I was delighted to see this because the set’s temporary disappearance from the schedule had upset a number of people who emailed me in recent weeks to ask what might be going on.

This interest in trusty old mint sets, as they were usually called when I first began to buy them in the late 1960s, surprised me. I kind of figured that buyers were taking these sets more out of duty than of interest.

However, simple duty doesn’t usually impel people to send me emails to find out when the 2013 set will be offered.

It is good to see that one of the building blocks of numismatics still has a role to play in the life of collectors and has not been totally overshadowd by the many high-value precious metals issues.

Price of the 2013 uncirculated coin set is $27.95. Naturally, my memory kicks in and I have to compare it to the $2.50 price of the first mint set I ever purchased, the 1969 issue.

There are many more coins in this year’s set with far higher face value. The 1969 set was down right small in comparison with just three cents, two nickels, two dimes, two quarters and a half dollar in it.

I salute all collectors who still insist on getting a mint set each year.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is editor of the weekly newspaper “Numismatic News.”

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It is a perfect echo of the American dilemma over what to do with the two lowest denominations in our circulating coinage.

Half of the coin supply in the euro zone is comprised of these two little coins. I have had the opportunity to spend them and receive them in change while I have been in Berlin the last six years.

As in the United States, there are far more opportunities to receive them in change than to spend and they accumulate.

What will be decided in Europe I cannot say.

But in a way, the European situation is a tribute to the stability of the United States monetary system and the general logic of it.

The euro has only had physical form since 2002. That’s when these two denominations were introduced along with other coins up to 2 euros in value. The system was the product of numerous meetings that occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Wouldn’t you think the architects of the euro could have created a system that would not need a revision of this type just 11 years later?

I would.

I have mentioned from time to time that the U.S. cent composition situation, which swung to a net cost to the government in 2006, should not take so long to resolve.

I still believe that.

But at least the copper-coated zinc composition had put in 24 years of service before the current cost situation arose (and 31 years to date).

The adoption of copper-coated zinc for the cent in 1982 obviously was a wise choice. We as taxpayers got our money’s worth.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is editor of the weekly newspaper “Numismatic News.”

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The Mint has practiced that axiom in spades where its National Baseball Hall of Fame coin design competition is concerned.

When the adult entry deadline passed May 11, the total number of entries was 178 designs.

The Mint had prepared a fallback position of being able to end the monthlong entry period early in case it received more than 10,000 entries.

No worries there. The Mint was being very safe and now will not be sorry.

With just 178 entries, the five retired professional baseball players who will judge them, have caught a break.

I cannot imagine having to sort through 10,000 of anything. Even to properly review 178 will take some time.

Good luck to them and I hope they make us proud, but no matter what is chosen, there will be some sort of feedback that the final decision is the wrong one.

But playing before fans for many years probably has prepared these individuals for a stray numismatic heckler or two.

Who are the judges?

According to the Mint they are Joe Morgan (second baseman, elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990); Brooks Robinson (third baseman, elected 1983); Ozzie Smith (shortstop, elected 2002); Don Sutton (pitcher, elected 1998); and Dave Winfield (outfielder, elected 2001.

Good luck to them. I can’t wait to see what they come up with.

In this competition individuals 14 years old and older could make a submission for what the obverse side of the 2014 commemoratives should look like.

The prize is $5,000 plus having the winning artist’s initials on it.

All three denominations will feature  the winning design in the 2014 program. They are a clad half dollar, silver dollar and $5 gold piece.

The Kids’ Baseball Coin Design Challenge continues until June 28. Judges in this portion of the competition will be the public who will vote their preferences online.

The rules are posted on the Mint’s website at:

http://kidsbatterup.challenge.gov/

Good luck to all.

A comment on yesterday’s blog was sent to me by former American Numismatic Association President Gary Lewis. I will post it below:

“You stated ‘The caller wanted to know what he died of, because it was a documented fact that everybody who has ever handled a 1974 aluminum cent has died of cancer.’ There are several members of the 1974 Assay Commission that handled the 1974 aluminum cents that are still alive including myself.

“I also knew Alan Herbert for over 30 years, first as an expert in error coins and later on the ANA Board of Governors. He was a great gentlemen.”

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is editor of the weekly newspaper “Numismatic News.”

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The blog I wrote as the day began will not win any Pulitzer Prizes. This one won’t either.

As you might guess, this topic springs from a telephone call I received yesterday. It was one of many, but it is  the ultimate illustration of strange.

The caller told me he had just learned of the death of Alan Herbert, longtime author of the “Coin Clinic” question and answer column. He seemed to be concerned, but he quickly veered into the topic of a 1974 aluminum cent that Alan had written about in 2005.

Naturally, I expected that he had further information or had been in the middle of some sort of correspondence with Alan when he had passed on.

