Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;jaceravone, post: 671038, member: 9474&quot;]Cloudsweeper....how can you call these &quot;artificially scare&quot;?&nbsp; The mintages are what they are.&nbsp; These numbers are driven by the number of collectors who are actually purchasing these.&nbsp; And then your comment about the mint using &quot;artificial scarcity&quot; to trick collectors so they can sell for higher premiums is absurd.&nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>For the past year, I have been wanting to address this issue, but I wanted to do it right with the correct info, but obviously this is something that needs to be address now.&nbsp; The mint is a business first and foremost that operates like any other business at a profit.&nbsp; Just because they are the &quot;US Mint&quot; doesn&#039;t mean that they are buying gold or any other precious metal at a discount.&nbsp; Why would the people who mine these metals sell them at a discount when they can just turn around and sell them anywhere else for at least melt or more likely a profit.&nbsp; They are a for profit business too.&nbsp; Next once that gold is mined, it has to be sent off to be extracted and processed in pure ore.&nbsp; That costs money.&nbsp; Next that ore has to be sent off and mixed into the correct purity for the coins.&nbsp; That costs money.&nbsp; Next the gold metal is now made into coining strips and rolled into big rolls.&nbsp; That costs money.&nbsp; Then once this achieved, it is shipped off to the mint.&nbsp; This costs money.&nbsp; Then through several processes, those metal strips are then worked on until planchets are stamped from them. That costs money.&nbsp; Then comes the whole burnishing process and actual minting process.&nbsp; That costs money.&nbsp; Don&#039;t forget the very nice packaging that the coins come in.....because, yes, that costs money too.&nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Regardless of whether or not I forgot a few processes above or things are out of order, the point that everyone forgets is that it costs money to get from the gold mines to your house.&nbsp; That is the surcharge that is being charged.&nbsp; Once you all realize this, buying these coins at the prices that the mint charges becomes a little bit less painful.&nbsp; Notice how I didn&#039;t say painless, just less painful.&nbsp; Someone has to pay for all those cost and that person is you...... as it should be.&nbsp; This mint is into making money.&nbsp; You can&#039;t make money if you give stuff away.&nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I know this first hand because I own a business that deals with a process very similar to above.&nbsp; Customers love the end product, but they just don&#039;t realize what costs go into making the ending product.&nbsp; Those that get it come back and those that don&#039;t get it, don&#039;t come back.&nbsp; That is just life and business.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in