Track will be back

Users of the U.S. Mint’s Web site have been writing me in recent days to report that the Track My Order function is not working.

They wonder what is going on.

When something doesn’t work, it is quite natural to wonder why.

According to the U.S. Mint yesterday, the system was retrieving old data from the prior contractor that was handling the delivery function last year.

The expectation is that March 6 will see restoration of the function for registered users who have a username and a password.

So tomorrow we will see.

This anxiety over order status is both a positive and a negative for the hobby. It is nice to see so many people drooling over the prospect of receiving new coins from the Mint.

The negative is if we ever find out that the only reason they are anxious is simply to game the system and turn around and sell the coins on eBay after having them slabbed in a very high grade.

While the profit motive has always been a part of the coin hobby, when it becomes the dominant part we tend to get into trouble.

I am reminded of my first proof set order. I sent for two 1969 proof sets by mail on opening day, Nov. 1, 1968, and got delivery six or seven months later. That was routine timing then.

I am glad there was no such thing as order tracking at the time because I wouldn’t have had time to be a kid.