First ever Irish Gold Coin issue

Yorky

The Dublin Mint Office has circulated details of the first issue of an Irish gold coin costing €9.95.

Does anyone consider this to be a potentially good investment?

beagle001

Should be a commemorative coin in recognition of the Queens visit,make it a collectors item with limited circulation.
Each occasion release one after a US Presidential visit,might be a good idea.

Raskolnikov

<SNIP>

Firstly, the Dublin Mint is a private company and is not authorized by the ECB to print notes or coinage. Secondly, the metal in a solid gold coin would cost hundreds of Euro. I suspect that the gold content in these coins is negligible, or completely non-existant. No company in the world is going to sell a coin for less that what they could get by bring it to a cash-for-gold shop.

The whole thing remind of supposedly official royal memorabilia that used to be on sale in the back of newspapers and magazines years ago. There was nothing collectable about it as it was worthless junk when sold, and still worthless junk even after several years.

coylemj

+1 sounds like junk to me, probably feck all gold in it and of no interest whatsoever to collectors, deffo not an 'investment', more like money down the drain.

Apart from the Royal Mint in the UK I would be highly suspicious of any organisation that calls itself a 'Mint', just look at the junk that the Franklin Mint pedals to gullible people who think they are collecting things that will have a future value.

The 'Dublin Mint' has a website almost identical to the 'London Mint', you're looking at a company that sells completely useless coins and medals using flowery language that talks about the item being an 'heirloom' and so on. I suspect they aim most of their sales pitch at Americans and allows them to think that they're buying from the official Government mint.

The Central Bank of Ireland issued a gold coin earlier but it sold out, discussed on boards in Collectables/Antiques...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056244520

Dublin Mint: Tim

The Dublin Mint Office was established in Ireland in May 2011, in response to an increasing number of Irish customers who purchase coins from our sister company, the London Mint Office. Both the Dublin and London Mint Offices are registered companies, employing Irish and UK staff. Our company is part of a global coin collecting group and a trusted and respected partner of major mints around the world. We have good relationships with many widely respected international organisations including the International Olympic Committee, FIFA, The Nobel Foundation and UNESCO.

Coin collecting has been a popular hobby for many centuries. The Dublin Mint Office sources coins from state mints, national banks, reputed coin dealers and auction houses across the world. We provide a wide range of the best quality coins from ancient to modern times, and from virtually every country in the world.

The Dublin Mint Office offers all of its customers a no-quibble 14 day returns policy for complete peace of mind. Accurate descriptions of all of our coins can be found on our website www.dublinmintoffice.ie. Alternatively, if you have any questions at all please call us free of charge on 1800 937321

myomi

<BOARDS.IE SNIP>.

I came home for the weekend and my mother was all set to send off for her gold predecimal penny worth €25 for €5. I said mam if an offer seems to good to be true, well then it's too good to be true.

With the letter she received there was an envelope marked DMO, PO Box 12025 and no where on any of the correspondence is there any evidence of the actual address of the 'Dublin Mint Office'. When you ring the number, it goes straight to a voicemail with a women with the poshest RP English accent saying you have contacted the Dublin Mint Office, please enter your credit card details. Alarm Bells. Also the phone number is listed like an american phone number 1800-937-322. When was the last time you saw an Irish company list their number using dashes?

Hmm the Dublin Mint Office also loosesly insinuates that they are the issuing coins ' to mark the 40th anniversary of decimilisation'. My mother thought Dublin mint office was a unit of central bank. I said Mam, things are bad at the moment but it would be a first if the central bank wrote a letter to you offering you a gold coin at a 20 euro discount.

My mother had sent off for further information about the gold penny and then received an other 'privileged limited issue offier' for a "golden predecimal sispence, layered with pure 24 carat gold with the design accented in Rhodium Platinum creating the ultimate collectors edition- for only 9.95 at a saving of €20 on normal release price."

Oh and as a ps the letter from 'Head of New issues, Eamon Huges' says the orirgal pre-decimal sixpence is a part of our heritage which vanished 40 years ago...send no money now. view on approval for up to 14 days." How is it a new issue if its a pre-decimal penny?

coylemj

dublinmint wrote: »

Both the Dublin and London Mint Offices are registered companies, employing Irish and UK staff. Our company is part of a global coin collecting group and a trusted and respected partner of major mints around the world.

