2009 Lincoln Commemorative Approaching Sell Out

Strong sales for the 2009 Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar continued at the US Mint. Recent sales figures show that the coins are very close to a sell out, although there are some factors which may temporarily slow the pace of sales.

Numismaster reported the following sales figures as of March 15, 2009:

2009 Lincoln Commemorative Coin Sales
Proof	296,488
Uncirculated	126,963
Total	423,451

The maximum authorized mintage for the commemorative coin offering is 500,000 across all ordering options. In order to attain a sell out, individual coin sales must reach a combined level of 450,000. A special five coin set containing the proof version of the coin will be offered later in the year and 50,000 coins will be reserved for the set. There was initially some speculation about whether another 50,000 coins would be reserved for inclusion in the American Legacy Collection, however I have now been told that this product is discontinued for 2009.

With only 27,000 coins left to go, it might seem that a sell out could happen soon, but there are a number of factors which may slow the pace of sales and possibly keep a sell out temporarily at bay.

First, the prices for the 2009 Lincoln Comemmoratives were raised after the pre-issue discount period ended on March 16, 2009. The current prices are now $41.95 and $33.95 for the proof and uncirculated versions, respectively. Since the pre-issue discount period is widely known, most collectors will purchase early to take advantage of the lower prices. Once the higher prices come into effect, there is usually a temporary lull in sales.

The Louis Braille Commemorative will be released on March 26, 2009. This competing commemorative coin program may draw some interest, and at least temporarily overshadow the Lincoln Commemorative.

Finally, the household ordering limit of 100 remains in place. This limit was put in place for the first 30 days of sales, to be re-evaluated at each subsequent 30 day period. While this is a fairly high order limit, it may prevent some bulk ordering.