Two weeks back CoinNews wrote an article on how the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 stated that vending machines by 2008 must be able to dispense the new presidential dollars irrespective of the fact that many vending machines give back an amount that’s always less than $1.

Concerned about needless and extra costs, Coca Cola hired a lobbyist firm to help get the law amended so certain vending machines wouldn’t have to dispense dollar coins. Whether it was through their efforts or not, their desired changes appear to be coming.

H.R. 3703 had previously passed the House on 11/13 and yesterday, 12/17, the Senate passed it with Unanimous Consent. H.R. 3703 clarifies which machines need to dispense dollar coins.

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Platinum hit a record high as strong industrial demand and supply fears drove investors to buy.

Spot platinum made it to $1,519 an ounce, breaking the $1,500 barrier for the first time on Monday.

It then pulled back slightly for the night, yet was still sitting at $1507 an ounce at 2:20 p.m. (ET on Tuesday).

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CoinNews has implemented several site enhancements since Sunday, Dec. 16. To point those out as well as coming changes, here is a short listing of things you may want to know:

1. We recently announced the launch of the beta CoinNews mobility site. Since, we’ve stopped accepting new beta applications to help test it, but don’t worry - if you’re interested in coin news straight from your cell phone, you can begin using the released site January 3.

2. On the CoinNews homepage, we’ve added the following new section breakouts:

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Analyzing the effort to reward ratio of creating counterfeit coins and then successfully getting them into daily circulation would seem to forestall an attempt to actually do it. Unless you have a mint-style facility with all the necessary equipment, materials and staff at your disposal, the work required to phony up fake coins is an imposing thought.

Then, imagine trying to close "shop" and before heading home for the day, exchanging your freshly forged counterfeit coins for real cash at the local store.

Believe it or not, one man, Marcus Glindon from north London, undertook an almost similar and gigantic task. He managed to counterfeit 14 million blank coins, and 2.5 fully stamped £1 coins during a seven year period.

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The emergence of Internet on-demand videos has not only provided the excitement of action-packed movies that can be viewed straight from your computer, but the availability of interesting, educational and free video content.

While coinage related video content is somewhat scarce in the numismatic world, there are indeed a few gems out there. The History Channel website through History.com has an example of one such gem.

The History Channel is known as a leading provider of exceptional content that won’t put you to sleep. For anyone - not just new or experienced coin collectors - their video production on how coins are made will intrigue you while keeping your interest.

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The Common Cents Penny Harvest Field is a spectacular event with approximately one hundred millions pennies gathered by New York City children in 2007. All the pennies are for charities that the children will select.

Toward the end of each year, the pennies are trucked to the Rockefeller Center in New York City and are placed in a specially engineered and constructed "penny lane".

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As most analyst expected last week, the Fed lowered interest rates by 25 basis points. Ironically, the expected seemed unexpected to Wall Street as the market reaction soured with disappointment - there was no early Christmas present of a larger cut.

Stocks closed lower Friday with renewed inflation worries and the fear it’ll prevent the Fed from lowering rates further and enough to help the housing and credit crisis.

Precious metals were lethargic for the most part. For the week:

• Platinum lost $1
• Silver lost $0.37
• and Gold closed down $20

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(San Antonio, Texas) — CoinNews, an online source for numismatic news, information and coin collector services, has announced the launch of a new beta site that is geared solely for mobile users.

The site provides numismatic headlines with the latest snapshots of daily news, articles and industry events accessible directly from mobile phones. While the beta of the mobility site has just begun, it is expected to be freely available to all CoinNews users by early January.

"Our mobility site is simply an extension of the industry news and information we offer every single day," said CoinNews editor Mike Unser. "The difference is you don’t have to be at your computer to find out what’s happening in the numismatic world. You can be anywhere."

New subscribers interested in helping test the beta mobile site should inquire through the CoinNews.net contact page, beginning Monday, Dec. 17.

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(Colorado Springs, Colorado) — A rare, 490-year old original copy of the first illustrated, printed numismatic book, Illustrium Imagines (”Images of the Illustrious”), has been donated to the American Numismatic Association by well-known collector, sports agent and real estate developer, Dwight N. Manley, of Newport Beach, California. The book was printed in 1517 in Rome, Italy, and contains 204 ornate woodcut illustrations from ancient Roman coins and medallions.

Manley purchased it for $8,050 in the November 1, 2007, rare book auction conducted by George Frederick Kolbe of Crestline, California. In the catalog, Kolbe described the book as “… of unparalleled importance, being only the second numismatic book ever published, and the first printed book substantially illustrating coins and medals … A handsome publication, truly one of the greatest landmarks in the history of numismatic literature.”

“This generous gift is unquestionably one of the most treasured volumes in any numismatic library collection,” said ANA Acting Executive Director Ken Hallenbeck. “This becomes the oldest numismatic book in the world’s largest numismatic lending library. It is a terrific addition to the ANA’s Dwight N. Manley Library.”

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The new Presidential $1 coins and the words "In God We Trust" are back in debate. A new legislative bill, S.2417, has been placed on the table and seeks changes to the motto’s placement.

Since the beginning of its mintage, the new dollar coin has faced extra scrutiny due solely to those powerful words, or lack of them. While a very small segment of the population would just as soon see the motto forever removed, most appreciate the significance of it appearing on coinage since the Civil War.

Then there are many who take issue with the new $1 coin’s design, believing the motto lacks prominence on its edge.

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