I sent an e-mail to the coin collection e-mail address on the Central Bank website and asked if the Dublin Mint Office had any affiliation with the Central Bank, the reply I received contained the following which was in a paragraph all by itself so is not quoted out of context.....

The Dublin Mint Office are a private firm and have no affiliation with the Central Bank.

That pre-decimal penny is a complete rip-off, they don't even claim that it's gold-plated, only that it is gold layered - whatever that means and to talk about that coin as part of our 'vanished' heritage is complete BS, there are millions of those pennies lying in drawers and coin collections all over the country.

People like the Dublin Mint and similar organisations make liberal use of the word 'heritage' to imply that in buying their products you are somehow helping to protect something which is danger of disappearing off the face of the earth and you have a duty to protect it for future generations. I'm sorry but pre-decimal pennies do not fall into that category, they minted 30,000,000 of them in 1968 to see out the pre-decimal coinage so how you could hold one of them in your hand and say it was part of our 'heritage' is beyond me.

Dublin Mint: Tim

Dear myomi and coylemj

I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that the Dublin Mint Office is a legitimate private company.

Coins purchased through the Dublin Mint Office are sent to customers for a 14‑day no obligation approval period. Customers only pay if they wish to purchase, otherwise coins are returned, postage paid, to us. A Freephone customer care telephone number is provided for the benefit of our customers and operates from 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. None of the Dublin Mint Office automated ordering lines request credit card information.

The Dublin Mint Office is not affiliated with the Irish Central Bank, but does provide coins issued by the Central Bank and indeed by central banks and mints across the world.

The Dublin Mint Office also releases coins to commemorate various anniversaries and occasions, including our most recent issue, the gold plated original pre‑decimal penny to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of decimalisation which will take place next year, 2012.

The Dublin Mint Office has a dedicated Customer Care Centre staffed by professional advisors. They will be able to answer any questions you may have about our products and service.

For further information see www.dublinmintoffice.ie or call our Freephone number: 1800 937 321.

Please PM or phone me on the Freephone number to discuss any concerns or questions you may have regarding Dublin Mint Office.

Thanks

Tim Banks
Head of Customer Care

myomi

Well then Pehaps the Dublin Mint Office should re-evaluate the literature it sends to people as it seems to be misleading people as to the nature of the seller and the product.

Surely that would be in your own interest and in the interest of your customers to avoid confusion on all sides?

coylemj

dublinmint wrote: »

I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that the Dublin Mint Office is a legitimate private company.

You are 'legitimate' in that you are not breaking any law, I just take issue with the way you dress up some of the junk that you're selling at inflated prices. Example: To call the old Irish penny 'part of our vanished heritage' is completely OTT when there are literally millions of them scattered across the country, they minted 30 million of them in 1968 and a lot of them were kept as souveniers of the old currency, I have one that I can see every morning on my bedroom table.

dublinmint wrote: »

The Dublin Mint Office is not affiliated with the Irish Central Bank, but does provide coins issued by the Central Bank and indeed by central banks and mints across the world.

Yes, you buy them from official mints and resell them, no problem there. In your earlier post however you claimed that the Dublin Mint Office was a trusted and respected partner of major mints around the world and on your website you claim that The Dublin Mint Office is a trusted and respected partner for the major mints around the world. http://www.dublinmintoffice.ie/about-dublin-mint-office/

Would you care to name an official Government mint anywhere in the world for whom you are an approved agent or partner?

dublinmint wrote: »

The Dublin Mint Office also releases coins to commemorate various anniversaries and occasions, including our most recent issue, the gold plated original pre‑decimal penny to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of decimalisation which will take place next year, 2012.

The 40th anniversary of decimalisation was Feb 15th, 2011 i.e. this year as the new copper 1/2p, 1p and 2p decimal coins became legal tender on Feb 15th, 1971.

dublinmint wrote: »

The Dublin Mint Office has a dedicated Customer Care Centre staffed by professional advisors.

An 'adviser' is a person who provides an unbiased opinion in order to help you come to a decision. Your 'professional advisers' are salespeople on commission.

My bottom line with you and similar companies using the word 'Mint' in your business name is that what you are selling is (1) poor value and (2) will never appreciate in value.

