Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Availability Date and Ordering Limits

The United States Mint has provided more information about the upcoming 2009 Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set. Way back in April, I had provided details about the offering, but the release date and ordering limits were not known until this week.

The Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set is a five coin set with some unique items. Everything comes in a slip-covered, leather-like tri-fold case.

The following items are included in the set:

- 2009 Proof Lincoln Silver Dollar
- All Four 2009 Proof Lincoln Cents (95% copper)
- Reproduction of a photograph of Abraham Lincoln
- Reproduction of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln's handwriting
- Certificate of Authenticity

The maximum production for the set is 50,000 units. This is due to the inclusion of the 2009 Lincoln Silver Dollar. This commemorative coin has an overall production limit of 500,000 coins, but already sold 450,000 coins through individual offerings earlier this year. The individual coins had gone on sale February 12, 2009 and sold out after approximately six weeks. The proof version sold 325,000 coins and the uncirculated version sold 125,000.

The Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set is priced at $55.95. The US Mint has placed an ordering limit of only one set per household. The product is scheduled to go on sale October 15, 2009 at 12:00 Noon ET.

Even though the Lincoln Coin and Chronicles does not contain any coins that have not been released already, it seems poised to be a winner. Most people (myself included) believe that this set will sell out on the first day of sales. This year in particular collectors have been willing to pay premiums for low production, specially packaged US Mint collectibles. The upcoming Lincoln Set certainly falls into this category, as it will have the lowest production run of all 2009 Lincoln products issued by the US Mint.

Additionally, the set is a relative bargain compared to the current prices of the individual coins. The 2009 Proof Lincoln Silver Dollar is currently selling for around $60-$70 on the secondary market (view current eBay auctions) and the four 2009 Proof Lincoln Cents sell separately at the US Mint for $7.95. At $55.95, the Coin and Chronicles Set is below the current value of the coins, without considering the extra items included.

I will likely have a follow up post on this product just before the release date. For now, you can also check out the US Mint's product page here.