James K. Polk Dollar Roll Sales Figures

The US Mint's initial sales of the James K. Polk Dollar Rolls have very been strong. The first report since the rolls went on sale August 20, 2009 show levels already approaching the full production for the prior two Presidential Dollar roll releases for this year.

According to the latest stats published by Numismaster, the US Mint has sold 27,949 Philadelphia Mint rolls and 27,238 Denver rolls.

Earlier this year, the US Mint offered rolls for William Henry Harrison and John Tyler and sold only 30,000 rolls from each Mint. This may or may not be an indication of the number of Polk Rolls available, as the Mint has kept collectors guessing with sometimes different product runs for similar offerings. Products taken off sale have also had a tendency to make a reappearance after presumably selling out.

There is still no confirmation about whether the James K. Polk Dollars will be offered under the Direct Ship Program. Several months ago the US Mint had indicated that the Polk Dollars would be included in the program, which allows individuals to purchase $250 boxes of the dollar coins at face value. As of the writing of this post, the Polk Dollars have not been added to the available ordering options for Direct Ship Rolls and I have not received a response to my inquiries.

The US Mint's collector roll offerings have been an area of speculation this year, with some sold out rolls now selling for big premiums while others are selling for close to the original offering prices. So far, the 2009 Presidential Dollar Roll offerings have had split results, despite the identical production runs.

The William Henry Harrison Rolls (WH2 & WH4) have recently sold for prices ranging from $160 to $180 per roll on eBay. These rolls are seldom offered for sale. In fact, there appears to be only one WH2 currently listed that has been bid above $200.

The John Tyler Rolls (JK2 & JK4) have sold for a wider range of prices from a low of $27 to a high of $55, but with most around the $35 to $40 range. There are a much greater number available for sale on eBay. With this offering, I think that more people began to recognize the US Mint's roll offerings as collectibles. More were kept unopened in the original US Mint packaging and more were purchased for resale. This larger supply on the secondary market has kept prices in check.

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