In the case of the old Irish penny, you are starting with something that can be bought for about 50c, you're adding a 'layer' of gold and charging €9.95, a claimed saving of €20.

1. How does something that's pretty worthless in the first place suddenly achieve a value of almost €30 by being 'layered' with gold? €30 would buy a lot of gold leaf, you could do the job yourself at home and have a lot of gold leaf left over!

2. And what does 'Motif accented in the world’s most valuable precious metal' mean anyway?

coylemj

myomi wrote: »

Well then Pehaps the Dublin Mint Office should re-evaluate the literature it sends to people as it seems to be misleading people as to the nature of the seller and the product.

Surely that would be in your own interest and in the interest of your customers to avoid confusion on all sides?

That would be in the interests of the customer but not the Dublin Mint Office. The whole point of using the word 'Mint' in the name of the business is to mislead people into thinking that they are dealing with (in the case of Ireland) the Central Bank, as happened with your mother.

Otherwise they would call themselves something like 'Irish Commemorative Coins' or similar.

Dublin Mint: Tim

Thanks for your comments. We certainly didn’t intend to mislead.

The Dublin Mint Office is part of one of the largest and well established coin retailers in the world, Samlerhuset, which has offices in nine countries across Europe and Asia, employing some 500 people.

The Samlerhuset Group is co-owner of the state Mint of Norway. We strike a wide range of legal tender coinage each year as well as official medals such as the Nobel Peace Prize medal used in the annual awards ceremony. Samlerhuset is also a trusted and respected partner of major mints around the world including the British Royal Mint; South African Mint; Royal Australia Mint; Royal Canadian Mint; US Mint and Monnaie de Paris. We also have good relationships with many widely respected international organisations including the International Olympic Committee; FIFA; The Nobel Foundation and UNESCO.

We aim to provide our customers with 100% satisfaction. There is a 14-day no obligation returns policy, free postage and a Freephone customer service number.

Our advisors are not sales people and do not work on commission, they are fully trained to understand and advise on the products we sell.

I trust our post has clarified your queries. If you wish to discuss this further please do not hesitate to contact me directly by PM or on the Freephone number.


Kind regards
Tim Banks
Head of Customer Care

coylemj

On your UK website you have a 'half crown' which is supposedly 'legal tender' (where?), the obverse shows St. George and the Dragon, clearly an attempt to pass it off as a sovereign and the offer claims to be a 'World Record Gold Price'. The only problem is that the description never actually tells you how much gold is in the coin i.e. what it weighs. '24 carat' means nothing when you don't know the weight of the coin. At 8mm diameter it's smaller than a shirt button and less than half the diameter of a 1c coin but you wouldn't know that by looking at the pictures.

I can see that I'm not the only person who thinks that your products represent poor value and are oversold with flowery language and downright misleading advertisements. Even on your home turf you get poor press and a few (17) slaps on the wrists from the Norwegian Ombudsman plus a warning by a national magazine to their readers not to buy your products.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samlerhuset

http://www.goldsovereigns.co.uk/londonmintoffice2009proofsovereign139pounds.html

ferga_com

Got the "offer" to buy a pre-decimal penny for €4.95 today.

• Outside of envelope says "Delivered by An Post" and has the An Post logo on it. While this is, I'm sure, true I wonder would An Post have an opinion on their logo being used in this manner? To a casual observer, it might infer that An Post is in some way connected, in the same way that An Post distribute NTMA investments.
• All of the sales blurb in the thing is carefully written to give an impression of officialdom. "Please open with care - time-sensitive documentation inside".
• Apparently, the price of €4.95 is a saving of €25.00 over the "normal" price. I wonder can Dublin Mint provide proof that they were selling at the higher price previously, before this "sale"?
• From what I can tell, what they're selling is an old 1d coin, value around 50c, which has been given some sort of VERY THIN coating of 24ct gold and Rhodium Platinum.
• The "hard sell" wording would grate on me, but I suppose one man's hard sell is another man's great marketing. "Availability is restricted...", "If your application is successful...", "...applications must be made within 7 days..."
• I'd love to test the one that says "Availability is restricted to one coin per household". I wonder what would happen if I rang their "advisors" and said that I had a cheque for €495.00 ready to send to buy 100 of the things. Would they refuse? :cool:

My guess would be that everything they're doing is legal but prospective purchasers should be aware that this is a private company flogging stuff for a profit and that they have no connection whatsoever with the Irish Central Bank. This is nothing more than a sales campaign. I'd love to see the opinion of a coin collector as to the expected future value of these things, but given that there were 30,000,000 minted, I'd have my own opinions.

coylemj

ferga_com wrote: »

I'd love to see the opinion of a coin collector as to the expected future value of these things, but given that there were 30,000,000 minted, I'd have my own opinions.

