Satin Finish Coins

HSN is no place to get coin info:kewl:

 

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I called the Mint PR dep't, and was told they haven't heard of it. But who in the US gov't. would be the last to know? Of course, The Mint minions.

 

The mint has made numerous conflicting statements about the mint set coins. The fact is that since 1965 a great deal of extra care has gone into making them. They use the old numismatic presses set at slower speeds and new dies. Extra tonnage is applied and the coins are washed and dried. Sometimes extra care is taken with the dies and in recent years and in the '60's polished planchets were sometimes used.

The only difference with the satin finish coins is that the dies are plated with chrome.

Mint statements about these coins seem to depend largely on which department was making them but it was 1997 before the mint finally admitted these sets are different. It's almost as though they were waiting for someone to notice.

Tom Delorey once had an article in Coinage magazine that suggested that these were the mint's "secret coins". He was actually able to tour part of the area where these were made and report but no photos were allowed through most of it.

I've been watching these sets since the mid-70's and find each and every one to be just fascinating. Many people would look at them and wonder why anyone would care since most of the coins are banged up but try finding these same coins from BU rolls. No one set many aside so it's too late now but the coins in the rolls were not only banged up but they were poorly made by worn dies. You could find gems in circulation but finding them in mint sets would be comparable to shooting fish in a barrel.

 

What's the OP question?

 

That's you old fellow.....

Has anyone heard (and have a source) for HSN's report that the US MInt will no longer make satin finish coins after 2009? If it's true, I can't believe it, just when the Mint got it right! Why buy uncirculated mint sets if they're the same coins one can get at aface value from a bank? I for one will stop buying uncirculated mint sets if the satins are gone.


Read more: http://www.cointalk.com/t85325-2/#ixzz0b2e33rLG

 

OP....Original Poster.

 

Talked to the guy who I heard it from today. He said he called the mint and the person he talked to heard nothing about it. I'll tell you, if the Mint is leaking information to HSN before the public, I'm calling the Mint and raising heck!

 

Aren't the mintages of the satin finish coins combined with all the business strike coins? I guess one could very easily determine how many satin finish coins were produced by using the mint set mintages as a guide, but I have never seen seperate mintage numbers for satin vs. business strike coins.

 

All mint set mintages before 1999 were combined with the regular mintages. Since 1999 they are reported separately.

 

You know that's another point. Mint set mintages, thus the satin mintages since 2005 are published, but I'd like to see The Red Book publish satin mintages by year along with the respective coin type, as is done with proof coins. In other words, it's time for The Red Book to recognize satins as a variety. There's another letter to write [to The Red Book].

 

Ok people, let's get on the phone until we get someone at The Mint to tell us what's going on with future satin production. 1-800-USA-MINT. Thanks

 

I have seen some mint sets that appear to look better than others, so I agree, at times it may be easier to find gems in these sets, which may ad significant value to the mint sets. Yet, at times, they do appear to be pretty banged up.

Any comparison of mint sets made prior to 2005 and mint sets made from 2005 on with the high grade satin finish coins, is like comparing apples & oranges. The mint sets prior to 2005 may offer an opportunity to find high grade examples of high mintage coins, which does ad value to these sets. The mint sets made from 2005 to date offer high grade satin finish coins that are a distinct easily identifiable variety that are low mintage. The search for the high grade satin finish coin centers around the MS68/MS69 level within a low mintage population and the MS68/MS69 satin coin is one beautiful coin to add to your collection. These satin finish coins offer a perfect example of, "Buy the coin, not the label", as these mint sets are not mint sets in the historical sense, they are sets that offer a well made examples of a distinct variety of coin.

 

Has anyone called/emailed those HSN hucksters to stand by their claims?

 

Yeah, I call HSN and the guy who was assigned to take an order didn't know what I was talking about. That's a heck of a statement for HSN to make with no back up and if it's true, it's a heck of a thing for HSN to have inside information like before it's announced to the public.

 

Many of those TV coin show hosts often talk about reading their emails from customers... does HSN have a way to contact the host who said this?

 

I actually tried, and failed to find any contact information for any of the 'hosts' on HSN. I thought the same thing and figured I would try and see what happens. The only contact is for Customer Service.

I am going to try calling the Mint directly tomorrow. Not the customer services number, but this one - Michael White, Office of Public Affairs
(202) 354-7222.

 

Thanks Space!

 

Cool, that's what I like, let's "get in their face", but be courteous, at least at first. I'm calling tomorrow too.

 

Are you now saying the sets before satin did get extra care?

 

Pro'bly just get his secretary who, I'm sure, will be totally clueless....

Then again, may be worth a shot.