The caller wanted to know when Alan died. I told him it was in January.

But then he veered off the road I thought we were on and he told me in a manner to establish his bona fides that he was the owner of many of the major rarities of the past, the 1804 dollar, the 1913 nickel, the 1943 bronze cent. He said he owned all but the 1933 $20 gold piece.

The thought flashed through my mind that they were all made in China, but I held my tongue.

Then the conversation veered back to Alan. The caller wanted to know what he died of, because it was a documented fact that everybody who has ever handled a 1974 aluminum cent has died of cancer.

At that point I giggled.

I couldn’t help myself.

Alan was 86 years old (I said to the caller he was 83, because that was the number that had come to mind.) I was trying to make the case that it was simply Alan’s time.

The caller paused and then tried to make his cancer point again.

I giggled again.

I guess I figured both this call and the day were lost causes.

My reaction agitated the caller a bit and he quickly ended the call.

Fortunately for me every day has an end point, and a new one comes along.

I am looking forward to a much better day today.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is editor of the weekly newspaper “Numismatic News.”

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I checked the price of gold on the Kitco website and at $1,433 a troy ounce, it has hardly budged from the close on Friday.  Silver is at $23.81.

My thoughts also run to base metals. The U.S. Mint’s monthly production numbers for April are available and they show that production was over 1.1 billion coins during the month.

That’s a good number as it continues the uptrend of recovery from the lows of 2009.

I have written from time to time that the state of the U.S. economy is reflected in the demand for circulating coins. Rising production numbers mean rising economic activity. I expect the relationship to continue this year.

As if right on cue rather than simply by coincidence, while I was getting ready for work this morning, I heard an ad on the radio for a job at the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, which is about 15 miles from Iola.

The home had advertised a different category of jobs last week. That’s probably another good sign for the economy, but on a smaller scale.

Even collectors’ high demand levels last week for the two-coin silver West Point American Eagle, which went on sale Thursday, can be construed as being a positive reflection of the state of the economy.

If times are getting better, that is good for us all.

Now I just have to hope that my Monday will get better. That might be a taller order.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is editor of the weekly newspaper “Numismatic News.”

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In less than two and a half hours, orders for 88,000 sets were received and I had a couple of complaints from readers about the slowness of the Mint’s website.

Before I went home, another reader forwarded me a copy of his electronic order confirmation showing the set was back ordered until July 25.

By this morning at 7:05 Eastern time, orders stood at 140,648, according to Mint figures. The first day of sales for last year’s two-coin San Francisco Eagle set was 85,341.

Demand obviously is high.

The question, though, is why?

Is it the enhanced uncirculated coin in the set, the reverse proof, or perhaps the combination?

Is it the result of collectors eager to get the sets in hand to see if they can get Proof-70 and MS-70 grades from grading services as well as early issue status?

Collectors have four weeks until June 6 to place their orders and there is no risk that they will not get what they order. The Mint will strike as many coins as collectors want to buy.

Or have collectors been reading such a steady diet of “don’t believe the statistics” stories about the economy that they don’t take the Mint at its word that everyone will get their sets?

Whatever the reason, the Mint is to be congratulated for creation of a desirable set.

I also wouldn’t worry too much about any collector complaints about the website. The fact that it backs up seems to create in would-be buyers a desire to want the set all the more.

If there were no order back-ups, would collectors buy as many sets? I am beginning to doubt it.

The rate of sales will fall off going forward, but it now looks like the Mint has a clear shot at producing more 2013 West Point sets than 2012 San Francisco sets, which saw 224,981 produced.

American Eagles still rule the collector roost.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is editor of the weekly newspaper “Numismatic News.”

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Will the set appeal to collectors to the same degree previous silver Eagle sets did?

We had the 5-coin set in 2011 where the limited mintage of 100,000 caused an ordering tidal wave to smash against the Mint’s website.

Last year’s two-coin San Francisco set was a much more subdued affair, because collectors could order all they wanted. In the end, they claimed almost a quarter million of the sets for themselves.

The West Point set will see the same policy of minting as many sets as are ordered continued. For the next four weeks collectors will be able to decide whether they want to buy the set or not.

Will they opt to do so?

History teaches us that the longer similar offers are made, the less interest collectors show in them.

On the other hand, this is the silver American Eagle we are talking about. It is not just any old offer.

We will see a reverse proof included in the West Point set. Collectors have seen reverse proofs before.

But we will also see an enhanced uncirculated silver Eagle in the set. This is new. We have not seen the like before.

Collectors will want to examine it closely. If they are pleased with it, they might send a few more orders in.

Because of the inclusion of the enhanced uncirculated coin, there is a logic to calling this set a first year of issue rather than the third of recent years (or the fourth if we go back to 2006).

A first year of issue is generally exciting and collectors get a bit carried away in the number of coins ordered.

