Huge Demand Results in Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set Sell Out

2009 Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set As most expected, the US Mint Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set was highly sought after, just like previous 2009 Lincoln product cent launches caught collector's attention.

Thursday was a busy day for collectors and the Chronicles Set. It went on sale at noon ET and by 5:00 p.m. a total of 29,919 were reportedly purchased. Then, the set's 50,000 limited mintage was sold out in less than 30 hours (by 6:00 p.m. Friday). Collectors are now being asked to join a standby or waiting list in the event a cancellation occurs.

Here is the US Mint waiting list message on its Chronicles product page:

Waiting List Notice: The number of orders we have taken meets the maximum limit for the United States Mint Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set. You may still place an order for this product, which will go on a waiting list. If a product becomes available due to an order cancellation, we will fulfill orders from the waiting list on a first-in, first-served basis. We cannot provide information about your position on the waiting list.

When we place your order on the waiting list, we will send you an order receipt. This is not a guarantee that you will receive your order. If we are not able to fulfill part or all of your order, you will receive a cancellation or sold-out notification. If you paid by check, you will receive a refund.

As of 5:30 p.m. ET time on Monday, the standby list is still an option available on the Mint page here.

The Mint telephone lines were exceptionally busy Thursday during the first few hours of release. Collectors reported making tens of dozens of calls just to get through -- despite the Mint having more customer service staff on hand. Worse, the Mint web site was actually down for several hours. On Friday, the Mint issued an apology for the experience collectors had to suffer through during those first few hours of ordering.

Interestingly, with the Chronicles Sets now on a waiting list, their premiums have not shot higher, although they are still not insignificant. As of this writing, prices in the secondary market have dropped some compared to those listed during pre-sale times. That is likely the result of more competition. Here are a few eBay samples to highlight: