Thanks for 2014 Mint product list

The U.S. Mint is to be commended for posting the 2014 product schedule on its website.

Every collector who wrestles with the issue of wanting to buy more coins than there are funds available will be able to get an idea of when their favorite issues will go on sale.

This will enable collectors to be as ready as they can be when the time comes.

I see the popular proof silver American Eagle silver coin will go on sale in January. Even an expected sale price of $52.95 is posted.

This item seems to be incorporated in most collector budgets these days as annual sales now outrun demand for regular clad proof sets, uncirculated coin sets and silver proof sets that have been traditional favorites. The latter three items and their declining sales numbers are a strong indicator that collector habits are changing over time.

In fact, the regular clad proof set won’t even go on the Mint’s sales roster until March. The Mint knows where the strongest collector interest lies and is catering to it.

Naturally, not everything can be offered at once, balancing the pressure on my checkbook and yours.

Proof gold American Eagles will be offered in April. Proof and uncirculated gold Buffaloes will follow in May. The proof platinum Eagle arrives in July.

The small band of First Spouse gold coin buyers will notice there are no fixed dates yet, but with the late arrival of these coins for two years in a row might be interpreted as an indicator that the pattern will continue in 2014. Save your money and be ready for them.

My new favorites, the five-ounce American the Beautiful collector coins also are not slotted yet in any particular month.

Sure, not everything is settled yet, like when will the National Baseball Hall of Fame coins go on sale, but that’s OK. This will probably help fuel a sense of anticipation among would-be buyers of these unprecedented cupped coins.

So take a look at the schedule when you get the chance. It might turn into a wish list if you are not careful.

http://catalog.usmint.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProdschedView?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is winner of the 2013 Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog and is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."