Take good deals where you find them

I was looking at various coins that are for sale on the U.S. Mint’s website this morning.

A couple of items in particular caught my eye.

If you would like to buy the “W” mint marked 2014 uncirculated silver American Eagle coin, the price is $43.95.

If you would like to buy the 2014 United States Mint Annual Uncirculated Dollar Coin Set, the price is just $1 more at $44.95.

But – and it's a big but – the set includes not only a 2014-W uncirculated silver American Eagle coin, it also includes the four Philadelphia 2014 Presidential dollars and a Native American Denver dollar to boot.

If you buy the set, you can spend the base metal dollar coins and end up with an uncirculated “W” American Eagle at a net cost of $39.95.

That sounds like a bargain, especially if you prefer to collect all six coins in the set.

But if you do decide this deal is too good to resist, hurry up and order by Sept. 19, because that is the last date on which purchases can be made via the Mint’s old order system.

The changeover to a new Mint order handling system will halt coin shipments to customers for the period Sept. 23-Oct. 1.

Some might decide that even $39.95 is too much to pay for the uncirculated silver Eagle.

Bullion has been weak lately and its present $18.61 price means that the one-ounce coin has a $21.34 premium attached to it.

Perhaps I am over thinking this, but no collector is averse to getting a deal on something that he is otherwise inclined to buy in the first place.

For silver speculators, this probably means little, especially considering the fact that there also is a $4.95 shipping and handling charge attached to either sales option.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is winner of the 2014 Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog and is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."