U.S. Mint Uncirculated Coin Set
The annual Uncirculated Coin Set expanded to the largest number of coins in the history of the offering. The 2009 Mint Set (Buy on eBay) contained an incredible 36 different coins, as the United States Mint introduced two new series with rotating designs. Ever since the success of the 50 State Quarters Program, the concept of multiple coin designs per year had expanded in use to cover other denominations. This strategy was brought to its extreme, as there were more coins with rotating designs than constant designs.
The 2009 Lincoln Cents were issued with four different designs to mark the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. The designs represented his birthplace and childhood, formative years, professional life, and presidency. As a capstone to the State Quarters, a separate program was introduced to honor the other non-state jurisdictions of the United States. The six different quarters featured the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The release of Presidential Dollars continued with coins featuring William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, and Zachary Taylor. Finally, a new series of Native American Dollars began, with the first annually rotating design depicting the Three Sisters method of planting on the reverse.
Coins which featured constant designs were limited to only the Jefferson Nickel, Roosevelt Dime, and Kennedy Half Dollar. All 36 pieces included in the 2009 Mint Set had a collective face value of $14.38. The issue price for the product was raised by $5 to $27.95 per set.
The initial release of the product took place after a slight delay. As another special aspect to the release of the Bicentennial Lincoln Cents, the coins would be struck in a composition of 95% copper, 3% zinc, and 2% tin, identical to the original composition when the series began in 1909. (Since 1982, the standard composition of the one cent coin had been changed to 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper.)
The U.S. Mint reportedly encountered unique tarnish issues with the copper Lincoln Cents, which held back the release date until October 1, 2009. When the sets were finally issued, a small message was included within each set warning of potential tarnishing of the 2009 Lincoln Cents over time.
Sales of the 2009 Mint Set concluded on June 15, 2010. The last reported sales figures for the product indicated 784,614 units sold. This represented an increase from the unusually low sales of the previous year.
Packaging for the sets was larger in size, to allow for another row of coins, but otherwise retained the same style. The outer illustrations displayed skylines of Philadelphia and Denver at dusk. The packs opened to reveal the coins neatly displayed in blisters with coin specification information above. The packaging allowed both sides of the coins, as well as the edges to remain visible.
2009 Mint Set Information
- Coins per Set: 36
- Face Value: $14.38
- Original Issue Price: $27.95
- Mintage: 784,614
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