Today, December 12, 2013 at 12:00 Noon ET, the United States Mint will open sales for the 2013 Limited Edition Silver Proof Set. The US Mint will use its new “online waiting room” feature for this product launch, suggesting that they expect heavy initial demand.
The 2013 Limited Edition Silver Proof Set contains eight silver coins consisting of the following:
2013-W Proof Silver Eagle struck in 99.9% silver.
2013-S Roosevelt Dime struck in 90% silver.
The five 2013-S America the Beautiful Quarters struck in 90% silver. The designs for this year feature White Mountain National Forest, Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, Great Basin National Park, Fort McHenry National Monument, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
2013-S Kennedy Half Dollar struck in 90% silver.
The eight coins are packaged in a protective lens and presentation case. According to the product description, the packaging has been improved compared to the prior year to better secure the coins and protect the lenses.
A maximum mintage of 50,000 units applies to this product release. The sets are priced at $139.95 each. There are no household ordering limits in place.
All of the coins included in the set have previously been available within other numismatic products, most of which remain available for sale. The seven 90% silver coins are included in the 2013 Silver Proof Set and the five 90% silver quarters are also available within the 2013 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set. The 2013-W Proof Silver Eagle was previously available for individual sale (sold out in mid-November), but still remains available within the 2013 Congratulations Set.
As mentioned in a previous post, collectors who are not particularly focused on the limited edition packaged set can actually obtain all eight of the silver coins plus several base metal coins for a cheaper price. The 2013 Silver Proof Set containing the seven 90% silver coins and seven other base metal coins is priced at $53.95. The 2013 Congratulations Set containing the 2013-W Proof Silver Eagle is priced at $54.95. This makes for a total of $108.90, or a discount of $31.05 compared to the cost of the 2013 Limited Edition Silver Proof Set.
Despite the disincentive offered by the pricing, the US Mint seems to expect heavy initial demand for the 2013 Limited Edition Silver Proof Set. They will be temporarily closing their online catalog at 11:45 AM ET to prepare for the launch at noon. Anyone visiting the site during this time will enter the pre-launch waiting room. The waiting room will allow customers to get in line to enter the website and make their purchase.
Within a batch of other website improvements, the US Mint had previously announced their online waiting room, which was designed to alleviate web systems slowdowns and crashes that may occur when a high demand product is released. According to the Mint, the waiting room concept was tested with customers and received positive responses.
Last year, the 2012 Limited Edition Silver Proof Set went on sale on November 27, 2012 and took until April of the following year to sell out of the 50,000 product limit.