US Mint suggestion

Just scrolling around and I see South Korea puts out gold coins on differently colored cards. This got me thinking about a tremendous waste I see with modern collecting, the mint packaging many times tossed aside and wasted. I wonder if the mint should introduce different inserts into their packaging, changing them up throughout the year or randomly. Have them printed so people could not mix and match previous years, but maybe have 40% of the proof sets one background color, 50% another, and a third only 10% of the sets. For things like commemorative silver dollars do this on the inside packaging of the box.

Yeah, I know gimmicky, but not really any more gimmicky than what TPGs are doing, like early release, colored insets, autographs, etc. At least this way the mint, and ultimately US taxpayers, would benefit instead of private corporations. Additionally, maybe less mint packaging would go to waste.

 

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If the mint does anything that would appear to be an enhancement the cost would go up. A plain brown wrapper suits me.

 

No they wouldn't unless you're going to charge more for the rare packaging. All you would do is increase the cost to make products having random packaging like that especially since the volume for it would be much lower.

 

I don't follow. Surely the TPGs slab more coins by offering variation. You do not think more proof sets would be bought hoping to receive all three colors? Selling more coins is where the mints profit would be. Surely the TPGs do not have a stranglehold on that racket

The "red background" mint product would be the same as early release or MS70 is for TPGs, driving enhanced sales because some will view it as a "superior product".

 

There's no racket with labels they are very straight forward.

If the mint sells all three packaging options you are suggesting for the same price all they have done is increase their cost of production which harms the tax payer and their bottom line. There's not even any assurance they would even sell of of them if it is actually random, if its not random them your now paying someone to monitor and actually have a racket

 

The cost to the mint may be one to two cents due to less volume per color ordered. However, only 1% higher proof set sales would more than pay for that.

I am trying to minimize packaging casually wasted by those who feel the need to submit coins to the TPG to create variations that are missing from the mint. The mint sells direct to the public, and they have a random chance of receiving different colored packaging of the coins. Let's make it 4 colors, 49% chance black, 40% chance of green, 10% chance of red, and 1% chance of gold. Now they have no need to buy from the large aftermarket players who have submitted coins to TPG for THEIR differentiate packaging, early release, different color label, MS70, autograph, etc. Don't worry, MCM would still have a market buying up and reselling red and gold packaged products for those who want "the best", but now the TPG does not have to get paid, collectors have equal ability to get rarer packaging, and we save the environment on wasted packaging.

Win, win, win all around to me except the TPGs get cut out of their current windfall. I am sure the TV promoters could sell these as easily as they sell the differentiated slabs.

 

By making more packaging and increasing costs? If you want to get rid of packaging being thrown away which is always has and always will be then they need to get rid of the packaging

No, those are still ungraded raw coins and REAL autographs have a value themselves as well. Changing the packaging doesn't make a coin graded it makes the cost of production go up, and gives more of a chance for more different designations.

No the TPG doesn't get cut out at all, not sure why you want that anyways but all your suggestion does is increase the cost and give a greater chance for more designations and all that packaging will end up in the trash just like it does now.

Like it or not graded coins won the battle over raw many years ago and that isn't going to change

The mint could start doing what the Royal mint does and have their coins graded themselves to sell if you really want to cut out the middle man dealers

 

Added to the costs, already alluded to, is the development of a color scheme, a convened panel to narrow down the colors to be used and the proper nomenclature to be printed, then offer recommendations. Next, a committee would have to be put together to review the recommendations, opinions of experts for various aspects of the project would have to be hired as consultants........... A typical bureaucratic nightmarish process years in the making and who will foot the bill? I vote no because it will only cost me more money in the end.

 

Maybe the Government, and specifically Treasury and U.S. Mint, should not be involved in such pursuits and schemes and 'limited" product lines at all.

 

What are you referring to? Like variant packaging? Something like the chase cards in baseball cards, or hotwheels mystery cars, or variant comic book covers?

generally speaking coin collectors don't care about the packaging. they want the coins. I want it to be nice enough to not damage the coins, but that's about it as far as that goes. I'm not going to buy more proof eagles if they release 10 W proofs on different colored cards, I just need 1.

 

Good Point and I agree. All we need is ANOTHER bureaucratic appointment of a Director of The Colored Slab-First Issue-Signed slab department of US Treasury. Hell they cannot manage what they have now.
Stay Safe

 

Yes, basically variant packaging. Think about it, why are all of those "special" labels made for TPGs? Its all effectively variant packaging. "Graded" moderns, give me a break. 99% of all collectors can not reliably tell 69s from 70's. "Early Release" is a scam. Who would ever value an autograph encased in a slab? Its all packaging gimmicks. Why not have the mint, and by extension the US public, profit off such variant packaging instead of TPGs?

Look at the ONE member who quickly jumps into all such conversations here. He is ALWAYS defending and promoting TPGs and doing everything he can to derail any potential hiccup in their business model. Yet, curiously, when asked never reveals who writes his paycheck.

 

I think we commercialize the appearances of our money way too much nowadays, already...and esp with this colorizing that I've heard about. To each their own.

 

I'm from the old school.....

 

+1 Robert...

 

I haven't bought anything from the Royal Mint. Can you explain your comment about the Royal Mint having their coins graded themselves?
Isn't that self-serving. If they grade their own coins, the higher the grade, the higher the price, which goes into their pocket. It would be better to have a grading department completely independent of the production and sales.

 

If the end of that post is referring to me as "the ONE member" , I don't work for TPGs, Nor have I ever purchased a slabbed coin, or sent anything for grading as of yet, I have nothing against them, it's a business, that's their business model. in fact, I don't sell coins either, I coin roll hunt, and I once sold my surplus silver in 2011 when it peaked, that's it. I have no skin in the game at all. *edit* if I did use a TPG, it would probably be ANACS because it's cheap and kind of no frills.


But if it was up to me,,,,,
So maybe the mint strikes everything and sends it to a TPG on a bulk grading and slabbing deal, the TPG grades everything and blind boxes them individually, and returns it to the mint for sales to customers.

Then the mint sells them AS IS, No returns.
They can publish the grades of all pieces also before it goes on sale too!
I can't imagine this process would cost any more or take any longer than the mints current proprietary packaging, manufacturing and order fulfillment., and remove the additional step of people sending things to be graded.

Then, you buy 100, you get 100, and you can't return any. maybe you get the perfect 70 in there, maybe you don't. Maybe it's a 65 oh well, that's the gamble, flip it on Ebay.

One thing is for sure, if the mint does the grading and slabbing in inert sonically sealed holders, people aren't going to believe it and send it to a TPG anyways.

 

I read NGC will grade the Royal Mint coins, all, some, first strikes, etc. ??

 

Yeah I've seen The UK "the Royal Mint" graded coins on their site, not the canada mint site though.