The United States Mint officially confirmed today that the one-ounce 2009 American Platinum Eagle Proof Coin will be available for purchase at noon Eastern Time (ET) December 3, 2009 — the same date it had tentatively provided back in October. As part of the announcement, the US Mint released an image of the new theme for the reverse, which will change annually on platinum coins until 2014.

Platinum Eagles have not been available from the Mint all year and, as it announced in October, no bullion versions will be struck until at least 2010. This makes the one-ounce proof eagle the only coin available to collectors and investors who desire a 2009-dated platinum American coin. (The Mint discontinued all Platinum Uncirculated Eagles and the fractional Platinum Eagle Proofs in 2008.)

The reverse of this year’s coin will feature the first design of a six year series commemorating the core concepts of American Democracy by showcasing six principles of the Preamble of the United States Constitution. Read the rest of this entry »

America the Beautiful Quarters kick off in 2010. During the next 11 years and at a rate of 5 per year, the reverse or tails side of each quarter will feature a design emblematic of a national park or site in each state, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.

[Read about the US Mint's announcement of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program.]

Nearly twenty art renderings were completed some months back as part of the process to select a final quarter-dollar design per location for next year.

Referred to as "candidate designs," these have also been submitted to the United States Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) for review.

All of the 2010 candidates are below, with the favorites of both groups highlighted along with their comments. Read the rest of this entry »

Several numismatic news or coin blog articles are referenced on CoinNews two separate times a week. These articles are not authored by us, but we recommend coin collectors read them for their unusual or interesting content. Here are today’s coin articles:

Counterfeit Euros Are Detected With an Optical Mouse
ScienceDaily

The sensor of some optical mice can be used to easily and cheaply detect counterfeit euros, according to a study published by researchers of the University of Lleida (UdL) in the scientific journal Sensors. Almost 80% of counterfeit coins discovered in Europe in 2008 were two-euro coins …

Go to story »

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Zachary Taylor Presidential $1 coins in dollar rolls went on sale at the US Mint today at Noon ET. The coins mark the fourth and final release this year of a Presidential Dollar and the twelfth for the series overall.

"The idea that I should become President seems to me too visionary to require a serious answer. It has never entered my head, nor is it likely to enter the head of any other person," said Zachary Taylor when the idea of his running for President of the United States first appeared.

But, after winning the office with 47.3% of the popular vote, Taylor said : "I have no private purpose to accomplish, no party objectives to build up, no enemies to punish — nothing to serve but my country," and that is what Taylor tried to do for his short tenure.

Born into a comfortable farmers family and brought up on the frontiers of Kentucky, Taylor had little time or access to receive much of a formal education, which was not uncommon for the era. Upon reaching adulthood, Zachary joined the Army and shortly received a commission as a first lieutenant from his cousin James Madison (current President of the United States). Continuing to serve with distinction, Taylor climbed the ranks and was instrumental in the defeat of several Native American tribes before being promoted to brigadier general and given the command of the southern division of the United States Army.
Read the rest of this entry »

NEWPORT BEACH — Cornerstone’s first album, the National Park Quarters Album, is proving to be a successful addition to the quarter enthusiast’s collection. After sending out test samples to select coin shops, we received an overwhelming number of positive reviews! Here is what people are saying:

“I received a set of samples sight-unseen. When they arrived they were even more impressive than I expected and I sold through them within hours.”

–John Lenertz, www.CoinSupplyExpress.com

“Zyrus Press shipped me samples to review and now that I have it in my hand, I have to say, I’m very impressed. There is no doubt this album will be a hit with our customers. I look forward to seeing the full line.”

–Andrew Auletta, www.Brent-Krueger.com

Read the rest of this entry »

With gold prices pounding on new highs, many of the US Mint’s gold coins enjoyed stronger sales last week, although $20 UHRs dropped back and proof Buffalo coins continue to slow.

