I’ve never been a fan of coin jewelry. If I’m going to carry coins around, they’re going to be in my pocket …

In times past, I’ve gone so far as to keep a "lucky" American Silver Eagle handy. It was a phase I went through as a younger collector. I enjoyed pulling the coin out, showing it or simply flipping it around and playing with it. Then there was the "testing aspect" of handling the coin to see how much wear it would undergo over time …

In that sense of my experience, I could understand those who like to wear a coin within a ring, necklace or whatever. But the thought of punching a whole into a coin so it’ll fit through a chain or otherwise purposely damaging a fine coin for jewelry didn’t make much sense to me. I’m not some purist when it comes to common coins. I’ve always been tempted and still have the urge to place a penny on the railroad track and see the results after a train has passed by. Yet, that’s my inner child speaking and the voice hasn’t gone away.

I then came across the below video where a Kennedy half-dollar is converted into a ring. My main viewpoint hasn’t changed after watching the video and I had to cringe somewhat in first seeing a hammer strike the Kennedy. Yet, there’s a certain innovative thinking I respected in coming up with the idea and then actually seeing it through to completion.

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Chinese archaeologists have raised an 800 year-old merchant ship built during the Song dynasty (960-1279). It’s dubbed the "Titanic of China" and before sinking, it was hauling a treasure trove of porcelain, gold, jewels and other artifacts, including 6,000 coins.

The treasure ship, officially labeled Nanhai No. 1, or “South China Sea No. 1,” was discovered 82 ft (25m) below water in a bed of mud. That mud helped to preserve the ancient ship and its contents for all these years.

Thousands of artifacts have been recovered and the remarkable next phase has already occurred - the Nanhai 1 was lifted from the sea floor and loaded onto a cargo ship.

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You’re tearing out plaster from a bathroom wall and suddenly wads of cash appear before your eyes. The cash hoard is enormous with a face amount totaling $182,000.

Better yet, it’s not just any old cash, but 70-year old bank notes in great condition with some on the rare side. Suddenly, the $182,000 starts to seem small.

There’s just one problem. The wall you were ripping out wasn’t yours. You’re a contractor working on renovating a home.

You do the right thing. Instead of taking the money without saying a word, you notify the homeowner. Like you, she’s excited.

At first everything is amicable. Then the reality of the find sets in and the situation becomes a legal battle.

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The United States Mint offered up a sneak peek of the four Presidential $1 Coins scheduled for release in 2008.

The next four coins will begin the second year of a decade-long series and make their debut in three month increments with the following presidential order and issue dates:

• James Monroe on Feb. 14
• John Quincy Adams on May 15
• Andrew Jackson on Aug. 14
• and Martin Van Buren on Nov. 13

The first four Presidential Dollars issued in 2007 had the image of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. According to US Mint coin production figures, the Mint turned out 768,530,000 Presidential $1 Coins in 2007. (The total does not include mintage figures for the last Madison Presidential coin, which was released in November.)

With such high mintage numbers, you would expect the coins to be readily available and used in daily transactions. That Mint desire is a long distance from reality with the Presidential $1 Coins nearly invisible outside the coin collector community.

Mint Director Ed Moy was quoted as saying:

“We hope the next four presidential $1 coins will not only jingle in pockets but be spent as well. These coins are convenient. Each presidential $1 coin weighs less than four quarters, and they’re especially useful for vending machines and mass transit."

“We will be working with several local retailers and banks in a concentrated area to facilitate the increased circulation of Presidential $1 Coins. We want to see more of these coins used in daily transactions and given out as change like other denominations.”

2008 would seem to be the year the Mint will focus more on the new dollar coin’s compatibility with vending machines, their ease in use with transit systems and getting banks on board to supply them.

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Next Thursday, Jan. 3, the 2008 American Eagle Silver Proof Coin will go on sale by the United States Mint. While the 2007 proof version is currently sold for $29.95, its days are numbered and the Mint has announced its newer replacement will sale for $2 more, at $31.95.

Last week’s mintage numbers indicated approximately 810,000 of the current 2007 American Eagle Silver Proof Coin have been sold.

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Today, Dec. 26, President George Bush signed into law H.R. 2764, the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2008. While the President was unhappy with portions of the bill:

"…I am disappointed in the way the Congress compiled this legislation, including abandoning the goal I set early this year to reduce the number and cost of earmarks by half. Instead, the Congress dropped into the bill nearly 9,800 earmarks that total more than $10 billion. These projects are not funded through a merit-based process and provide a vehicle for wasteful Government spending…"

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Second-guessing the United States Mint is exceptionally easy to do. They’re the "big guys" with an array of products and programs that make them a bullseye for attention. They’re also a government entity and it’s not exactly easy or prudent for them to respond to criticism, making arm-chair judgments against them more likely to go unchallenged.

An aggressive marketing campaign by the Mint along with early and embarrassing mint coin errors has provided public notice of the new Presidential $1 Coins. While the Mint should be held accountable for errors or mistakes in decisions, how much criticism do they merit for the lack of progress in getting the new Presidential Dollars used in daily circulation?

Despite the fact that the Mint has already reported nearly 760 million presidential coins minted without the Madison dollars, a significant portion of the public has never received the new coin in daily change. I live in one of the largest cities in the nation, San Antonio, and have yet to experience someone handing me one. Further, asking for and getting the coins at many banks has been a challenge in itself.

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Dozens of Salvation Army bell ringers experienced an amplified feelings of generosity from gift givers this year. There were reported accounts of over 30 gold coins donated in Salvation Army kettles.

There’s likely many more. It’s nearly impossible to track special coin donations on the national scale through news accounts.

Anonymous donors in the Chicago area alone have reportedly given at least 15 gold and nearly 60 silver coins. Although each was given by someone with a generous heart, most don’t make the news as there’s no face and resulting story to associate with the person giving.

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Last week was a robust week for coin news. Before launching into the week’s new cycle of news, it may be worthwhile to take a back glance into last week’s articles and information - just to make sure you didn’t miss anything intriguing.

The left column includes CoinNews headlines. Most of these you’ve likely seen on the CoinNews.net homepage from Dec. 16- Dec. 22.

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Platinum was the noise of the week in precious metals hitting an all time high on Tuesday with a spot price of $1,519. It faltered ever so slightly since, but still ended Friday at $1,516 an ounce.

Gold had a respectable climb for the week and stayed above the $800 rim to close at $810.50.

Overall in metals:

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