I'll save you the bother even though I'm not a coin expert but I have been interested in coins since the 1960s so have a fair idea how the market in coins works.

Painting a microscopic layer of gold on a coin that is worthless leaves you with a coin that is worthless. Even if the coin did have a starting value, dressing it up or interfering with it in the slightest way reduces it to the status of a lump of metal as far as coin collectors are concerned.

SC024

Yorky wrote: »

The Dublin Mint Office has circulated details of the first issue of an Irish gold coin costing €9.95.

Does anyone consider this to be a potentially good investment?

If I were you I wouldn't touch this with a 10ft Barge pole as far as investments go for one reason its not... It's like the ads that used to be in the back of the news of the world years ago, maybe still are I don't know

beagle001 wrote: »

Should be a commemorative coin in recognition of the Queens visit,make it a collectors item with limited circulation.
Each occasion release one after a US Presidential visit,might be a good idea.

Good suggestion. Possibly could be workable but would have to be very limited

dublinmint wrote: »

Dear myomi and coylemj

I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that the Dublin Mint Office is a legitimate private company.

Coins purchased through the Dublin Mint Office are sent to customers for a 14‑day no obligation approval period. Customers only pay if they wish to purchase, otherwise coins are returned, postage paid, to us. A Freephone customer care telephone number is provided for the benefit of our customers and operates from 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. None of the Dublin Mint Office automated ordering lines request credit card information.[/I]

The Dublin Mint Office is not affiliated with the Irish Central Bank, but does provide coins issued by the Central Bank and indeed by central banks and mints across the world.

Doesn't every shop in every country? as change ?

The Dublin Mint Office also releases coins to commemorate various anniversaries and occasions, including our most recent issue, the gold plated original pre‑decimal penny to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of decimalisation which will take place next year, 2012.
Maybe I'm mistaken but Still doesn't make these valuable

The Dublin Mint Office has a dedicated Customer Care Centre staffed by professional advisors. They will be able to answer any questions you may have about our products and service.
So does the shopping channel QVC

For further information see www.dublinmintoffice.ie or call our Freephone number: 1800 937 321.

Tim Banks
Head of Customer Care

For the love of God do not buy any of these

Apologies if this appears like a rant

Sc024

monkeynuz

+1
Thanks for the info, however, perhaps you could explain why, when I received a mailing from the DMO in early May about a coin (can't remember which one) and I looked online for a website you had no website nor was there any mention of your company, also no web addess was printed on the mailing either. Shame I shredded the paperwork really lol.

dublinmint wrote: »

The Dublin Mint Office was established in Ireland in May 2011, in response to an increasing number of Irish customers who purchase coins from our sister company, the London Mint Office. Both the Dublin and London Mint Offices are registered companies, employing Irish and UK staff. Our company is part of a global coin collecting group and a trusted and respected partner of major mints around the world. We have good relationships with many widely respected international organisations including the International Olympic Committee, FIFA, The Nobel Foundation and UNESCO.

Coin collecting has been a popular hobby for many centuries. The Dublin Mint Office sources coins from state mints, national banks, reputed coin dealers and auction houses across the world. We provide a wide range of the best quality coins from ancient to modern times, and from virtually every country in the world.

The Dublin Mint Office offers all of its customers a no-quibble 14 day returns policy for complete peace of mind. Accurate descriptions of all of our coins can be found on our website www.dublinmintoffice.ie. Alternatively, if you have any questions at all please call us free of charge on 1800 937321

Darragh

myomi wrote: »

When you ring the number, it goes straight to a voicemail with a women with the poshest RP English accent saying you have contacted the Dublin Mint Office, please enter your credit card details. Alarm Bells. Also the phone number is listed like an american phone number 1800-937-322. When was the last time you saw an Irish company list their number using dashes?

