe the mint is just trying to make people THINK they are getting a San Francisco ASE…pretty slick!!!
If the Mint continues to issue coins without prior notification to collectors they will continue to alienate the collecting public. This “new issue” only adds to the approx. 250k “S” minted AE’s that have been already been sold/issued. Look at the ATB quarter series. They now have 14 different ways to collect the 56 quarters that have been or will be issued in the “America The Beautiful” quarter series, wait, it’s now 15 with the new “S” minted quarters. The Mint only seems to care about the profit these new iterations will bring these days. Did they mint far in… Read more »
If you read further down on paragraph 2 at the Mint website, it reads: “This 2012 American Eagle Silver Proof Coin not only honors the artistry and design of our Nation’s coins, but also honors the heritage of coin production at the United States Mint at San Francisco.” Made in America, yes, but struck in San Francisco. So, in the coin and currency product there will be a Series 2009 Five Dollar FRN with the 2012-S proof Silver Eagle. Time to cancel my order placed on June 8th which still is in process this day. Oh my goodness. What other… Read more »
Seems like bad business to sell a set with a supposedly unique to the set coin and then put that coin in another set. People aren’t going to trust the mint. If someone bought the 2 coin set for the proof coin, they would be better off buying this set because the coin is cheaper. If enough people cancel the 2 coin set, that would reduce the number of reverse proofs, but then again they cold come up with another set toi use the ones that are returned. In a way this is good because uncertainty keeps investors from buying… Read more »
lol
Its not just a 2012S proof but a ‘reverse reverse 2012 proof’! its so reversed…
how reversed is it? it is so reversed that it looks like the real deal!
The Mint did the same thing with the 2006-W Uncirculatet American Silver Eagles. Remember the 20th anniversary set.
Why didn’t the BEP make a series 2012 note for this “Special” set instead of one that’s 3yrs old for their 150th anniversary.
Well here we go again. What is the mint thinking? We collectors and investors purchase a product within a specified period of time and make a personal decision as to our individual participation in a program only to have the mint come up with another way to market the product offering that is no longer being offered in a different format. They are playing with fire here and I real hope they get burned. All of us that have purchased the 2012 SanFrancisco set with an anticpated mintage of about 251,000 can look forward to several tens of thousands of… Read more »
The S proof has been done before (millions of coins issued) so it’s not unique or particularly special other than it’s been a while since the last one was issued. The S reverse proof is new, unique, and entirely collectible That coin has had a limited production run (well, so far) which establishes it’s rarity level. I don’t know why everybody is talking about cancelling their 2 coin order in favor of the coin and currency set – the 2 coin set is far more collectible even investment-wise than the coin and currency set which is really no more than… Read more »
Charlie, I with you on this one. If this was a true anniversary set the Mint(s) would have found a way to issue a new 2012 $5 note. It just seems that the Mint called up the Bureau of Engraving and said, “Hey, we minted way too many “S” minted ASE’s and we need a way of getting rid of them”. FYI – The BOE typically does not issue notes yearly as they do with coins. They only change the date when a change has occurred in the bill/note i.e. security features and/or the Treasurer’s signatures. It does seem though… Read more »
Ronnie;
You nailed it. That’s very likely exactly what happened. I think the MINT struck way more than 251k, and when we plebes didn’t order enough, they said “D’oh!” However, I bet they had this contingency plan in their back pocket all along, and just had to pull the trigger on launching the product. I bet the packaging and the $5 FRN deal with the BEP was fleshed out months ago.
Hey George & guys, It just gets better. Did you hear this… Development of a fully integrated Order Management System for the U.S. Mint, including a revamped website, has been placed on hold while officials assess whether the efforts are in the right direction. U.S. Mint Deputy Director Richard A. Peterson informed employees at all Mint facilities July 12 that the Mint’s contract with the primary information technology contractor, British-based Venda, to develop a state-of-the-art system to replace the current decade-old system, had been suspended indefinitely the week before. Venda was awarded a six-year contract by the Mint on Sept.… Read more »
This is typical of Peterson’s backward thinking. We just got a full year schedule published with Moi in charge and then Peterson went back to the old way of not telling anybody anything until a short time before actual issue dates. Only this week do we see items scheduled for release through September, and none of the spouse coins has a release date yet! What’s going to happen in Oct – Dec??? And now he wants to quit modernizing the web site and continue doing things the old way? We need a real director and leader of the mint and… Read more »
This is a sad day in US Mint history! I was under the impression that the 2012 San Francisco Set was an apology to those who had missed out on purchasing the five-coin 2011 American Eagle 25th Anniversary Silver Coin sets. This decision to continue to distribute the 2012 San Francisco Proof coins is definitely not even any sort of an apology. Rather, what’s we really see happening in this case, is that the Mint, with a commanding effort, has just “add insult to injury” by posting a big “L” on the foreheads with the to those who lost out… Read more »
george glazener what is the Mint going to do with the extra reverse proofs melt them?
