2023 Peace Dollar Director's Strike - Just another way to scam the collector?

I happen to be a “lucky” recipient of a 2023 Philadelphia mint Peace Dollar, Director’s Strike. I ordered two of the coins, and when I opened the box (ooooh, a big mistake!), I discovered I had one.

As just a run-of-the-mill collector, I do not regularly send in my coins to a TPGS before opening the box.

I called the grading services, and as expected, they wouldn’t designate the coin inside the box with the special signed and numbered COA as a Director’s Strike coin. I also called the Mint to tell them that if they were to run this type of promotion, they should at least attempt to make the coin itself different in some way (perhaps a privy?) to prove the coin is different than the others.

The only thing I have that makes this purchase different than any other 2023 Peace Dollar is the signed and numbered COA that comes inside the box. How much would that be worth? I see other Peace dollars offered up on eBay for a couple of thousands, but, of course, there is no way to guarantee that the coin in question came inside the box with the signed and numbered COA. So essentially, I see the Director’s Strike as something that’s pretty worthless.

So, what do you think?

 

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Schrodinger's Cat?

 

I bought 4 2023 Peace Silver Dollars, not that I was looking for the Director's note. I am lucky enough to have 2 granddaughters and one grandson that have started collecting.

 

Why do you say it's to scam the collector? It's not to sell more product (which would be the scam). It's a cool thing the mint did, with out publicity.

 

If I was a cat (god forbid), I'd want the box. No need for the coin or the COA, just the box.

 

What the heck is this supposed to be anyway? Does the mint director bless the coin press or something?

 

Thanks for the education re: Schrodinger's cat. Maybe more like Pandora's box. It may be a cool thing, but the coin itself is not distinguished from any of the others that were minted. Just disappointed in that a TPGSs would designate the coin as a Director's Strike if it came to them in a Mint-sealed box (even if there were 20 other coins in that box), and because the box was opened, it loses that designation. That's unfair.

 

I think you misunderstood the message: Actually, the Director's strike was going to slow delivery, but some conscientious Mint workers crossed the picket line to get the coins delivered. Good for them!

 

I won one of the "Silver Tickets" at the ANA show so that I could buy one of the Director's Strike coins. PCGS sent reps to the mint booth to escort the coins back to their table so that they could verify the coin, indistinguishable from any other, wasn't swapped out for one that wasn't a Director's Strike. I told the Mint Director that they should have put some sort of marking or "easter egg" on one of the dies somewhere so that the 200 coins she struck would truly be different, a suggestion I'm sure she heard throughout the show. Her response was a bit of a blank stare.

 

The commemorative coin is the same. No design or metal change, engraver's or privy marks. The presentation box is the same. The paper descriptive insert is different. The numismatic adage used to be "buy the coin, not the label" amongst a sea of gimmicky Official's signature or Limited Edition slab labels. The US Mint picks up speed down the slippery "crap-collectible" slope to Franklin Mint and pay-TV faux Numismatics status each and every year. The US Mint (and government in general) view of the US public as a bunch of moronic imbeciles...while they play the PT Barnum and Professor Marvel (Wizard of Oz) roles with stunning cunning.

 

Egged on by the TPGs and their first strike early release signed by some obscure person stuff. But hey, I guess it sells.

 

I think the term "crapectible" (collectible/crap) or "cralectible" describes it best. The latter rolls off the tongue with greater ease

 

I suppose the mint has been at this for a very long time, in one way or another. For the Columbian half, they pulled coins 1, 400, 1492 and 1892 out from the first production run. There was nothing to distinguish those either, and I don't think anyone knows where they are now.

 

It might be a selling point (op coin) but doubt hardly anybody pay extra money for it in after market.

 

Happens quite often with government officials........

 

This anecdote affirms my (perhaps unfair) impression that the Mint just doesn't understand its customers. Maybe she thought the original idea of the COA as a raffle-type reward was great, not understanding that without a definitive provenance linking the coin and the COA, the product would have no value in the market.

 

The wacky gimmickry never ends.

 

If they had sent one to me, it would have been a waste. I really don't care who pushed the button.

 

But can't you feel the aura of the mint director imbued in the coin?

 

No.

And the answer is "HELL NO" if it's the Mint Director before this one. He was about as anti-collector as you could get. He slipped stuff out the backdoor to his dealer buddies before collectors had a shot at it, and he charged an outrageous price for the 2021 Proof set which had three fewer coins in it.

If he'd pushed the button, I'd be spraying for koodies.