Just on a point of order - I have just phoned that number in the office and I have NOT been asked for a credit card number. The voice on the other end is an automated Irish voice to my ear and regarding the dashes in the phone number - SERIOUSLY?

I'm sitting here with Simon, the Managing Director of the Dublin Mint Office who has come in to talk about this thread. They are very committed to answering all questions openly and honestly, but words that are untrue like "scam" cannot be used - see http://www.boards.ie/legal for more information.

Please keep the thread civil and on topic and realise that the DMO won't be able to answer every post immediately - not everyone is lucky enough to be able to spend their time on Boards.ie! They have promised to answer as soon as they can though!

Cheers

Darragh

coylemj

Everyone is entitled to defend their reputation, I have no problem with that.

However I note that none of my posts have been snipped and I stand by what I said in an earlier post which is that the items being sold by the DMO are poor value and will never appreciate in value.

I also strongly object to the tactic of selling '24 carat' coins at 'world record' prices when they don't state the weight of gold in the coins, plus the fact that these coins are the size of a shirt button and contain emblems lifted off much more valuable coins like St. George and the Dragon (UK gold sovereign), the American Eagle (US double-eagle coin) and the Springbok (South Africa Kruggerand).

Only when you read the small print do you see that the DMO coin is a 'tribute' to the original coin that it is clearly imitating. Let your contact defend those sales tactics and ask him to put the weight of the coin on the website or stop claiming it's a 'world record' price for gold.

Darragh

The representative from Dublin Mint is here to answer all relevant queries as openly and transparently as possible. If there's any problems just let me know...

Dublin Mint: Tim

Good morning Darragh.

Thank you for the post. I am in the process of consolidating the questions which have been raised on Boards.ie and will post a reply in the next day or two.

Tim Banks – Head of Customer Care

coylemj

Darragh wrote: »

I'm sitting here with Simon, the Managing Director of the Dublin Mint Office who has come in to talk about this thread. They are very committed to answering all questions openly and honestly, but words that are untrue like "scam" cannot be used - see http://www.boards.ie/legal for more information.

Please keep the thread civil and on topic and realise that the DMO won't be able to answer every post immediately - not everyone is lucky enough to be able to spend their time on Boards.ie! They have promised to answer as soon as they can though!

Cheers

Darragh

Darragh wrote: »

The representative from Dublin Mint is here to answer all relevant queries as openly and transparently as possible. If there's any problems just let me know...

Dublin Mint: Tim wrote: »

Good morning Darragh.

Thank you for the post. I am in the process of consolidating the questions which have been raised on Boards.ie and will post a reply in the next day or two.

Tim Banks – Head of Customer Care

'In the next day or two' was posted on June 16th, it's now six days and no response.

The thread had drifted on to page 2 before this bump, perhaps they're hoping that the problem will just go away.

Dublin Mint: Tim

Sorry for the delay in posting our response.


I’d just like to clarify some of the open issues relating to previous messages and answer some of the questions raised:


The Dublin Mint Office is a subsidiary of the Samlerhuset Group. We operate in 15 markets around the world in the UK, Europe and China. We co-own the Mint of Norway (we were the first privately-owned company in the world to be allowed part ownership of a national mint) which entitles us to strike legal tender currency in Norway and for other central banks around the world. We are also privileged to strike the Nobel Peace Prize medal on behalf of the Nobel Institute every year.


We make no claim that any offer we are making is a “World Record Gold Price”. Our copy is simply stating that the market value of gold has achieved world record prices recently.


We confirm that An Post has provided specific permission to use their logo on the Publicity Post material we are distributing to households in Ireland.


We have a very strict rule of only accepting one order per household at the special introductory price.


We confirm that all offers stating a “normal” or “regular” price are, or have been, available on our web site for a period of at least 30 days.


We do not guarantee or vouch for any future value increase in the coins we sell and we do not position them as investments. Many of our customers in the UK and other markets have experienced value growth in their collections (thanks to the rarity of many of the coins we sell and prolific recent increases in precious metal value) but our business is about providing what we believe to be fascinating collectibles which large numbers of people are happy to own for their intrinsic qualities.


All of the coins we sell are supplied with a 14 day “no quibble” returns policy so that customers can inspect them and decide whether they wish to keep them without any commitment. We also bear the cost of returning any coin.


