Too late for Reagan?

Late this afternoon we will find out how sales of the Ronald Reagan Coin & Chronicles set are going.

After last year’s sequence of four sellouts of Coin & Chronicles sets, expectations were high.

The inclusion of reverse proof Presidential dollars in these sets excited collectors.

However, it was the incredibly low mintages that excited them more.

Quick sales of 17,000 Truman and Eisenhower sets, were followed by a mintage increase to 50,000 for Kennedy.

His set sold out, but it took a while.

Johnson’s set sold out 25,000.

The stage was set for Ronald Reagan. After nearly a one-year wait, the new and very last Presidential Coin and Chronicles set went on sale Oct. 11.

Possible Reagan set mintage, though, was pushed up to 150,000.

First day sales of 21,511 were remarkable consistent with demand for prior offers.

Kennedy was the exception, with more than double that, but it wasn’t enough to declare a first-day sellout.

The five-day Reagan sales figure rose to 24,893.

What will today’s sales information reveal? I don’t know.

But looking at the 24,893 number makes me wonder if the Mint should have simply offered Reagan early in 2016 with the maximum sales figure of 25,000 like Johnson.

It would have sold out in a day.

That would have prompted complaints from collectors who do not like one-day sellouts when they themselves can’t acquire what is offered.

The Mint has successfully engineered a peaceful offer this time. No complaints.

But what is missing is excitement.

I have no emails from collectors enthusiastically confirming that they were able to buy the set.

Nor do I have complaints from collectors about not being able to buy sets.

I feel let down.

I don't support unfairness, but fter being on an adrenaline rush for four Coin & Chronicles sets in a row, the Reagan offer now is just meh.

Will we ever be able to achieve a balance of both high interest and a lack of complaints with Mint offers?

That formula has not yet been found.

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