Braille Commemorative Silver Dollar Deadline Announced

The United States Mint this week announced the deadline to order Braille Commemorative Silver Dollars.

The legislation authorizing the coins stipulates that they can only be issued "during the 1-year period beginning January 1, 2009." On its online store, the US Mint has posted the following message:

The 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar products must be issued by December 31st. In order to meet these requirements, the United States Mint is only accepting orders for these products until December 11th at 5:00 p.m. ET. Please note that all credit card and billing issues must be resolved prior to December 11th.

The coin products referenced in the notice all honor the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, inventor of the Braille system for reading and writing by the blind and visually impaired. The four available, along with their prices and latest sales figures as of Sunday, Nov. 1, follow:

• Louis Braille Bicentennial Proof Silver Dollar, $41.95 - Sales of 127,108

• Louis Braille Bicentennial Uncirculated Silver Dollar, $33.95 - Sales of 46,469

• United States Mint Braille Education Set, $44.95 - Sales of 7,793

• Louis Braille Bicentennial Uncirculated Silver Dollar in Easy-Open Capsule, $33.95 - Sales of 21,285

A total of 202,655 of the authorized 400,000 have been sold, seeming to indicate a sellout is unlikely given there is just over five weeks remaining and recent weekly sales have been under 3,000.

The products may be ordered directly from the US Mint website at http://www.usmint.gov/, or directly through the Mint commemorative page.

The Mint also accepts orders at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Hearing and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468).

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) receives $10 for each Bicentennial Braille coin sale in order to further its programs to promote Braille literacy.