It may have already been mentioned somewhere else but they should try to put an actual number on the striked set. It could be like "7 of 100,000" like the art world uses on reprints. The mint could make some extra money by creating an auction for the first 100 or so of them. I bet the price could go quite high for 1 of 100,000.
http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?IDArticle=2204 They needed to be postmarked to NGC by December 8, 2011 to be eligible for "early release" label. Probably similar date for PCGS.
Heck, who needs 'early release' designation anyway? The set looks very charming in it's original format..........
Earlier this year, I bought a set of 5 off eBay in an un-opened box that would have qualified for early releases too. I simply didn't care about the designation as it's a marketing ploy to create a rarity where none exists. I opened the boxes to make sure the sets were present and now am holding on to them.