I hate t0 slam on something free but with the emails and the play up the website I was hoping it would be something special. A new product or a product that is only offered with a purchase over a dollar amount like a special clad coin that you couldn't buy otherwise. On the positive side the roll hunters now have a official bag to carry their coins to the counting machines.
Actually what you are alluding to is something I have advocated for a long time. The mint should have some variability with their products. Maybe one in 50 proof sets come with one of the coins with a W mintmark. Maybe allow a reverse proof commemorative coin to be ordered if someone spent a certain amount this year with the mint, a coin, (one per household), that cannot be ordered by regular means. Maybe make a special off-metal cent set available for a short period. The possibilities are endless, but their product offerings just seem kind of stale.
Agree with both. I don't bother with the mint products directly, just grab what I want when they hit eBay. Sometimes I lose out on the price as they jump, but I can't spend that kind of money on every issue "just in case", especially when there's no difference in the product. As mentioned, if there's something that specially rewards the repeat customers, it makes things interesting, and I believe would sell a lot more product. If an idea like the "1 in 50" specialty were there, you'd probably have a bunch of folks buying 50, 100 or more proof sets in a shot just to get that special issue which could probably be flipped for a good penny to fill back in some of the money spent on the hoard. Do you think the mint would listen to enough customers? I've been known to sign an online petition every once in a while, wondering if one was started suggesting something like that to the Mint if they'd listen. Or as they say, will it "take an act of Congress" to change it?
I assume you are referring to one of the canvas bags that were used for either cents, nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars or dollars. A few years ago, they used to sell them for $7.95 each. Chris
In reference to Prime Mover and medoraman recommending specials rewards for purchasing mint products, I think you might get a lot of upset customers. Look at all the heat they took by not having enough 25th Anniversary ASE sets available. To go out an intentionally create a program which would cause 49 out of 50 collectors to be left out in the cold, could do more damage than good. Do they even have that latitude to do it without congressional approval? It sounds like a program for the secondary market to make more money on. IMHO.
It would have been nice for this offer to be at the same time the ASE Proofs came out. Probaby was by design to be after. I guess I will need to wait till the AGE Proofs come out or the Baseball coins.
Hmm, a bag i can carry around to advertise that 1) I collect valuable coins and 2) I am currently not at home. Maybe they should also give out a bag that says PLEASE ROB ME.
Really! I intentionally carry coins in a nondescript bag that does not draw attention. If the mint wants to increase sales, they need to get their prices back to reality. Heck, the post office knows how to do it and they're happy with the "seigniorage" from Jenny stamps at face value.