I hope this addresses any outstanding queries about the service we provide.

Tim Banks - Head of Customer Care

monkeynuz

Dublin Mint: Tim wrote: »

We confirm that all offers stating a “normal” or “regular” price are, or have been, available on our web site for a period of at least 30 days.
Tim Banks - Head of Customer Care

My only concern is, that when I received a mailing as I previously mentioned, in May, there was no website up and running, however, the advert I believe still stated an rrp of whatever.....if there was no website, how could you have been offering it for 30 days at the previous higher price?

M.

coylemj

Dublin Mint: Tim wrote: »

We do not guarantee or vouch for any future value increase in the coins we sell and we do not position them as investments.

Dublin Mint: Tim wrote: »

Many of our customers in the UK and other markets have experienced value growth in their collections (thanks to the rarity of many of the coins we sell and prolific recent increases in precious metal value)

You can't have it both ways, on the one hand you're saying that you do not position your products as investments and in the next sentence you claim that your customers have seen the value of their coins increase.

And how can they see an increase in the intrinsic value of the coins because of the rise in the price of precious metals when in most cases you don't quote the weight of the coins you're selling, as is the case with the series of '24 carat' gold coins currently on offer?

Jagle

if the coin contains a small, and im gonna guess miniscule amount of gold in it, then ya i guess the coin has risen in value if the price of gold goes up, but thats a bit like saying oxygen costs money, im gonna sell the left over air in my house, get a grip

and ye have mentioned, and im sick of reading how ye mint coins for blah blah blah, yet still, have YET to reply to the amount of "precious" gold within the coin, im shocked boards.ie and an post have formed some sort of bond with ye, as a company,

while the word scam, may get ye in trouble, for whatever legal reasons, the only word that comes close would be sham?

stimpson

I've just had a look at the website and the advertising is somewhat misleading. The Pennies are advertised as "Golden Pre-decimal Penny". When the vast majority of metal is copper surely it's stretching the truth to call them golden.

The only coin I've been able to see any specs on is the Pope John Paul II coin. It says it's pure Silver, but it's .9250 which is actually Sterling Silver. And the price is 165 euro! The spot price of silver (.999) is currently 24 euro. That is some markup. with a mintage of 80000 they are hardly going to be rare.

If anyone is looking to buy precious metal coinage I would advise them to buy American Eagles or Austrian Philharmonics from a reputable coin dealer, or from ebay. You'll get them close to spot price, they will be .999 purity and you will actually be able to sell them in the future.

I'm surprised at boards for lending them an air of legitimacy.

coylemj

stimpson wrote: »

I'm surprised at boards for lending them an air of legitimacy.

In fairness, boards.ie have allowed them to register as so that they can participate in discussions and all the while flagged as a commercial entity. If the company wasn't allowed to do this then we could sit here forever bitching about the Dublin Mint Office and their sister companies without them having the opportunity to reply.

As I said in an earlier post, everyone is entitled to defend his/her reputation.

_Whimsical_

We got one of these offers today as did a neighbour. It looks deceptively like an official/government mailing that might come from somewhere like the revenue commissioners etc. It looked also like a quality paper version of the kind of envelope that you'd be sent pin number details from you bank in. It looked important!
On two places it says " urgent attention required" and "open with care time sensitive documents inside".

Immediately on having a look inside it was obvious to me that it was sales blurb. My neighbour is an older lady however and she thought she had got it from the government as she had savings in the post office. I could see why she made a mistake as it looks to be an official letter. The whole packaging aims to give an air of undeserved legitimacy and seems like an intention to decieve recipients into believing this is something other than a private company doing a sales drive. I feel it's a very poor marketing decision and hope no one will be caught out.

nuttlys

This advertising for some reason really got my goat, perhaps because both my parents fell for it.

I've lodged my first complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority in relation to this direct mail piece.

I feel it is a confidence trick, but I supposed the ASAI will ultimately decide.

coylemj

nuttlys wrote: »

This advertising for some reason really got my goat, perhaps because both my parents fell for it.

Could you elaborate please, what you mean by they 'fell for it' - what did they buy and why do they now feel less than satisfied with what they bought?

monkeynuz

I am still waiting for an answer from the Dublin Mint Office.