I didn’t really see anything on the mint’s web sight that indicates that this will be an “S” proof. Also it doesn’t make sense that that coin is now priced at $72.95 as opposed to $74.97 (taking the $149.95 divided by 2) and we’ll throw in this great 3 year old $5 note and the s**t cardboard holder. The mint’s sight says; “This 2012 American Eagle Silver Proof Coin not only honors the artistry and design of our Nation’s coins, but also honors the heritage of coin production at the United States Mint at San Francisco.” It doesn’t say it’s… Read more »
Jack, it is indeed the same S ASE proof that is also in the two-coin proof set.
As far as I’m concern, they can have their Making American History Coin & Currency Set and the paper it’s printed on!! I’m through wit yuh!!!! Fool me once shame on me, fool me twice and I am a fool. We as coin collectors have got to get our head out from between our tail. We asked for it, and now we got it. So is no mintage limits a good or a bad thing. I quit!!! Till we figure it out, I’m going to start collecting rocks instead… you wont find two of those that are identical. Besides 2013… Read more »
Mercury – Good point about putting the counter up for the 2 coin set and it’s purpose. I think it was an experiment to see if they could even do something like that and make it work so they dismissed the promise it and the 4 week time frame implied. One could draw the conclusion that it worked too well and that scared the idiot deputy director so much so that he halted implementation of the website upgrade. I keep poking at deputy director Peterson being so backward thinking and uncommunicative but I don’t remember there being this much rancor… Read more »
This I can definitely say for sure, that the overall customer satisfaction counter has just went to zero. Thanks Peterson
As of 5 am this Friday morning the mint’s website has no info on the product.
Except the release schedule still shows it. I was sure I found it yesterday. Anyway if they go forward as planed that meant they lied about the release of the 2 coin set being with coins being only available in a short time frame with mintages only to order. False advertising!
Joe;
Good point, they must have made extras of those too. Therefore, it’s a good bet we’ll see them offered in some neat & nifty special offering later this year, just in time for Christmas. They’ll package the Reverse Proof coin with a Ten Dollar Bill celebrating the 255th birthday of Alexander Hamilton & sell it for $99.95.
You heard it here first..!
I wouldn”t doubt it, george glazener.
Rob –
In the left column under Services click on Product Availability and you’ll see it there. One of the improvements I would have expected in the now delayed (forever?) website update would have been a link from a Product Schedule list item to the descriptive blurb about the product. But alas, not to happen apparently.
A+ George G!
How about the $100 million to develop a new e-commerce and order management solution system? Then again it is a government contract.
I hope Peterson and the Mint staff see the backlash they have unleashed with this coin/note set.
Interesting how there seems to be no way to contact the mint – outside of talking to the customer service order desk people who know nothing nor can pass on with any kind of guarantee a comment – or leave any feedback on the mint website. Not only is Peterson backward thinking and uncommunicative but closed minded as well.
Jim, the Mint has an e-mail form you can use to complain or give feedback to them. Go to contact us on usmint.gov.
Thank You for the information Joe.
I have provided the Mint with comments on the “Making American History Coin & Currency Set”. I hope that it will be seen by the Mint Staff.
The mint director probably has plans to put the extra reverse proofs in with a commemorative of the titanic after all this is the 100th anniversary of the sinking and where was its destination. The US Mint is the only one in the world that makes coins and did not make one for this year. I guess they were to busy trying to design one to look like a baseball.
Joe –
Who knows who reads those comments? All the negative comments can be filtered out and tossed for all we know. Instead I wrote to my Senators and next I’m writing to the Treasury Secretary.
