The Mint has stated that 2011 Uncirculated mint sets will not be satin-finish coins. They state the coins will "revert back to the brilliant finish used on uncirculated coins prior to 2005". http://www.usmint.gov/pressroom/index.cfm?action=press_release&ID=1186 I notice in the Product Schedule there is a listing for both the "2011 America the Beautiful Quarters Uncirculated Coin Set" and the "2011 America the Beautiful Quarters Circulating Coin Set". I thought uncirculated (brilliant) and circulating (business) strikes were the same. What am I missing here? Thanks Levi Also, here's pricing according to Mint News Blog: ATB Uncirculated set: $21.95 ATB Circulating Set: $9.95
I don't know for sure what the difference between these two is, but I do know that the coins in the Uncirculated Set for 2011 are struck with greater force than the regular business strikes. Perhaps the Circulating Set is the regular business strikes? Does the mint have a special director of complication?
That sure is one hell of a premium for a harder hit. If they cared, they'd hit it hard every time. :smile
That's a good point. They may be keeping the satin finish for non-circulating coins. (commemoratives, AGE's etc) ...which would mean Uncirculated Sets of circulating coins were the only ones to have the brilliant finish that circulating coins have except for the Circulating Sets of the circulating coins (in uncirculated condition, of course)
That and the packaging are the only differences. What they are calling the Unc sets come from the same mintage as the Mint Sets. What they are calling the Circulating Coin Set comes from the business strike mintage. It really is just that simple.
It is probably a case that the software has simply carried over last years offerings and updated the date automatically. Just like I was told last night that on the subscription section they still have a subscription offering for the 2011 W burnished ASE, a program they ended two years ago. It's just a "ghost" in the machine that they haven't gotten around to removing yet.
Just off the top of my head maybe the Uncirculated Set will contain nicer Unc coins while The Circulating Coin Set could contain coins that range in condition all the way down to lower end AU. Otherwise I couldn't explain 2 different sets if satin is not being made. Purely a guess
Thanks everyone. So here's what I think we have so far: the Circulating sets will simply be business strike coins pulled and packaged so you have an example of each. Then there will be coins specifically struck for Uncirculated Mint Sets which will have better detail and be handled and packaged as collector versions. I guess my questions now are: 1. Is how the Mint produced coins for pre-2000 Uncirculated sets, or is there something new/different for 2011? 2. Can we expect a clear difference between the two types of coins? Or will there be cross-over between the two types in that there will be some better examples of business strike coins than might be seen as UNC quality and/or poorly struck UNC coins that will look an awful lot like a business strike coin?
I can't recall the exact year, Conder might be able to, but I think it was in the '90s that the mint made a switch in where the Mint Set coins came from. Prior to the switch all Mint Set coins came from regular circulation strikes. After the switch the mint began a separate mintage for Mint Set coins where the Mint Set coins were struck on (the mint's words) specially handled and washed planchets, struck with higher pressures than regular business strike coins, and then specially packaged. It continued that way until 2005 when they began producing the satin finish coins for the Mint Sets. It now appears they are going back to the separate mintage for the Mint Sets. I think it will be hit and miss to some degree just like it was in previous years. As a general rule the nicer coins came from the Mint Sets, but there were some examples where the nicer coins were found in rolls or bags of regular business strikes. Time will tell.
Doug is right about them originally just using regular business strikes, then for a short time they took the extra step of only using the early strikes from new die pairs from the business strike runs, and finally they switched over to the special higher pressure strikes and early retirement of the dies. Finally the switch to satin finish in 2005. Unfortunately I can't remember the years when they did the business strikes, early strikes, and higher pressure strikes.
Thank you guys. You're awesome. ...and good teachers. I can be thick headed sometimes. No more questions from me on this one
