Buyers From Mint Down By 25%

---I think the weak US economy is the main (but not the only) reason for the drop in profits

---If you wants to raise the Mint's profits I suggest that you finally get rid of the One Dollar bank note and thus start a real effort to introduce the $1 coin into circulation.
It would save money in the long run (haven't there been reports claiming it would go into the hundreds of millions) and make extra profits for the mint

I have sent more than one e-mail suggesting that if the mint offered a combination clad & silver proof set, I would buy it.

I have no problem with that. Some people want silver, some want clad. I want both because I have holes for both. I do not like having the duplicates when buying both sets. I am currently buying just the full silver proof set, clad quarter set, and finding the last three clad coins at coin shows.

The problem is a lot of collectors want to try and get one of everything the mint makes. he less affluent of these naturally can't get the gold and platinum coins, but they do try for the sets and the silver coins. They used to have a mint set and a proof set. Maybe a proof silver eagle and a commem dollar or two. Now they also have the silver proof set, the quarter set, the silver quarter set, the proof dollar set, maybe a special set with one of the commem dollars, then the roll set of cents, and five rolls sets of quarters, a roll set of halves, and six roll sets of dollars! Then add in the big price increases and a lot of them have said the heck with it.

One other possibility is there were a lot more customers in 2009 because they wanted those cents. This year they didn't come back.