As everyone ‘s comments in this thread I am pretty upset at what the mint has done with the new Making American History Coin & Currency Set. I wrote an emai to the US Mint a few minutes basically complaining at what they’ve done. I hope I dont hurt anyone’s feelings, but i cut/paste great pieces of 5 or 6 of your comments…and put the email together…obviously it all went under my name so do not worry…I challenge the rest of you great collectors/investors to do the same…The more complaints they get, the better. Dont know if I will get… Read more »
I gleaned this from the Mint’s website regarding this poorly planned exit strategy for their over-production of a supposedly mint-to-order program! “On April 2, 1792, an Act of Congress established the first United States Mint at Philadelphia to produce U.S. legal tender coinage, authorizing the creation of gold, silver and copper coins ranging from a half cent to $10. The act also called for design images emblematic of Liberty.” Ummmmmm, HELLO! If this were a true celebration of the 220th year of the mint (BIG DEAL!), then why wouldn’t the production of a proof eagle be done at the Philly… Read more »
I just shot off an e-mail to the Mint using their ‘contact us’ portion of their website……Let’s see if I get a response which satisfies my extreme displeasure with their business practices!
I just fired off a volley of stress at the Mint for their latest attempt to bilk collectors via the 150th BEP “Celebration!”
All for 1 1 for all Paul O”Brien.
jim can”t go wrong there.
Joe,
Send a copy to the Treasury Secretary at his Chicago office in case he doesn’t receive it at his vacation office in Washington.
According to the article at this link: http://www.coinworld.com/articles/exclusive-proof-1-no-longer-exclusive-to-san-/ There will only be 50,000 $5 notes so if that is correct that tells me the most S mint proofs that will be made/sold in addition to the 251k that will be released in the 2-coin set will be an additional 50k. Making the total 301k…still a real low mintage. Also keep in mind, if left I’m the original shipping box, and you want to have coins graded, they can be graded as a set. If opened probably won’t be labeled as a set since the proof will be available in the… Read more »
I’d be careful, the article sounds like a bunch of double talk to me. Take for instance, and I quote. “The 2012 Making American History Coin and Currency Set is being offered without a maximum mintage or household ordering limits and without a defined cut-off date for sales. However, Mint officials do not consider the set a mint-to-demand product”. “The serial number of each of the 50,000 $5 Federal Reserve notes to be included in the 2012 Making American History Coin and Currency set begins with “150.” ???? Lets not play their games fellas, how about considering this as an… Read more »
Oh, and one other thing. 251k was suppose to be the maximum limit. So why should we let them waffle on their promise? We are adults, man up and stop letting them treat us like children.
Bob S – Didn’t think about it but you may be right. With only 8 digits in the serial number and the first three lost to the 150 there are only 5 lower denomination digits left. That comes out to 100,000 (00000 – 99999). Haven’t looked at the BEP but if they decide to do something special themselves then maybe half for the BEP and half for the BEP/Mint set. And if they sell like gangbusters they have another 50,000 max to sell in addition. I just hope they use the lower serial numbers for the BEP/Mint sets (and hope… Read more »
Bob thanks for the info. 50,000 $5 notes that will piss a lot of people off. That 50,000 will sell out in 2 hours at the Mint. I hate to say it but I hope I get my hands on 1 from the mint.
I cancelled several 2012 S ASE today, not happy with the Mint.
Mike –
Too bad. Now you’ve missed out on getting the first reverse proof S mint coin. It’s unlikely after the current fiasco that the mint will release that coin again.
Jim
I cancelled a second batch that i placed on the the last day the set was offered. I still have my first order in place.
Ahhh, so no longer 251,000+ but 250,000+ sales. So you still get the reverse proof – smart man. I got my order in on 6-7 so should be receiving mine soon. Trying to decide if I should spend the extra $ and send the unopened set to NGC for certification or not.
Jim
Yeah I’m contemplating whether to send to PCGS.
Will all this controversy about this coin set add any value in the future? Traditionally, coins with “more history” turn to become more valuable in the long run…I appreciate anyone’s thoughts on this. I am still holding on to my 2 coin set, for now.
Haven’t heard the “more history” theory before for any coin. That may apply to sentimental value but this coin set will be known for it’s ignominy, not fame. It won’t be worth more because of dilution of the rarity of the proof coin. But, keep the set – it still has the first S reverse proof which you’ll never find anywhere else.
Kind of hoping lots of people cancel their 2 coin San Francisco ASE sets, but I am keeping mine. I really think this is a good way for everyone else to protest. I don’t think anyone else should buy the currency and Eagle set either which will keep the mintage of that one low as well. However, I think I will buy some of those since I am not protesting.