2009 Lincoln Cent Birthplace Two Roll Sets Sold Out

The 2009 Lincoln Cent Two-Roll Set for the "Birthplace" design has just sold out at the US Mint. The quick sell out attests to the continuing strong demand for the newly designed Lincoln Cent, and the lack of availability through regular channels.

The sets were priced relatively high at $8.95 plus shipping and handling for $1.00 face value worth of coins. They were also subject to a five per household limit. Despite these obstacles the coins sold out less than two weeks after the product release on March 13, 2009.

According to Numismaster, the roll sets had sold 97,149 so far, with a steady pace of about 50,000 per week. I am guessing that the final sales number might be an even 100,000.

It does not seem that any of the rolls have shipped yet. I placed an order during the first hour of sales and received an email notification last week with an expected shipping date of April 4, 2009. (Update: based on a comment, some appear to have been shipped)

The US Mint plans to offer similar roll sets for the other three 2009 Lincoln Cent designs. Release dates have not yet been posted, and only seasonal estimates of spring, summer, and winter have been posted. It's possible that for the remaining three roll sets, the US Mint could coordinate the product release with the circulation launch date for each design. (See 2009 Lincoln Cent Release Dates.) I suspect that the US Mint will also be more prepared for the strong Lincoln Cent demand, and may allocate more coins for the two roll set offerings.

A related product, the Five Coin Lincoln Proof Set has recently appeared on the US Mint's Scheduled Products Listing with a release date of "summer." This set will contain all four 2009 Proof Lincoln Cents in bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc), along with the 2009 Proof Lincoln Commemorative.