Publicity Stunt

Maybe, just maybe we should call the mints bluff and not "frenzy" over this. Let's just not spend these. That'll show 'em...LOL

There is a department at the Mint called MESS. This department is the Mint Error Secret Service (MESS). This department was created due to the massive departure of the usage of our monitarty system which would put many government workers at the Mint our of work. And everyone knows there is no such thing as a government employee being out of work. This department has agents that go into the Mint, force errors to happen, secretly send these coins out to places where they will be noticed. Then this department is responsible for the notariety, fame and publicity of that coin. Now this forces all the people to become coin collectors and hoard all the coins they can get their hands on. Of course this means a coin shortage so the Mint must produce even more of such coins and again, more errors. Now instead of being layed off due to lack of work, Mint workers are working more than ever producing coins that no one would otherwise want, use, need, request, etc.
A recent story on TV said there are now 160 million coin collectors in the USA and mostly due to the Mints great issuance of the successful Bicentennial coins, State Quarters and now the very, very famous baby dollars. Obvously that story was by the MESS department or 50% of the entire population collects coins.
Haven't you noticed the amount of error coins being found lately?

I doubt it was a publicity stunt, in fact with the mint's high standards, it makes them look a little embarrassing. If the mint knowingly turned a blind eye to these errors, then I would think they would have to answer to someone. I just think it is more of a case of negligence than publicity. The mint did not pay attention when inspecting the side of the dollar, instead I believe they only looked at the obverse and reverse.

I really don't care why it happened,I've got all I can do to just keep up with it,and I like it this way--glad to be back coin collecting

I may be a conspiracy theorist, but I tend to agree with Bill.

I think we would all be surprised if we knew how much was planned in order to get a desired result -- in politics and other areas as well.

Mistake or intentional, the knowledge and interest in coin collecting seems to be growing. It may not be the amount of mistakes, but the number of different coins that they are minting. All I know is that I learn a lot about them every day.

here's something to think about. My numbers aren't exact but.....it costs the mint 17 cents to make a new dollar. If people spend and use them as the mint says is their desire and intent, the circulating money volume increases by however many dollars they release. They can only increase the money volume to a certain extent before inflation kicks in. However, if people hoard the new coins away, the amount of US money circulating does not change and the US mint basically sold something for $1 that they made for 17 cents. Now that is a nice profit margin for a manufacturing facility. If they can generate enough interest with new coins released and people hoard them instead of circulate them. the mint just keeps earning profit on those pieces. Doesn't that make your head spin? Don't you wish you could mint money too!