Stores have clearance sales. Now the U.S. Mint will have one too.

Starting at 12:01 a.m. Nov. 15, the Mint will be offering hundreds of current and past products to collectors to clear out their two current fulfillment centers in preparation for moving to a new one in Plainfield, Ind.

The news confirms online speculation that some Mint collector versions of bullion coin products will not be offered again. However, the extent of program terminations perhaps surprises.

Uncirculated platinum American Eagles with the “W” mintmark in all sizes end with this year’s coinages.

American Eagle platinum proofs come to an end, too, except for the one-ounce coin.

Uncirculated gold American Eagles will be discontinued except for the one-ounce size.

All American Buffalo uncirculated “W” collector versions will be ended.

Proof American Buffalo gold coins will be stopped also except for the one-ounce coin.

Other terminated products include new ones like Presidential dollar Signature Sets and the proof Presidential dollars sold individually.

Old ones, like state quarter First Day Coin Covers and Greetings from America Portfolios and Card Sets, are coming to and end after the 10-year program concludes.

Mint Deputy Director Andrew D. Brunhart says of the clearance sale, “It will be limited time. First come, first served. No household limits. All sales will be final. If you’re wondering, we won’t exceed any Mint limits.”

The sale will conclude at 5 p.m. Dec. 19, but some products are likely to be gone well before then.

Of those that don’ sell, Brunhart says, “We’re going to be doing a significant detrashing and melting (of) the products that do not sell by Dec. 19. Those products will be immediately broken down and sent to the melter.”

The clearance sale is part of a major re-evaluation of the Mint’s product line. Brunhart says the product offerings will be reduced from more than 550 available in 2008 to roughly 200.

Leftover 2008 products will stay on sale until June, when they will get the same detrashing and melting treatment.

“From now on at the end of each year, we will examine our portfolio to make sure the warehouse is not stuffed with products they (Mint customers) don’t want,” Brunhart says.

“We’re undergoing a significant renewal of our numismatic portfolio in 2009. We have too many products. We have heard loud and clear from our collecting community. We are responding to that. We will be focusing our resources on key products (with the) broadest appeal.

“Fewer products to concentrate on will enable us to bring out and offer much earlier in the calendar year our key products.”

The benefit to collectors will be earlier release of hobby favorites.

Brunhart says, four of these, proof sets, silver proof sets, uncirculated sets and silver Eagles (will be offered) in January of each year.”

Below are the complete lists of discontinued and last chance products:

Discontinued Products
 
United States Mint Presidential $1 Coin Historical Signature SetsTM
United States Mint Presidential $1 Coin – Individual Proof CoinsTM
American Eagle Platinum Uncirculated Coins (all options)
American Eagle Platinum Proof 1⁄2, 1⁄4, 1/10, and Four-Coin Sets
American Eagle Gold Uncirculated 1⁄2, 1⁄4, 1/10, and Four-Coin Sets
American Buffalo Uncirculated Gold Coins (all options)
American Buffalo Proof 1⁄2, 1⁄4, 1/10, and Four-Coin Sets
50 State Quarters® First Day Coin Covers (continue through 2008)
Greetings From America Portfolios and Card Sets
Coin and Die Sets  
Collectible Spoons


