Will 2009 Lincoln Commemorative Coins Sell Out?

When I wrote about the 2009 Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollars about two weeks ago, I expressed the opinion that the coins had a good chance of selling out. The results of a recent coin survey indicate that many collectors agree.

I recently posted a survey on Coin Network and Click Coins asking the question: Will the 2009 Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar Sell Out? At the time of writing this post, 71% of respondents voted for one of the sell out options. This included 15% who believed a sell out would occur on the first day of sales and 24% who predict a sell out within the first week.

There are several good arguments in favor of a sell out. Abraham Lincoln is one of the most well known figures in American history, which should translate into increased interest in the commemorative coin. Interest should be further bolstered by the simultaneous release of the first 2009 Lincoln Cent, which takes place tomorrow.

Furthermore, prices for the commemorative silver dollar are lower than the prior year's prices, which may make the coins seem like a relative bargain. The household ordering limit for the Lincoln Commemorative has been set at 100 coins per version, meaning each collector can order up to 200 coins. Collectible versions of the 2009 Silver Eagle coins are still not available for sale, so some of the pent up demand may carry over to silver commemorative coins.

Lastly, although the maximum authorized mintage of the Lincoln Commemorative is 500,000 coins, the US Mint will have less than this amount available for individual sales. They have announced that 50,000 coins will be reserved for a special special set containing four 2009 Proof Lincoln Cents together with the commemorative silver dollar. It's also possible that the US Mint might hold back more of the authorized mintage if they plan to include the coin in the 2009 American Legacy Collection. In prior years, this expanded proof set has been issued to include proof versions of commemorative silver dollars issued during the year.


If you are interested in the 2009 Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar and don't want to risk missing out, sales begin tomorrow February 12, 2009 at 12:00 Noon ET.

You can still answer the original survey question below. I will leave voting open until sales of the coin begin tomorrow, so we can see how the predictive powers of the coin survey work out.

Discuss results in the Coin Survey Group