Most Popular Questions

The United States Mint does not receive tax dollars to operate its business. Instead, it covers all costs through product sales. We monitor costs constantly and may make price adjustments that reflect price changes in materials, production, and shipping. The updated prices for our annual sets reflect these changes and it allows the Mint to continue producing high-quality products for collectors.

The four-year American Women Quarters (AWQ) Program expired at the end of 2025, and products are no longer available for purchase directly from the United States Mint.  The Mint is focusing its efforts on promoting and selling the once-in-a-lifetime coins and coin products celebrating our Nation’s Semiquincentennial, America’s 250^th birthday.

The United States Mint requires signatures on shipments for orders over $600. The Mint does not automatically require a signature on shipments for an order under $600, however, you may select the option for signature upon delivery for orders under $600 during checkout for a fee of $3.95. As this is a service provided by the selected carrier, the Mint cannot guarantee that the carrier will require a physical signature or other receipt validation upon delivery, and the Mint will not refund the $3.95 signature fee if a signature or other receipt validation is not collected.

Payment in U.S. dollars must accompany all orders.

• Orders placed online can be paid using credit cards, PayPal, or United States Mint-issued E-Gift Certificates.
• Orders placed via telephone can be paid using credit cards.
• Bulk Customer orders that total less than $25,000 can be paid using a credit card, wire transfer, or ACH. Wire and ACH transfers must be received at the United States Mint within 5 business days after placing the order to avoid cancellation.
• Bulk Customer orders of $25,000 or more must be paid using a wire or ACH transfer. Payment must be received at the United States Mint within 5 business days after the order has been placed to avoid cancellation.

The following credit cards are accepted:

• VISA
• MasterCard
• American Express
• Discover

Transaction limits:

• Credit Card orders are accepted for online orders up to $24,999.
• PayPal is accepted for online orders up to $10,000.
• ACH transfers (from bulk customers only) are accepted for amounts up to $99,000,000.

We do not accept payments by debit card, unless the card was issued as a check card with a VISA or MasterCard logo.

Payment in U.S. dollars must accompany all orders.

• Orders placed online can be paid using credit cards, PayPal, or United States Mint-issued E-Gift Certificates.
• Orders placed via telephone can be paid using credit cards or by wire transfer.
• Bulk Customer orders that total less than $25,000 can be paid using a credit card, wire transfer, or ACH. Wire and ACH transfers must be received at the United States Mint within 5 business days after placing the order to avoid cancellation.
• Bulk Customer orders of $25,000 or more must be paid using a wire or ACH transfer. Payment must be received at the United States Mint within 5 business days after the order has been placed to avoid cancellation.

The following credit cards are accepted:

• VISA
• MasterCard
• American Express
• Discover

Transaction limits:

• Credit Card orders are accepted for online orders up to $24,999.
• PayPal is accepted for online orders up to $10,000.
• ACH transfers (from bulk customers only) are accepted for amounts up to $99,000,000.

We do not accept payments by debit card, unless the card was issued as a check card with a VISA or MasterCard logo.

What if I want to return the “required purchase item” for exchange or refund?

In order to receive an exchange or refund for the “required purchase item,” in addition to returning the “required purchase item,” you must also return all free accompanying “bonus” items. This requirement was instituted to avoid potential abuse of our return policy by customers only wishing to obtain the free accompanying “bonus” item.

What happens if I want to exchange the free accompanying “bonus” item?

The United States Mint will not be issuing exchange replacements for this item. It is a complimentary item for which you incurred no cost.

Why is the return and exchange of these items handled this way?

We are requiring this for one reason: to alleviate abuse of our return policy by customers who just wish to obtain the free accompanying “bonus” item. The free accompanying “bonus” item will be part of every order meeting the required minimum purchase requirements and must accompany every return of the required purchase items.

Is a free accompanying “bonus” item sold separately?

Generally, no. There is usually a required minimum purchase amount or specific item and quantity that must be purchased to qualify for any free or premium items offered. If there is an offer of a free accompanying item it will be noted on the website, product page, during checkout, or on your order confirmation.

Will there be a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) for the free accompanying “bonus” item?

Usually, there will not be a COA for the free accompanying “bonus” item unless that item is an actual set that can be purchased alone.

What happens if I ordered and/or received a free accompanying item in error?

You should contact the Mint for instructions. The Mint may also reach out via email or letter to inform you of the error and provide instructions for return. This is to maintain fairness for our customers who met purchase requirements to obtain the free item. If there is an opportunity for you to keep the free item it will be offered. You may request reimbursement of shipping costs for the return but must present the receipt along with your request.

What if I don’t return the free accompanying item?

Customers who have obtained the free accompanying item without making the required purchase will be contacted by Mint. The Mint may also place a hold on the customer’s account and all open/unshipped orders pending the return of the free accompanying item(s). The hold will prevent future orders and prevent open orders from shipping. The holds will only be released when the item is returned and received.

