BadThad

That's a typo, in the congressional decree it says "1909", which is French bronze.

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bama guy

Spock, That big gator that lives across the road from me may have eaten my swater. Now that I think about it, haven't seen many stays dogs lately.

AdamL

I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the set with the cents and the Lincoln silver coin. Anyone have any idea when they go on sale? With a limit of 50,000 sets, I think we can expect a very quick sellout.

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Conder101

If the kiosk is like the sales shop at the mint, and it probably is, it is run by a private concern. So that "live employee" is an employee of the kiosk operator, not the Mint of the government. As such he probably doesn't know any more than we do. Sorry.

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Sholom

But I don't think it is. The folks at the kiosk and the folks at the shop at US Mint HQ (9th St) rotate back and forth, and I really that they are US Mint employees. (I gather this from various chatter -- and I recall once one of the women there saying something like "on that day I'll be working with management" or something).

But, next time I go I will ask them specifically.

sturmgrenadier

So much is outsourced to the private sector these days, so that it wouldn't surprise me if this is true. I, too, got the sense from the conversation that it was a bona fide mint employee, but I don't know for sure. Anyhoo, if the 'September rumor' turns out to be true, good. If it is false, no worries, either. I'll still be looking for it to release this summer just in case.

sturmgrenadier

I stopped by the Union Station kiosk the other day and the clerk showed me her US Mint badge and advised me that all working at these 'satellite offices' are bona fide mint employees.

As I was looking at my 2009 Proof set today, I wondered: why doesn't the U.S. Mint make nicer looking framing/packaging for their proof and special sets? I should explain that I also collect Canadian Proof and Specimen sets, and the coins have long come inside a plastic lens (like their US brethren) that is housed in a book-style format. They fit neatly on my book shelf. And if for some reason I would like to do so, the lens holding the coins is detachable from the book. In contrast, ours come in separate lenses that are stored in a flimsy paper box that is usually bent or dinged when you receive it. I just find the presentation value of the products our northern neighbors to be better than our mint's. They just package/display their coins better. And while it's the quality of the coins that is most important to me, no one can dispute that the packaging enhances the presentation of the coins. The effect is kind of like having a nice frame around a good painting.

And don't get me started on the superior technology and quality control of the RCM. With colored coins, holograms special finishes (more than we have) and attractive designs, I think they blow us away. I know what people will say: if I like Canadian coins so much more than those from my country, I should move to Canada I'm just trying to make what I believe is a valid point. Wish the US Mint would get its act more together and be on the cutting edge of things (re: new technology and innovative, appealing designs) instead of being one of the last (for example, Canada had employed the reverse proof finish for years before we got our first in the 2006 ASE set). Maybe the difference is the fact that the RCM is headed by a CEO and run like a private business, whereas ours is a sloth-like government agency with little pressure to adapt and better meet the needs of collectors.

AdamL

I don't know. But I do like those cases that the Canadian specimen sets come in.

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Ptadave

Its hard to tell what the mint has in mind.