Last Chance Product Listing
 
Annual Sets
2007 United States Mint Proof Set®  
2007 United States Mint 50 State Quarters Proof SetTM
2004 United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set(R)
2006 United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set®
2007 United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set®
2007 United States Mint Silver Proof SetTM
2007 United States Mint 50 State Quarters Silver Proof SetTM
50 State Quarters® Bags & Rolls
Wisconsin Two-Roll Set
Minnesota Two-Roll Set
Minnesota 1,000-Coin Bag (P)
Minnesota 1,000-Coin Bag (D)
Oregon 1,000-Coin Bag (D)
Colorado 100-Coin Bag (P)
Nebraska 1,000-Coin Bag (P)
Nebraska 1,000-Coin Bag (D)
Nebraska 100-Coin Bag (D)
Colorado 1,000-Coin Bag (P)
Colorado 1,000-Coin Bag (D)
North Dakota 100-Coin Bag (D)
North Dakota 1,000-Coin Bag (D)
South Dakota 100-Coin Bag (D)
Montana 1,000-Coin Bag (P)
Wyoming 100-Coin Bag (P)
Wyoming 1,000-Coin Bag (P)
Wyoming 100-Coin Bag (D)
Wyoming 1,000-Coin Bag (D)
Utah Two-Roll Set
Utah 1,000-Coin Bag (P)
Utah 1,000-Coin Bag (D)
Oklahoma Two-Roll Set
Oklahoma 100-Coin Bag (P)
Oklahoma 100-Coin Bag (D)
Oklahoma 1,000-Coin Bag (P)
Oklahoma 1,000-Coin Bag (D)
New Mexico Two-Roll Set
New Mexico 100-Coin Bag (P)
New Mexico 100-Coin Bag (D)
New Mexico 1,000-Coin Bag (P)
New Mexico 1,000-Coin Bag (D)
Arizona Two-Roll Set
Arizona 1,000-Coin Bag (P)
Arizona 100-Coin Bag (D)
Arizona 100-Coin Bag (P)
Arizona 1,000-Coin Bag (D)
Other Bags & Rolls
2001 Sacagawea Golden Dollar Roll (P)
2001 Kennedy Half-Dollar 200-Coin Bag  
2001 Kennedy Half-Dollar  Two-Roll Set
2002 Sacagawea Golden Dollar 2000-Coin Bag (P)
2002 Sacagawea Golden Dollar 2000-Coin Bag (D)
2003 Jefferson Nickel Two-Roll Set
2004 Sacagawea Golden Dollar 2000-Coin Bag  (D)
2005 Ocean in View Nickel 1,000-Coin Bag (P)
2005 Ocean in View Nickel 1,000-Coin Bag (D)
2005 Sacagawea Golden Dollar 2000-Coin Bag (P)
50 State Quarters® First Day Coin Covers
New Jersey
Georgia
Connecticut
South Carolina
New Hampshire
Virginia
New York
North Carolina
Rhode Island
Vermont
Kentucky
Tennessee
Ohio
Louisiana
Indiana
Mississippi
Illinois
Alabama
Maine
Missouri
Arkansas
Michigan
Florida
Texas
Iowa
Wisconsin
California
Minnesota
Oregon
Kansas
West Virginia
Nevada
Nebraska
Colorado
North Dakota
South Dakota
Montana
Washington
Idaho
Wyoming
Utah
Presidential $1 Coin Coin Covers
George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
50 State Quarters® Coin & Die Sets
North Carolina (P)
Rhode Island
Tennessee (D)
Maine (D)
Iowa (P)
Oregon (P)
Nebraska (D)
Nebraska (P)
Colorado  (P)
North Dakota (D)
North Dakota (P)
South Dakota (D)
South Dakota (P)
Montana (D)
Montana (P)
Washington (P)
Idaho (D)
Idaho (P)
Wyoming (P)
Wyoming (D)
Utah (D)
50 State Quarters® Collector’s Spoons
Iowa
West Virginia
Nevada
Nebraska
Colorado
North Dakota
South Dakota
Montana
Washington
Idaho
Wyoming
Utah
Oklahoma
New Mexico
Arizona
50 State Quarters® Greetings from America Series
1999 Card Set
1999 Portfolio
2000 Card Set
2000 Portfolio
2001 Card Set
2001 Portfolio
2002 Card Set
2002 Portfolio
2003 Card Set
2003 Portfolio
2004 Card Set
2004 Portfolio
2005 Card Set
2005 Portfolio
2006 Card Set
2006 Portfolio
2007 Card Set
2007 Portfolio
Card Set Album
Portfolio Album
Westward Journey Nickel Sets
2004 Westward Journey Nickel SeriesTM Coin Set
2006 Westward Journey Nickel SeriesTM Coin Set
Special Sets
50 State Quarters® And Euro Coin Collection
Official Coin Collecting Starter Kit
 

The new platinum numbers were released by the Mint. Drum roll please.