Also, I would say the guy who is upset about his parents is a similar thing to me, I was almost sucked in to buying the coin thinking it was an official coin issue and thought it might be nice to get one, then after a few hours worked out it obviously wasn't!

I don't like the way the DMO make everything look very official when in actual fact all they are is a profit making company and are obviously using the tactic of amking things look as official as possible to perhaps confuse some people. (I wouldn't dream of using the word hoodwink or con)

cyclopath2001

Their marketing certainly put me off, it looks too much like spam, but also the fact that even though they're called Dublin Mint, they don't have a mint in Dublin. I wonder who the directors are and where they reside and work?

Duff Man Jr.

Tim should have just ignored this thread,

Dublin Mint: Tim

Dear Whimsical - Please be assured we have no intention to mislead. I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that the Dublin Mint Office is a legitimate private company registered in Ireland. Coins purchased through the Dublin Mint Office are sent to customers for a 14 day no obligation approval period. Customers only pay if they wish to purchase, otherwise coins are returned, postage paid, to us. This allows customers the opportunity to view the product before making a final purchase decision.



Thanks Monkeynuz - we had an initial technical problem with our website for the first couple of days but it has been up and running since May 2011 - www.dublinmintoffice.ie. Apologies for any convenience caused. I can assure you that the coins on special offer to our Irish customers retail for the higher value as advertised on our website.


Hello Cyclopath2001 - The Dublin Mint Office is a subsidiary of the Samlerhuset Group. We operate in 15 markets around the world in the UK, Europe and China. We co-own the Mint of Norway (we were the first privately-owned company in the world to be allowed part ownership of a national mint) which entitles us to strike legal tender currency in Norway and for other central banks around the world. While our customer care service is currently based in London, it is staffed by Irish people. The company hopes to establish a Dublin based office in due course.

Kind regards
Tim Banks
Head of Customer Care
Dublin Mint Office

monkeynuz

Dublin Mint: Tim wrote: »

Thanks Monkeynuz - we had an initial technical problem with our website for the first couple of days but it has been up and running since May 2011 - www.dublinmintoffice.ie. Apologies for any convenience caused. I can assure you that the coins on special offer to our Irish customers retail for the higher value as advertised on our website.

Kind regards
Tim Banks
Head of Customer Care
Dublin Mint Office

Hi Tim,

Thanks for your reply,

However, you still don't answer the fact that, 1, there was no web address on the mailing that I received, and 2, when I did a web search for DMO in early May or whenever it was, no such company existed online, 3, you made the point in an earlier post that the price comparisons in your mailings are based on an online selling price for a specific period before offering them at a cheaper price via the posatl campaign, surely that is a trade description breach when there was no such website nor reference to such a website, therefore no such advert at a higher price was ever available?

Feel free to comment.

Dublin Mint: Tim

Hello Munkeynuz

The website address is on all of our mailings as is a Freephone customer care number. The website did have a technical issue for a couple of days at the start of the campaign which is why you may have not been able to browse to the site but this was resolved quickly. The prices offered to our Irish customers through the mailings are lower than the prices on our website. I hope this answers your questions.

Kind regards
Tim Banks
Head of Customer Care

stimpson

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stimpson

Hi Tim,

Why is the Golden Penny described as such when the vast majority of the material is copper?

And why is the Pope John Paul II coin referred to as Pure silver when it's actually Sterling Silver? And why is the 5x markup when silver is currently €35 per ounce?

thanks.

Dublin Mint: Tim

Hi Stimpson

- The Golden Penny is described as such because its central feature is the 24 carat gold-plating used to enhance the original design. I agree with you that the vast majority of the coin’s weight is comprised of base metal hence the reason we don’t call it a Gold Penny.

- I agree that the Pope John Paul II coin was wrongly labeled. I have made sure this is immediately corrected and I am grateful to you for bringing this to my attention.

- The process of creating a coin – particularly one to Proof standards and in a limited edition – is a rather time-consuming and expensive one. We do not claim to be selling silver bullion. The workmanship involved is reflected in the price. If any of our customers do not feel that the quality of the coin justifies the price, they are able to return the coin within 14 days at our expense under our “no –quibble” returns policy. In the case of the Pope John Paul II coin, the price also reflects the very limited availability of this particular coin – we were only able to obtain a very small number from the Polish Mint.

