Usm Rep.: Sales Of 2012 25th Anniv.sets ASE PFs Is 363,440

Troll?

Hmmmmm....very good point

That is simply not true. If you pay $50 or more for a shirt, sure, but if you are paying $15, no way. How much are you willing to pay for 1oz silver coins where the die are retired as soon as a piece of dust dings the field or smooths a spot in the satin device? If every non-perfect (how exactly is that defined) coin struck is waffled and every die pair is retired as soon as it can no longer render perfection, what would these coins cost us so the mint could make only enough profit to keep from creating any red ink? If you want perfection, that is fine but define it and be willing to pay for it. I think that when you have to put a coin under the loupe or microscope to see a defect that you are being picky. You have a right to return as you see fit but I think that we all insisted that every special numismatic coin was perfect to the point of being guaranteed a 70 grade from any TPG that the prices would soon skyrocket.

While I basically agree. When I look at a coin with the naked Eye it better have appeal, not scratches or milk spots especially the S poof set
they are $30 pieces of silver selling for $75 that is quite a markup.

Big Dealers; I don't know about. I do know a couple of "Medium" Dealers who sold well at the beginning but when the prices took a nose dive they did cancel their remaining orders. The profit margins just were not there. Regular sets are selling in the $190 range +/- $10. Deduct your fees and your net sale is in the $165 range. Even if you got a nice discount from the Mint your still really really lucky to make a 20 percent profit. More likely 10 to 15 percent. Frankly flipping 90 percent gives you a better margin. I know some B and M dealers that have not sold even ONE set; which really doesn't surprise me. The ordering period was long enough that most, if not all, of my customers ordered their own rather than go through me or another dealer.

I suspect that a conservative estimate would be in the 10 to 15 percent range. But I would not expect it to be much over 20 percent.

Clair, You're right on the conclusion of the sales. My memory failed me. I still think that some of mail orders didn't make into the final tally.

Are you certain? I recall getting a mailing from the mint which included a catalog and an order form that included SF set. My memory could be faulty, but this is from Mint News Blog:
http://mintnewsblog.com/2012/07/san...each-251302/
The number may also increase if the US Mint continues to add orders sent by mail that are postmarked before the sales deadline. The US Mint recently distributed their 2012 Summer Catalog by mail, which included an order form and envelope. The page showcasing the San Francisco Silver Eagle Set did mention the limited ordering window, but didn't provide any specific information with regards to how the deadline would work for mail orders.
and this:
http://mintnewsblog.com/2012/06/san...at-midpoint/
The recent boost may have been driven by the distribution of the US Mint's 2012 Summer Catalog by mail, which featured the San Francisco Set on the back cover.

I was sure that the catalog said that you couldn't mail order the set but my memory is nowhere near what it used to be so I may well be wrong. A few days of mail orders at the end would probably be no more than a thousand sets, if that, so it may not matter. I may have to see if I still have a catalog somewhere to find out just how decayed my brain had become with age.