Earlier this month, I spent 10 days in England on holiday. It was a great time unplugging, reconnecting with friends (I use to live there), and generally eating and drinking my way through London. While there, I visited a few coin shops to check them and even picked up a silver bullion coin from the Royal Mint. But it was talking to the owner of one of the coin shops that I discovered a brilliant idea that I’d love to see the United States Mint replicate.
In Britain, the Royal Mint has partnered with the Royal Post to sell Proof Sets and other collectible coins in the post office locations. In some branches they have display cases of the coins they have available but you can always just go to a teller, ask for a Proof Set, and if they have then, you can buy them right there. No ordering and waiting from the Royal Mint’s site.
If the United States Mint and the United States Post Office teamed up like this, it would provide a local source for collectors to go and pick up a Proof Set (or whatever else they agree upon like commemorative or uncirculated sets) without having to go online and order. It could be a huge win for the Mint and the Post Office.
To be clear, each Royal Post Office location does not keep a significant number of Proof Sets or any collectibles on hand. Indeed, I found that while the larger offices in London had a bigger selection, the smaller suburban locations usually had things in stock. The Mint and Post Office here could do the same thing. Limit supplies so the Post Office isn’t over burdened with maintaining a lot of stock.
It would be great to see this type of collaboration happen between the Mint and the Post Office and I think it would be great for collectors and want-to-be collectors too.
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