The newly released Lincoln Presidency cent two-roll sets are visible in this week’s report. The initial numbers are solid. Braille Silver Dollars, which will go off sale in less than a month, also picked up nicely. These and more highlights follow:

• 2009 Buffalo Gold Proof Coin sales continue to soften as compared to their first few days following their Oct. 19 launch. Another 4,316 were added, which is down nearly half from last week’s reported increase of 8,487. On the other hand, the bullion one-ounce versions climbed 13,500 versus the prior 11,000.

• American Silver Eagles topped 25 million this week. Their latest seven-day sales rose by 750,000, which is down from the prior 850,000. American Gold Eagles are moving faster. 41,500 were sold in the last seven days compared to the previous 30,000.

• UHR $20 Double Eagles snapped a two-week winning streak. Numbers came in at 1,098 and lagged behind the last gain of 1,453. The year-to-date tally is at 104,862.

• Louis Braille Silver Dollars improved across the board. A combined 208,272 have now been sold for all offerings. The Mint will take the Braille products off sale on Dec. 11 at 5:00 PM ET.

Read the rest of this entry »

"Beautiful Places: Landmarks and Mintmarks" is the theme of 2010 National Coin Week, April 18-24. The theme celebrates the many landmarks and scenic places that have inspired the designs on coins and paper money. It was chosen by a panel of American Numismatic Association staff and club members active in the annual celebration.

Clubs are invited to help the ANA celebrate the week by participating in a number of fun and educational events involving geography on coins. A scavenger hunt will be held in the form of a "road trip" visiting beautiful places that have inspired designs on currency, and a program will be available for clubs to hold at their April meetings. Prizes will be awarded for individuals and clubs. Read the rest of this entry »

The Royal Canadian Mint is inviting Canadians to save the latest circulation coin in its Vancouver 2010 collection — the 25-cent coin celebrating the women’s hockey gold at Salt Lake City in 2002.

The launch of the coin was commemorated today at a special event for local hockey youth with special guests including member of the 2002 women’s Olympic hockey team, Danielle Goyette and members of the Montreal Juniors Hockey Club.

"Canada’s women’s hockey team demonstrated the true meaning of spirit and determination when they won the gold medal on February 21, 2002, which triggered celebrations from coast to coast to coast," said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "Employees of the Mint are extremely proud to have produced a coin commemorating this extraordinary moment in Canadian Winter Olympic Games history."

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The fourth and final redesigned 2009 Lincoln cent launched in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Nov. 12. By the following Sunday and according to the latest US Mint sales report, 153,427 of the two-roll sets were scooped up by collectors. Crunching the numbers and moving the decimal point, that is 15.3 million pennies.

During the same initial days following the launch of the previous two pennies, 15.2 million of the third Professional Life cents sold, and 20 million of the second Rail Splitter pennies sold.

In contrast, it took almost two weeks for collectors to purchase 9.6 million of the first 2009 Lincoln Birthplace cents — although these set the demand tone for the next three cents when the Mint unexpectedly stopped selling them. The following table provides the latest sales data for the Lincoln penny rolls. Read the rest of this entry »

Collectors are eagerly awaiting the first sale of rare and exceptional Coins and Banknotes to be presented by Bonhams New York. Taking place on December 3rd, the sale consists of over 400 lots ranging from 1692 to the early 21st Century. 

Amongst the most coveted lots will be an exceptionally rare 1796 $10 AU50 NGC (pictured, above). Bright green-gold with warm honey and orange highlights, the coin’s intense mint bloom glows broadly in the fields and within the protected design areas. The obverse is of the Turban Head type with stars to both sides. The reverse motif, also used on the contemporary half eagle, depicts the national bird solidly perched on a branch of palm, holding aloft a victory wreath without any olives or berries.

The die work is excellent being BD-1, Breen-6832, Bass-3174, Taraszka-6, R.4, the only known die pairing for the year. From the earliest years of the regularly issued coinage of the United States which started in 1796, this highly important and elusive issue is estimated at $65,000-75,000. Read the rest of this entry »