For the last few months, the Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee have been volleying between each other and the sculptor-engravers at the US Mint over the design of the reverse for the 2010 Lincoln Cent. Based on what is being reported one thing is clear, the designs are somewhat less than stellar.

Ok… they stink!

According to Public Law 145-109 Section 303 states, "[the] design on the reverse of the 1-cent coins issued after December 31, 2009, shall bear an image emblematic of President Lincoln’s preservation of the United States of America as a single and united country."

While the mandate sounds simple, there is a catch: Lincoln only caught a glimpse of a united country. Prior to Gen. Robert E. Lee’s surrender on April 9, 1865, Lincoln visited Richmond after it was taken by Union troops. Lincoln was greeted as a conquering hero by newly freed slaves on his way to visit the Confederate capital. Read the rest of this entry »

Vote to Determine Canadian 2010 Olympic 25-Cent Coin Designs

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – Canadians from coast to coast to coast can recall that one special moment during an Olympic Winter Games that captured their imagination and was a source of national pride. Which one stands above the rest in your mind?

The Royal Canadian Mint and Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium are inviting Canadians to vote on the Top 10 Canadian Olympic Winter Moments of all time.

The Top 3 moments will be featured on 25-cent coins, each with a mintage of 22 million, and will enter into circulation in the fall of 2009, leading up to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. The results of the Top 10 Canadian Olympic Winter Moments will be revealed in a one-hour prime-time broadcast special, in English and French, in September 2009 on CTV, TSN and RDS.

The following are the Top 10 Moments to choose from: Read the rest of this entry »

Royal Canadian Mint and Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium invite Canadians to vote on favourite Top 10 Canadian Olympic Winter Moments

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – The Royal Canadian Mint and Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium are inviting Canadians to celebrate the rich and storied history of the Olympic Winter Games by voting on the Top 10 Canadian Olympic Winter Moments of all time for a chance to win one of two trips for two to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The Top 3 moments will be featured on 25-cent coins, each with a mintage of 22 million, and will enter into circulation in the fall of 2009, leading up to Vancouver 2010. The results of the Top 10 Canadian Olympic Winter Moments will be revealed in a one-hour prime-time broadcast special, in English and French, in September 2009 on CTV, TSN and RDS.

"Whether they recently witnessed it in real-time or read about it decades later, Canadians from coast to coast can recall that special moment in our country’s winter sports history that instilled a sense of pride like no other," said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "We’re proud to give Canadians the opportunity to determine the most extraordinary Olympic Winter Games moments to complete our Vancouver 2010 circulation coin program."

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Consider replacing George Washington’s portrait on U.S. quarters with an image of Theodore Roosevelt, members of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee unanimously recommended in their Jan. 27 meeting, according to Numismatic News.

Information about the National Park Quarters has been minimal, as should be expected for much of 2009 given the United States Mint will not begin issuing the quarters until 2010.

However, the first five quarter designs will be completed this year in preparation for their release next year. And the CCAC, which advises the Secretary of the Treasury on designs for coinage, has already made their first recommendation for the series.

Read the full article: Roosevelt to replace Washington on Quarters? on National Park Quarters.

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The Japan Mint started 2009 by announcing the winners of its 2008 international coin design competition. The yearly program is one of the most unique for a world mint, and somewhat similar to the recently promoted London 2012 coin contest from the British Royal Mint.

The Mint said its contest is meant to encourage those who are artistically inclined and help "enhance the artistry" of its own designs.

The program has two major competitive categories, General and Student, and a special jury award. The top winner, or "Most Excellent Work" went to a three-person Ukrainian team — Volodymyr Taran, Oleksandr Kharuk, and Serhiy Kharuk — for their "One thousand years of coinage in Kyiv" theme. Read the rest of this entry »

The British Royal Mint hopes to inspire UK residents to draw up fresh designs for millions of 50 pence coins for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Royal Mint on Tuesday offered children, students and the general public a once in a lifetime opportunity with competitions geared to create 29 olympic themed designs for circulating 50 pence and commemorative coins.

One design will be selected in a Blue Peter Competition for children aged 6 to 12, another in a Schools Competition for pupils 13 to 19 years old, and 27 designs chosen in a National Competition opened to UK residents ages 13 and up. Read the rest of this entry »

With ArtCAM’s new innovative features, coin manufacturers worldwide can dramatically improve their working methods.   

Delcam, one of Europe’s largest CADCAM software development houses, currently provides Mints worldwide with ArtCAM, an intuitive suite of design and manufacturing software for artisans.  ArtCAM Pro, Delcam’s top-end artistic CADCAM software solution has allowed engravers to meet the tight deadlines of hundreds of projects each year by reducing the time taken to a quarter of that required by traditional production techniques.   

ArtCAM allows the designer to import 3D models, scanned drawings and photographs, scanned plaster of Paris moulds or files from other CAD packages.  Alternatively they can design directly within the software.  The engraver can then create or manipulate the artwork to make complex and intricate 3D reliefs for the obverse and reverse designs of their coins. Read the rest of this entry »

Commemorative 2009 Abraham Lincoln Silver Dollar Coin designs were revealed by the United States Mint on Wednesday during the annual Dedication Day Ceremony at Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The silver dollar will join four newly designed circulating pennies to celebrate the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth in 2009.

The ceremony occurred on the 145th anniversary of the dedication of Soldiers’ National Cemetery, where Abraham Lincoln delivered his historic Gettysburg Address in 1863 and also where United States Mint Deputy Director Andrew Brunhart unveiled the commemorative Lincoln coin designs to the public.

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The U.S. Mint on Wednesday will reveal 2009 commemorative silver dollar coin designs honoring Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States.

The unveiling will take place during the Dedication Day Ceremony at Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, and on the 145th anniversary of the day Lincoln delivered his historical Gettysburg Address.

Mint Deputy Director Andy Brunhart will reveal the designs at 10:30 a.m. (ET), following a wreath laying ceremony at the Soldiers’ National Monument at 10:15 a.m.

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U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker has more reason to celebrate than most for the new 2009 Presidential Dollar designs the United States Mint released on Wednesday. He introduced the amendment calling for the motto "In God We Trust" to be relocated from the edge of the $1 coin to its face. (View up close 2009 Presidential $1 Coin design images.)

"The words of these two phrases symbolize who we are as Americans and should not be relegated to the rim of this new, high-profile coin. They should continue to be proudly and prominently displayed," said Mr. Wicker in 2007 when he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives."

In late 2007, Congress passed Mr. Wicker’s amendment within the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which included a provision directing the Secretary of the Treasury to move the inscription “In God We Trust” from the edge of the Presidential $1 Coin to the obverse (heads side) or reverse of the coin.

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