Budget Shipping

• Orders completed by phone or through the United States Mint Online Catalog have a budget shipping fee of $5.95 per order.
• Packages shipped in the continental United States using the United States Mint's budget shipping option usually arrive within 1 to 2 weeks.

Standard Shipping

• Orders completed by phone or through the United States Mint Online Catalog using standard shipping method have a fee of $12.95 per order.
• Packages shipped in the continental United States using the United States Mint's standard shipping option usually arrive within 3 to 6 business days.
• Please allow 1-2 business days for order processing plus 3 to 6 business days for delivery.

Expedited Shipping

• You will be charged $17.95 for the United States Mint's Expedited Shipping option.
• Packages shipped using the United States Mint's Expedited Shipping option usually arrive within 2 to 3 business days.
• Please allow 1-2 business days for order processing plus 2 to 3 business days for delivery.
• There is no Expedited Shipping option available for International orders.

Next Day Shipping

• You will be charged $20.95 for the United States Mint's Next Day Shipping option.
• Packages shipped using the United States Mint's Next Day Shipping option typically arrive the following business day if the order is received by noon ET.
• Please allow 1-2 business days for order processing plus 1 business day for delivery.
• There is no Next Day Shipping option available for International orders.

International Shipping

• You will be charged $17.90 plus a $2.95 handling fee per item for the United States Mint's International Shipping option.
• Packages shipped using the United States Mint's International Shipping option usually arrive within 1 to 2 weeks.
• You may be subject to import duties and taxes, which are not reflected in our prices. Duties and taxes are levied by your country or other overseas authority once a shipment reaches your country.
• You may also be required to pay additional charges for customs clearance. You should contact your local customs office for further information on applicable duties, taxes, restrictions, and fees.

The United States Mint ships most products to the geographical locations listed below. This list is subject to change without notice.

The United States Mint imposes household order limits on our products to ensure we provide fair purchase opportunities to the broadest audience possible. Household order limits for our products are typically lifted 24 hours after they go on sale. As we monitor our products, limits may be implemented, adjusted, or removed at our discretion.

The United States Mint processes all orders on a first-in, first-served basis. Once an order confirmation number is generated, the order is processed in the sequence it was received. Please allow 1-2 days for processing. Inventory is immediately reserved and the order fulfillment process begins. This includes products with a backorder status once inventory becomes available. Orders placed before the official on-sale date/time are not valid and will be cancelled.

• If an order has outstanding issues (such as credit card holds, household order limit violations, or address verification conflicts), the next orders in line can be fulfilled before the one with outstanding issues. While the issues for an order are being worked out, the status of an order may display "hold" during this time. Once the outstanding issues are resolved, the order is re-inserted next in line. Accordingly, such re-inserted orders will not be processed for shipment in the same sequence as their order numbers.

• Each day, the order management system generates several "ship lists" which contain all of the orders in line that have been cleared for shipment. These orders can be broken into categories to gain efficiencies; however, within the categories, orders will be shipped in sequence.

• Personnel at the fulfillment center package and prepare for shipping all orders on their designated ship list in the most efficient manner. After an order is completely packaged and prepared for shipment, it is then moved to the shipping team for carrier pick-up. If the product is moved to the carrier pick-up area, an e-mail ship confirmation will be sent to the customer with tracking information.

• If, by the end of the day, all orders on the daily ship lists did not complete the fulfillment process, which is complete with the e-mail ship confirmation, those orders carry over to the next day. For example, if the daily ship list contained the next 3,000 orders in line, but the fulfillment center only completed to shipment 2,000 orders, the remaining 1,000 orders carry over to the next day.

What is the Waiting Room, and what is the goal of the Waiting Room?

• The Waiting Room was implemented in 2022 in response to previous issues around site stability. The virtual Waiting Room keeps the site within traffic system limits, so the website remains available to customers without experiencing volume-related outages.

When is the Waiting Room used?

• The waiting room is used when popular products are made available with limited inventory and high demand. It is also deployed if the site experiences a sustained spike of traffic that may impact site performance.

How is the order in which customers are permitted onto the site determined?

• At the product drop start time, all customers in the Waiting Room are placed in random order. They will enter to the website in this order at a pace that allows the website to provide optimal service, and not on a first-come first-served basis. Customers who come to the website while the waiting room is active, but after the product drop start time, will enter the site on a first-come first-served basis after the customers who arrived prior to the product drop start time have been served. From that point onward, all new customers entering the Waiting Room will do so on a first-in, first-out method.

If I make it into the waiting room, am I guaranteed product?

• No, the purpose of the waiting room is to provide a stable website experience during a high-demand period and does not guarantee that product will be available for purchase once it is your turn to purchase. You will only be able to complete your purchase if inventory is available.

Once on the site, how long will customers have to shop?

• Customers are given 10 minutes to complete their transaction after they are out of the waiting room. This is a standard value which is not customized for each coin drop. If the shopping duration is exceeded, customers will be returned to the Waiting Room.