Ike set a quick sellout

Some collectors were saying “I Like Ike” while others expressed frustration when the Eisenhower Coin and Chronicles set went on sale Aug. 11.

The biggest draw in the set is the Eisenhower reverse proof dollar, exclusive to the set. Limited to 17,000 sets, the United States Mint dropped the household order limit from five sets to two after the quick sellout of the Truman set on June 30.

The order limit change did little to prevent a buying frenzy as the Mint reports the Ike set sold out in 16 minutes. Collectors purchased 16,820 sets during that time with the remainder kept to fill return orders.

In response to the quick sell out of 2015 Chronicles sets, the Mint announced Aug. 12 that it would increase the production limit on the Johnson set, on sale in October, from 17,000 sets to 25,000 sets. The Mint previously changed the Kennedy set, available Sept. 16, to 50,000 sets, up from 25,000 sets.

Some customers reported experiencing website and billing issues when ordering, preventing some from acquiring Ike sets. In a statement, the Mint said the website issues were unrelated to the launch of the Ike set and customers were still able to order when it was available.

On eBay, prices of the set, initially priced by the Mint at $57.95, quadrupled. A day after they went on sale from the Mint, individual sets were being purchased for around $215 to $250. Sealed boxes of two sets were trading in the $400 to $500 range.

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