Will that happen today and during the next four weeks?

Certainly the Mint will hope so.

It is possible that the two forces, third or fourth time boredom cancels out first enhanced uncirculated enthusiasm?

Where would that leave us?

At about the same order total as last year’s San Francisco set.

Once you have made your decision, sit back and watch this sales event unfold.

Good luck.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is editor of the weekly newspaper “Numismatic News.”

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At the same time, I guess the United States has marked decades of talking about a dollar coin. Depending on where you start counting, you could say this American dollar conversation began in 1969 when Dwight Eisenhower died and politicians were looking for a coin on which to place his image.

Only the dollar was a possibility then  because nobody wanted to be stymied by vested interests relating to the portraits on the cent through half dollar.

You might begin counting the years of discussion from the Research Triangle Institute report of 1975, or the introduction of the Anthony dollar in 1979.

Certainly the pages of Numismatic News were alive with the pros and cons during this time.

Britain’s change in 1983 sparked another round of discussion. That isn’t surprising.

The challenging part for the United States was never introducing dollar coins. We keep doing that over and over and failing.

The challenge is abolishing the one dollar note so that the coin will be used.

We are stuck.

If the United States had abolished the one dollar bill in 1983 as Britain did its one pound note, would anybody remember today what the objections to this course of action were?

Probably not.

American memory is quickly wiped clean and we move on to other topics.

But in the case of the dollar coin, the topic comes up over and over again. I have no doubt some new dollar coin or coins will follow the Presidential dollar series.

Congratulations to Great Britain on having made a decision and gotten on with life.

For American coin collectors, the dollar coin versus dollar bill discussion is like watching our own reruns of That ’70s Show.

Perhaps like the television program, the dollar discussion reminds us of when we were young.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is editor of the weekly newspaper “Numismatic News.”

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I’d like to think I do, but being subjected to the full-force of high pressure sales tactics I wonder.

I telephoned to order a consumer product I saw and thought might be useful.

I expected it to be a simple transaction. I would tell the operator what I wanted, provide credit and delivery information and hang up.

Simple.

As the old TV ads used to say, “Wait, there’s more.”

The high-pressure sales pitch followed.

“You’re spending W dollars. Do you want this handy-dandy add-on that will cost you only  X dollars a month more for three months (and doubles the price of the transaction)?

“No? Well, you’re breathing right? You care about things? Right? We’ll send you this other amazing little item and it will cost you only Y dollars a month, but, of course, you can always send it back if you don’t like it. There’s a 30-day return privilege.

“No? Well, we will send you these free gifts to try out. Then next month we will send you more for only Z dollars a month.

“And if you don’t like them, you can always send them back for a full refund.”

After fast talk and the clock ticking away I finally said that I was no longer comfortable dealing with the firm, please cancel my order.

“Why?

“You called us, didn’t you?

“You wanted our handy-dandy product, didn’t you?

“For just W dollars we can get what you called us to order delivered to you in three to five days.”

I repeated, “No, please cancel the order.”

Over and over and over again.

That turned into a half hour I will never get back.

But I learned a valuable lesson.

And naturally I will be watching my credit card statement to make sure there is no funny business.

Because the question, “You called us, didn’t you?” is still ricocheting around my brain.

Yes I did. What a mistake it was.

But then I have grown used to the courteous and efficient service of U.S. Mint telephone operators and apparently forgot that there is another kind.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is editor of the weekly newspaper “Numismatic News.”

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I did not receive anything interesting in my change in the past few days, but I did notice a number of new “Help Wanted” signs at various businesses.

Have we reached a general uptick in business?

That would be a good thing for numismatics at what I call the popular level.

Prices of proof sets and mint sets and state quarters were depressed by the recession. Average collectors were hard pressed to meet their family budgets in the past five years. When that happens, numismatic assets that can be easily sold often are.

Those assets are the popular sets that many collectors buy each year.

Perhaps an increase in general hiring will send prices higher as previously hard pressed collectors can breathe a little easier.

We’ll see.

There is no way I can know what percentage of hobbyists were forced to cut back on numismatic purchases, or sell off portions of their collections during the hard times.

What I can say is that many of us have been there. The 1968 proof set that I currently own is not the set that I bought in 1968. That first set is long gone. It went along with others when I needed funds.

When my discretionary income rose, I bought back some of the items that I had previously owned but had disposed of.

That still doesn’t make that 1968 set a good investment. I have what I would have to say is an emotional investment in the proof set, and for its few dollars of value I do not plan to break it.

I expect others out there would like to buy back at least some of what they were separated from by economic necessity. That process should help firm up prices.

If  you are of a mind to buy some of the collector sets issued since the state quarter program began in 1999, now might be a good time to get ahead of the returning crowd.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is editor of the weekly newspaper “Numismatic News.”

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