Best wishes
Tim Banks
Head of Customer Care

monkeynuz

Dublin Mint: Tim wrote: »

Hello Munkeynuz

The website address is on all of our mailings as is a Freephone customer care number. The website did have a technical issue for a couple of days at the start of the campaign which is why you may have not been able to browse to the site but this was resolved quickly. The prices offered to our Irish customers through the mailings are lower than the prices on our website. I hope this answers your questions.

Kind regards
Tim Banks
Head of Customer Care

Hi Tim,

Like I said in my other postings the web address was categorically NOT on the mailing I received nor was there any reference to the Dublin Mint Office when I searched Google for it, please don't tell me the web address was there when it most certainly wasn't.

If there had been a web address on the mailing I would not have stated that there wasn't.

dubhthach

Looking at the following page: http://www.irishcoinage.com/MODCAT.HTM#modpe

I see that 30,000,000 1968 pennies were minted. The most you would pay for one from a proper coin delearship €3 .00 for an uncirculated coin. If you buy a proof coin it would cost €375. I think I'd rather buy an original condition coin then some gaudy desecration of an original.

sares

Hi Tim,

I just got the application form in the post. What's the copyright situation with coins like these? Did you have to get permission from the Central Bank / Minister for Finance?

Also, why is there a limit of one coin per household?

Dave

PS I'm not implying any wrongdoing, I'm genuinely just curious.

Dublin Mint: Tim

Hi Dave

Thanks for your interest in our coins.

The only relevant legislation concerns the destruction or defacing of legal tender coinage. The treatment we have applied is reversible so it is permissible.

We only allow one application per household because of the very high level of opening discount we offer. If any household wishes to pay the full price to purchase more we would happily accept the order.

On occasion we also restrict applications to one per household where there is a very limited number of coins available so that more of our customers can benefit.

Best wishes

Tim

2 stroke

Tim. What is the definition of "wholly layered with pure 24 carat gold" and "fully layered with pure 24 carat gold"?

Dublin Mint: Tim

Hi 2 stroke

The method we use to apply the gold layering ensures every part of the coin is layered, including the area beneath the rhodium platinum detailing which is applied after the gold.

Not all gold layering processes make use of pure 24ct gold. We use a pure 24ct gold to layer the coins to achieve the best finish possible for the coin.

Thanks and best regards,

Tim

tommy21

Dublin Mint: Tim wrote: »

Kind regards
Tim Banks
Head of Customer Care

Ironic name

2 stroke

I guess that answers the question I asked, perhaps I should phrase my questions better.
To me, fully layered means to the maximum ammount possible. How much gold is actually applied? If you cannot answer for an individual coin, maybe you could say how many coins would be layered using an ounce of gold.

Sonnenblumen

Tim - fair play to you for the very well mannered handling of some rather very abrasive questions and criticisms.

I have no connection with the co but I would think that some people would purchase such products not as investments but rather for the subject matter as momentos etc.

The co does appear to provide plenty of info on it's bona fides, it's product offering and even a no quibble 14 day return policy.

Still you will never satisfy everyone. Nothing worse than listening to people moaning about sales prices and slating the stockist/supplier. If the offer doesn't appeal, move on with courtesy and let someone else ponder.

Best of luck Tim, and yes, a great surname. I hope you mint it!:D

2 stroke

I have a letter in my hand from the dublin mint company, and If I read it without the information available on this thread, I could very easily be mislead into thinking I was dealing with the official Irish Mint, if such a place exists. This lends this offer huge credibility. What realy lets it down is the freepost envelope, simply addressed DMO and a Po box no.
I am inclined to think that the golden penny is a nice item a €4.95, but to suggest that it is actually worth €29.95 bothers me. Nice solid gold €20 coin on their website though at €55, worth a look.
Also title of this thread needs to be changed to Golden coin issue.

jovanotti

Dear Dublin Mint Representative,

Having only recently come to know of the existence of your company I took the trouble to look at your web site.

I note that you are presently charging €695 for Victoria Veiled Head Sovereigns.

I would like to point out that Victoria Veiled Head Sovereigns from the time period in question are presently available on the websites of several reputable dealers at costs in the range of £250 - £290 [i.e. €290 - €333].

I would like to ask you why you are selling these coins at what appears to be an exorbitant charge?

Thanking you in advance.