Over the Passover Holiday we got a few interesting coins, but the first is the arrival of our 7 American Silver Eagle Proofs for 2007. These coins come in a new horizontal packaging which is seemingly designed to allow the coins to be more easily displayed in the case. So I took some photo's, which are not as good photo's as I'd like, but are good first shots of the coin. These coins are so perfect that I can't tell the photos of different coins from each other, so one will due for now Ruben
:thumb: I have a 2001 sitting in front of me at work. Hard not to just sit there and stare at it. Thanks for sharing.
Like the new packaging.... not only does it make it easier to display but since it's more compact, it's also easier to store.
I have read all the letters in coinworld and many of the forums going after the Mint for one thing or another. Nope, they aren't perfect. But what a great bunch of products they have produced in recent years. The Proof Eagles are tops. I love moderns. So sue me. I even like the new dollar program. I take out and admire these newer products as much as I do my Morgans.
??? That suprising somehow? A good portion of what I collect has been issued by the US Mint at some time, if I never had anything nice to say about them I'd only collect foreign coins, lol...
Well I confess I'm sometimes annoyed at modern Mint practices, mostly failing to keep up with consistent release dates, fufilling orders in a reasonably timely fashion, and ocassionally making commemoratives with uninteresting designs or subjects that have no logical reason to be commemorated in a given year, but for the most part I'm reasonably satisfied with most of the products they put out. "Hate" is too strong a word, it'd be more accurate that I'm mildly annoyed about 10% of the time with the modern mint, with even less than that for historical issues. (As the risk of sounding blasphemous to coin collectors, I don't especially care for the Barber designs, for example, but like most of the rest of what the mint's put out). I'm not happy with the mint 100% of the time, but on balance I have a lot more positive things about them to say than negative. If it seems like I complain a lot, that's due to the fact that one is naturally more motivated to complain about that which bothers them than to praise what they like.
before bashing the us mint we should look at mints the world over. i think the us mint is best by far in terms of customer service and the design of the coins. but thats just my opinion i have bought coins from most of the mints in the world some of them don't even have a web ordering system. i think its good to benchmark before we push our expectations sky high and start criticizing the mint like there is no tomorrow.
They have good designs; the Marine Corps dollar is one of the favorite things I own that the mint has produced (only complaints are that the 230th anniversary isn't that much of a benchmark; why not 225th or 250th? And why does the 2005 date need to be on the coin twice? Other than that, beuatiful coin.) Of course on the other extreme is rediculous designs like the Korean War commemorative (Too cluttered and just an outright ugly design.) It kind of suprises me what the mint passes over commemorating... last year was the 100th anniversary of the Denver Mint, and they did nothing for it, but still decided to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the old San Francisco Mint NOT getting destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. Huh? And they commemorated the 230th anniversary of the Marine Corps (not saying the Marines don't deserve commemorating, but why not wait for a more round number to commemorate, like the 250th? Again, still love that coin though.), but nothing for the 50th or 60th anniversary of the Air Force, or for any other branch of the military for that matter (at least not specifically). The designs are kind of hit and miss... this year I passed on the Jamestown commemorative, just didn't care for the design, but am actually looking forward to the Desegregation dollar, like the reverse especially. (Anyone know a specifc release date for that? Mint still only says May). I'm not a basher of the US Mint... like I said I like most of what they produced and are producing, but not 100% of it. When they do something or make something I don't like I'll call them on it though. Still compared to other mints, they do a pretty good job. I'd say my overall approval of them is about 90%. 90% is still an A.
Yep, best the Mint can do is make suggestions to Congress. (Wish they'd do that more...) To be honest, I have many more complaints about what the Mint doesn't do than what they do. There are limited to a degree though. Best that can be hoped for is that groups recognize people events that should be commemorated and lobby Congress to pass coin legislation for them. All commemoratives were (and are) essentially fund-raising campaigns though and it's the organizations that make the most pressing case to Congress that essentially get their pick about what is or isn't commemorated. The Mint does get some leeway with the actual designs though; they're given specifications but can choose the designs specifics themselves as long as the specifications are met. So they do have to answer for their designs to a degree if not for what coins are issued. (Whoever designed the Korean War commemorative, I'm looking at you, lol...) Anyway sorry for detouring the thread a little... back to the 2007 American Silver Eagles. They do look nice, and as I said before do like the new packaging.
