Just paid a visit to the Denver U.S. Mint gift shop

[Prethen]

[also posted "across the street"]

I drove down to the Mint for my lunch break and I got to pick through several of the 2005 Silver Proof sets that they just got so I could pick the "best one". They're really cool over there and obliging to collectors like ourselves. The coins looked immaculate. Yeah, there might be some extremely small, insignificant spots but overall they looked great. One of the cases had some long, streaky handling marks on it, but no big deal. I have to say, I would have been pretty satisfied if the cashier would have handed one of these sets to me blindly and I had no option to look through them. I just had to pay the 7.6% sales tax for a total of $40.61 plus $0.50 for parking.

 

Now, that you don't need a congressman to get you into the U.S. Mint here in Denver, the gift shop looked like it was doing pretty well. Lots of people enthusiastically buying up the knick-knacks and stuff. In the several minutes I was there, I overheard a couple of people asking about the Oregon quarters. I'd have to say, the State Quarter program has likely done wonders for our hobby. Now, we just have to wait a few years to see who of those new collectors move on to become more advanced.

 

It was a bit discouraging to see overpriced, classic junk being sold by the gift shop in the display cases. I realize that the gift shop is a private entity, but it still seemed out-of-place to see "mint made" products being packaged in a way to sell to someone at an over-inflated price. For a couple of examples: A dollar set (1 1921 circ. Morgan, 1 1923 circ. Peace, 200- Silver Eagle, 2 Eisenhowers, etc.) sells for $100 there, while a U.S. Mint set of silver coins (G/VG Barbers, Morgan, Peace, and other recent common stuff) sells for $200.

 

Bruce

[shirohniichan]

"It was a bit discouraging to see overpriced, classic junk being sold by the gift shop in the display cases."

 

They sell slabbed coins there?!

 

I haven't been to the Denver Mint since 1981. I'm glad to hear the gift shop is still in business (unlike the Old Mint in San Francisco).