It’s been a brisk couple of weeks for newly introduced or passed coin legislation.

Five US coin bills have seen recent movement, and two have actually been presented to President Bush for his signature.

For a quick summation, here are the legislative measures that have moved in congress between September 9 and October 1:

Boy Scouts of America Silver Dollar Coin, H.R. 5872

United States Army Infantry Silver Dollar Coin, H.R. 3229

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Latest 2008 Royal Canadian Mint offerings include Chinese Lunar Zodiac hologram gold and cameo silver coins, silver and gold Moon Mask coins, Vignettes of Royalty (King George V) silver coins, silver Queen of Spades Playing Card coin, silver Sapphire and Amethsyst Crystal Snowflake coins, Holiday Carolling silver coins, 50 cent Holiday Snowman, and NHL© coins.

Ottawa, Ontario, October 1, 2008 — The Royal Canadian Mint today issued its latest release of collector coins and gift products for 2008—just in time for the holiday season. Examples from this impressive selection include: gold and silver coins celebrating the Year of the Ox; new gold and silver Moon Mask coins; an ultra-high relief King George V Vignettes of Royalty $15 silver coin; a new 99.99% pure silver Holiday Carols coin; as well as innovative keepsakes honouring Canada’s beloved NHL© teams, featuring team jerseys, dual image logos and goalie masks. The public can purchase these new products as of today.

"As the Royal Canadian Mint continues to celebrate its centennial year, we are proud to issue new products showcasing the creativity, quality and innovation which have been our hallmarks since 1908," said President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint, Ian E. Bennett.

"Collectors and gift givers alike will find many exciting choices among the collector coins and gift products offered just in time for the holiday and hockey seasons."

Here are the highlights of the Mint’s newest selection of products:

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As stocks ended slightly lower Wednesday and the markets anxiously awaited the Senate’s vote on its proposed financial rescue plan, New York precious metals moved into positive territory. Nymex silver, gold and platinum futures gained 4 percent, 0.7 percent, and 1.4 percent, respectively.

November crude oil dropped $1.78, or 1.8 percent, to $98.89 per barrel. It reached as low as $95.95 in intraday trading.

December silver climbed 49 cents to close to $12.77 an ounce.

October platinum rose $14.60 to end at $1,029.70 an ounce.

December gold gained $6.50 to settle at $887.30 an ounce.

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Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) said it will begin using its latest generation coin holder, featuring enhanced security features, on a wide-scale basis starting Wednesday. It will also discontinue use of its previous generation holder immediately "in order to maintain turnaround times."

NGC said its new exterior holder and new label will be used for all submissions. The EdgeView® Holder, however, is to be used only for US Walkthrough and US Express tier submissions and all World tier submissions until its full-scale release in early 2009.

"Our service commitment is to encapsulate coins in the most secure holder, made from the best materials available," comments NGC CEO, Steve Eichenbaum.

"This iterative release schedule allows us to expand the availability of the best holder in the most expedient and responsible way," continues Eichenbaum.

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The 2008 Cleveland First Day $2 Single Notes went on sale Wednesday at 7:30 A.M. EDT, and were gone within hours. “Sold-Out” was the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) message that customers saw online Wednesday morning.

With the Cleveland notes having a limited 10,000 quantity, and each in crisp, uncirculated condition with a beginning serial number of “2008xxxxD,” the banknotes were quickly grabbed up — just as this year’s previous Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas and Richmond collector $2 offerings.

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(Santa Ana, California) – Collectors Universe, Inc. announced today, September 30, 2008, that PCGS President, Ron Guth, would be changing his role effective October 1, 2008 to become President of CoinFacts.com, a unit of PCGS that Guth had originally founded in 1999 that offers a virtual encyclopedia of knowledge about almost all U.S. Coins. 

As for the President’s role at PCGS, until a new President is named, David Hall and Steve Mayer, Chief Operating Officer for Collectors Universe, will assume Mr. Guth’s duties to allow him to transition to the new position. Guth will oversee the building and maintenance of web-based content for both the PCGS and Coin Facts websites and related publications.

According to www.compete.com, CoinFacts.com has over 95,000 unique visitors per month. 

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