Will you take 5-ounce second chance?

If you didn’t buy a 2010 Yosemite 5-ounce uncirculated collector coin from the U.S. Mint because you thought it had sold out, you’re in luck.

It hasn’t.

Word from the Mint is that the Yosemite collector coin is still available.

What? You might reasonably ask.

The posting of a statement that the Mint was accepting only waiting list orders on June 23 on its website was a mistake. It sat there for many days.

Waiting list messages are routinely posted at the conclusion of various limited Mint offerings as the Mint takes a few extra orders to offset sales that might fail because of expired credit cards, returns or collectors simply changing their minds.

I had prepared two weekly installments of “Mint Statistics” in Numismatic News looking at that waiting list statement and wondering why it was taking so long for the last few orders to top up what I expected to be a sellout of the 27,000 coins available.

Now I know.

There is a little matter of the Mint having 1,662 of the 5-ounce coins left. The most recent tally showed collectors have purchased 25,338. That is an increase of 442 from the level of six days earlier.

Will this snafu prevent the coin from selling out?

I don’t think so.

In the great scheme of things, 1,662 coins is not a large number, even if the selling rate is only 442 every six days.

I expect when word spreads that the Yosemite coin is still available, its sales pace will pick up.

This episode raises an interesting possibility that the 2010 Grand Canyon 5-ounce uncirculated collector coin will sell out before the Yosemite. It has reached the 20,834 mark. Sales of this coin began June 29.