The Upsides & Downsides of Northstar Mint
Advantages
- The website boasts top-tier imagery, showcasing polished business emblems and photographs. This feature is commendable as it's easy to identify the company from the visual without diving deep into the textual details.
- The site is penned professionally enhanced with a contents section for effortless browsing. It spans 25 pages, encompassing the quartet sections: business cards, gift cards, security papers, and coin wrappers.
- A standout feature is the product preview, enabling users to explore items before deciding. This is pivotal, given that Northstar Mint might showcase items you're familiar with or entirely new to.
- Every product snapshot indicates the manufacturing entity and its price point. This clarity aids consumers, ensuring they grasp what's in their cart.
- Established in 2007, Northstar Mint offers an extensive product suite and showcases a client roster on its portal. Their longstanding presence and glowing feedback on platforms like Google and Trustpilot.com underscore their industry reputation.
Drawbacks
- However, after dispatching bullion coins worth half a million dollars, Northstar Mint confronted unforeseen hitches in fulfilling orders. Customers faced tardy deliveries, causing the mint's operations to take a hit.
- While Northstar pledged timely dispatch for all orders placed pre-May 15th, those in need discovered a shortfall of gold coin blanks, pushing availability possibly beyond May 2020.
- Concerns have been voiced on Northstar's Facebook space, indicating unattended calls and emails. Despite the site parading an extensive product catalog, most feedback suggests a non-availability of coins.
- Positioned in Castle Rock, Colorado, Northstar Mint purports to offer a mix of precious metal bullions alongside Proof and Uncirculated metals like gold(gold returns), silver, platinum, and palladium rounds.
Product
Mint Boro
Crafted by Northstar, Mint Boro is a semi-translucent vibrant green hue perfect as a foundational tint. It's user-friendly and remarkably consistent, so you can trust it to retain its beauty in any flame intensity.
Gold and Silver Offerings
Northstar Mint's online platform is abuzz with the sale of American Gold and Silver Eagles. These treasures easily top their bestseller list. Besides, they present unique items like the High Relief Gold Coins, the American 24K Gold Buffalo, and other exclusive coin releases from the U.S. Mint.
Coveted Silver Dollars
The globally recognized Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars are among the most sought-after coins worldwide. Spanning dates from 1878 through 1935, Northstar Mint offers them in multiple states, whether certified or not. Additionally, they provide a bulk option for U.S. silver dollars based on their grade.
Collector's Sets
Each year, the U.S. Mint unveils a selection of coin collections. Among these, Proof and Mint Sets are fan favorites. Northstar Mint boasts a collection that includes almost every U.S. Proof Set from 1936 onwards. This spectrum encompasses Clad Proof Sets, Silver variations, Prestige sets, Quarter sets, and even Presidential Dollar ones.
Furthermore, the company holds every U.S. Mint Set released since 1947. This encompasses the Double Mint, Silver Mint, Special Mint, and the standard Clad Mint Sets.
Commemorative Collections
With pride, Northstar Mint introduces many U.S. Commemorative Coin editions. They have everything from iconic early silver commemorative half dollars like the Columbian Exposition, Pilgrim, and Monroe to the Washington/Carver half dollars. They've expanded to include contemporary Gold and Silver Commemoratives, Commemorative Half Dollars, and exclusive Coin Sets merging currency and chronicles.
Owner
Ira Holland, the President and creator of Northstar Mint, once worked as a private security contractor and had some serious behavioral challenges. Holland still needs to address these issues and implement clear managerial protocols.
Back with his former employer, Blackwater/Xe/Academi, Holland's challenges were documented, leading to his dismissal in 2010.
In 2008, the Colorado Regulatory Departments, including the Division of Insurance's Consumer Protection Unit, took legal action against Holland. This was over unsubstantiated claims regarding large quantities of gold he sold to Stronar Mining.
In 2011, an unfortunate incident led to Holland's arrest after a confrontation with a former Northstar Mint worker, though he asserted it was in self-defense.
By 2012, in response to a broker's concerns about his business approach, Holland expressed on social media, specifically Facebook, his sentiment: "Americana isn't my style. I'm all for free business."
Rating
4.5 stars – Highly Suggested
One can never have enough of mints. There's an enchanting allure to minted coins. Typically, they possess a lesser market presence but hold an impeccable ability to remain pristine and of mint quality. Rarely will you witness a surge in price for these coins, ensuring their affordability remains consistent.
The same holds for coin editions by Northstar Mint. Every release sets new standards, often evident in their exceptional design, premium materials, and cost-effective production.
I've always advocated for Northstar Mint's collections, and I don't foresee a shift in my stance. The market seems less inclined towards high-quality, limited-edition coins. Hence, I suggest you explore Northstar Mint's offerings at the earliest.
When treasuring minted coins' aesthetic and financial value, nothing surpasses a limited mintage coin. Their value is bound to rise. Typically characterized by limited market penetration, they promise to maintain their pristine and minted charm.
Final Verdict
Mintage coins seldom see a price hike, ensuring their accessibility for purchase always. While numerous entities release low mintage coins, they often have just a year's production run, limiting opportunities to buy at a lower price in hopes of a future value surge. This also holds for Northstar Mint's offerings, which earned them my 4-star review.
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