I recently purchased this coin that was sold as including "original packaging". I obviously purchased the coin and NOT the packaging but it got me thinking. . . What is this packaging? I don't think it's U.S. Mint, but I'm not sure. The coin is in sort of a "frame" (see picture) and the frame/coin sit in a black box bottom (with a thin piece of foam in the bottom). There is no box top but instead a thin plastic film covering the frame/coin. Any clue? I'm guessing one of the "off" Mints and not the U.S. Mint.
It looks like secondary market packaging. The MS ASEs were sold in tubes of 20 by the US Mint. I do not know if at the time they also required them to be sold by the "monster box" of 25-tubes.
It is an Air-Tite Holder, not official US Mint. But they do make some nice capsules & holders. Here is their website >>> http://www.airtiteholders.com/Categories/category.aspx?CID=5
Uncirculated Silver Eagles never had any US Mint Packaging until the Burnished BU coins were released in 2006.
Yep; the standard uncirculated issues (often called "bullion" issues as they're intended more for bullion investors than collectors) weren't offered directly to the public (and still aren't); they were sold to dealers by the roll to then be sold to third parties. The only "official" mint packaging was only for the proofs until 2006; in 2006 the Mint also started offering "burnished uncirculated" issues directly to the public, and has done so since (though none were offered in 2009; no proofs were minted that year either). You often find all kinds of unofficial third party packaging for the standard uncirculated ASEs. What's in the OP's picture is one such example.
I thing the only unc ASE that came out in a set before the 2006 was the 2000 that came out in the Millennium set with a Sac dollar.
Forgot about it? I never even heard about it lol... (not that I would have bought it if I had. I detest packaging gimmicks.)
I worked in a coin shop from 1986-1993 and we used to sell silver eagles in those same holders. We bought those holders from the same supplier that sold us all of our other supplies. We sold those for $10 w/ coin included all day long. It was a huge markup for 1986.
