Lincoln Cent Birthplace Two Roll Set Sales Begin

Sales of the 2009 Lincoln Cent Birthplace Two Roll Set have begun at the US Mint.

As mentioned previously the two roll sets have been priced at $8.95 plus the standard shipping and handling charge. The US Mint has also imposed an ordering limit of five sets per household, which was not announced previously. You can find the US Mint's product page here.

The US Mint has also responded on the issue of pricing. When the pricing was first announced in the press release, many felt it was excessive. The two rolls of Lincoln Cents in the set have a value of $1.00, leaving a premium of $7.95 above face value. The US Mint has the following Question & Answer posted on their website:

Question: Is the United States Mint pricing model for the Lincoln Two-Roll Cent Set consistent with other coin roll products, such as nickels, half-dollars and dollars?

Answer: Yes, pricing for the Lincoln Cent rolls is consistent with the pricing of the other numismatic coin roll products. All coin roll products are priced at face value of the rolled coins plus costs for packaging, transportation, storage, order fulfillment, marketing and general and administrative expenses.

As I have mentioned, a few years ago the US Mint offered two roll sets of nickels for $8.95. After the $4.00 face value, this left $4.95 for the mentioned "packaging, transportation, storage, order fulfillment, marketing and general and administrative expenses."

For a look at the premiums for current roll products, the Kennedy Half Dollar Two Roll Set is priced at $32.95 for $20 fave value, representing a $12.95 mark up. The DC Quarter Two Roll Sets are priced at $32.95 for $20 face value representing a $12.95 premium. Lastly, the Presidential Dollar Rolls are priced at $35.95 for $25 face value, representing a premium of $10.95.