The one-ounce 2008 uncirculated “W” platinum American Eagle saw sales rise by 67 coins to 393. It sounds more exciting if I write that total cumulative sales rose by 20 percent.

There was an increase of 33 coins for the half-ounce size, taking the total to 802.

For the quarter ounce, the increase was smaller still, just 23 coins. The total stands at 2,138.

For the much-watched tenth ounce, the Mint actually reduced the total that has been sold by 38 coins to 2,500 even.

Interestingly, the increase in the four-coin set was the largest individual number at 138, bringing the total cumulative sales to 1,191 sets.

Adding up all of the issue prices we get sales of $415,571.95 for the week. If we subtract the backward March of the tenth ounce, the net total sales for the past week amounts to $410,443.85.

In an age of $700 billion bank bailouts, that number seems rather small.

Buyers of one-ounce American Buffalo gold bullion coins are getting another chance, according to a Mint memo. See below.

MEMORANDUM TO ALL AMERICAN BUFFALO BULLION COIN AUTHORIZED PURCHASERS
 
SUBJECT:       2008–Dated American Buffalo Bullion Coins
 
On Monday, November 3, 2008, the United States Mint will resume taking orders for 2008-dated American Buffalo One Ounce Gold Bullion Coins.
 
Final inventory for these bullion coins is based on current in-house blank supplies and supplies are limited.  The United States Mint will allocate these remaining coins among the Authorized Purchasers (AP’s).
 
The United States Mint will use a slight modification of its standard allocation process, which is as follows:
 
Monday morning, the inventory available for sale that week will be divided into two equal pools for this bullion coin product.

The first pool for this bullion coin product will be allocated equally to all active American Buffalo One Ounce Gold Bullion AP’s respectively (active AP’s are those which have purchased American Buffalo One Ounce Gold Bullion Coins in the past three fiscal years).

The second pool will be allocated based on each AP’s sales performance for this bullion coin product in the last three fiscal years (e.g., an AP who purchased 30% of all American Buffalo One Ounce Gold Bullion Coins during this time will be allocated 30% of this second pool).
 
Each AP will be advised via fax Monday morning (or if a government holiday, Tuesday morning) of its allocation, and will have until 3 p.m. on the following Friday to place an order for its allocated coins.

Any unordered coins remaining after 3 p.m. Friday will be put back into the pool for allocation the following Monday only until coin inventory for this product is depleted.
 
Included in the communication with each AP’s initial allocation on November 3 will be its allocation percentage based on sales performance.
 
Thank you for your patience and your continued support of the United States Mint Bullion Coin Program.

It is the end of October. Many of us are licking our financial wounds. What do we have to show for it?

I remember talking with my parents and grandparents about how the stock market crash of 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression affected the family.

There was no compellingly interesting story of great wealth lost, jobs vanishing or huge suffering. Everything occurred on a relatively ordinary scale. There was some money lost in a bank failure. There was some loss of money in stocks, but nothing too dramatic. Life got harder but it went on.

The one exception perhaps was my oldest uncle who bought some very cheap 3M stock, which in the early 1930s served as a kind of scrip in the area he lived. The profits on it helped pay for his college education. He was clever.

What will I be able to say to family members down the road about the financial crash of 2008? Perhaps it is too soon to tell, but life goes on despite the shrinking balance in my company 401(k) account.

I had my hair cut yesterday. The woman who cuts it said she heard that silver might be a good investment. I told her I didn’t think it would be a good fit for her.

The experience reminded me of something I had read about Joseph P. Kennedy, father of President John F. Kennedy. He sold out before the crash in 1929 because he was hearing stock tips from barbers and shoe shine boys. He figured the boom on the market had gone on too long when that started happening.

Is yesterday’s silver conversation a similar warning? It is worth considering the possibility.