The United States Mint today officially launched the 2010 Native American $1 coin. The newly designed dollar debuted in a special ceremony at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center in New York City.

"The beautiful 2010 Native American $1 Coin reverse design honors the Iroquois Confederacy – five tribal Nations joined by a single constitution in the 1400s in upstate New York," said US Mint Director Ed Moy who was joined by Heye Center Director John Haworth to introduce the latest circulating $1.

"The design is an acknowledgment of the confederation’s influence on Western political thought, including concepts of equality and democratic self-government that existed on the North American continent long before the founding of the United States."

Thomas Cleveland’s design depicts "Government – The Great Tree of Peace." Centered on the reverse is a Hiawatha Belt which signifies the creation of the Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. The belt and five arrows bound within portray the strength in unity of the five participating nations — Onondaga, Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga and Seneca. Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Mint today at noon ET began selling 2010 Native American Dollar Rolls for $35.95.

Available are rolls filled with $1 coins struck from either Philadelphia or Denver. Each roll is "wrapped with specially designed yellow and black paper" and contains 25 coins.

The Native American dollar features a new reverse theme each year. The 2010 design, by Thomas Cleveland, portrays "Government – The Great Tree of Peace." It shows a Hiawatha Belt that signifies the creation of the Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy.

The belt and five arrows bound together signify the strength in unity of the five participating nations — Onondaga, Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga and Seneca. The obverse features Glenna Goodacre’s Sacagawea design that was first introduced in 2000. Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Mint began the new year with the release of 2010 Native American $1 coins through its Direct Ship Program. The offering replaced the 2009 $1 rolls featuring the same Sacagawea obverse but with the older themed "Three Sisters" planting design on the reverse.

The 2010 design features the new reverse theme, "Government – The Great Tree of Peace." It shows a Hiawatha Belt with five arrows bound together. The belt signifies the creation of the Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy.

In the center of the belt is a white pine that symbolizes the Onondaga Nation with the remaining four characters signifying the other nations that were part of the Confederacy, the Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga and Seneca. Designed by Thomas Cleveland, the bundle of arrows show the strength in unity of the five participating nations. Read the rest of this entry »

Over 355 million Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, and John Tyler Presidential $1 Coins were distributed by the Federal Reserve Banks in the last accounting period, according to their annual report to Congress released earlier this year.

However, the Reserve indicates the amount is low compared to what they have on hand, and what is returned by banks.

As first reported by Paul Gilkes in the latest issue of Coin World, the Reserve Banks are accumulating a tremendous stockpile of the golden coins. In fact, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System made the following statement:

"Current supplies represent enough $1 coins for the Reserve Banks to meet transactional demand for $1 coins for about ten years."

This buildup represents a 900% plus increase in inventory over what the Banks held at the introduction of the Presidential Dollars to the system. According to Fed records, 67 million dollar coins were in their control at the start of 2007. By the end of May of this year, an astonishing 691 million dollars were being held in limbo. Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Mint is once again promoting its Direct Ship Program for the 2009 Native American $1 coins. These had been removed from the program several weeks ago, with an assumption by most that the 2010-dated $1 coins would be added in January.

Under the program, the US Mint offers boxes of ten 25-coin rolls of the Native American strikes at their face value of $250. (See Circulating $1 Coin Direct Ship Rolls.) The Mint does not add a premium to the cost of the coins, and even foregoes its normal shipping charge. By way of an explanation for the seemingly generous program, the Mint states the following on their website:

The intended purpose of the Circulating $1 Coin Direct Ship Program is to make $1 Coins readily available to the public, at no additional cost, so they can be easily introduced into circulation –particularly by using them for retail transactions, vending, and mass transit. Increased circulation of $1 Coins saves the Nation money.

The 2009 Native American dollars were first placed on the Direct Ship Program early in the year, on January 2nd. They were available until late October, when the Mint ended their sales. Read the rest of this entry »

"Government – The Great Tree of Peace" has been announced as the theme for the 2010 Native American $1 coin by the US Mint. The coins will be issued beginning in January and throughout the year to meet demand.

As dictated by the Native American $1 Coin Act (Public Law 110-82), the reverse of these coins feature a different reverse design annually that contain "images celebrating the important contributions made by Indian tribes and individual Native Americans to the development of the United States and the history of the United States."

The 2010 design shows a Hiawatha Belt with five arrows bound together. The belt signifies the creation of the Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. Read the rest of this entry »

The Walt Disney World Resort in central Florida near Orlando has just announced plans it is participating in a pilot program with the US Mint. Under this program, several merchandise and dining locations will now be giving back US Native American $1 coins instead of dollar bills as change.

"Our participation in the circulation pilot is part of a continued commitment to environmentality," states Thomas Smith (Social Media Director, Disney Parks) in the official blog about the launch of the program. "The coin is an environmentally responsible choice — it’s recyclable and lasts decades longer than paper bills."

Dollar coins are not a new idea in American coinage. The US Mint has been producing one version or another off and on since 1794. Some familiar examples that you may recall are the Seated Liberty Dollars, the Morgan Dollars, the Peace Dollars and the Eisenhower Dollars. Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Mint and new 2009 Native American $1 Coins helped launch the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) festival, "Out of Many:  A Multicultural Festival of Music, Dance and Story."

The Saturday event was an official release ceremony for the coins too, as well as their images. Previously, only the 2009 Native American coin designs were readily available. Collectors and the public have been able to purchase 25-coin rolls of the coins since Thursday, Jan. 15, and in quantities of $250 or $500 through its Direct Ship Program since Jan. 2. Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Mint will officially introduce the 2009 Native American $1 Coin on Saturday and issue 25-coin rolls of them Thursday, Jan. 15, according to a Mint media advisory and web site product pages.

2009 is the first year for the new coins, which bear the familiar Sacagawea obverse or heads side design introduced in 2000 and a new reverse design depicting a Native American woman planting seeds in a field of corn, beans and squash (representing the Three Sisters method of planting).

The Native American $1 Coin Act mandates a different design every year as well as an equal mintage with each yearly Presidential $1 coin.

The Mint unveiled the 2009 Native American designs during Native American Heritage Day in November, added them to its Direct Ship Program on Jan. 2, and will sale 25-coin rolls on Thursday with either the Philadelphia "P" or Denver "D" mintmark. Read the rest of this entry »

Newly designed Native American $1 Coins will be available for face value on January 2 by way of the Direct Ship Program, the United States Mint said in a release Tuesday.

"By ordering through our Direct Ship Program, businesses and consumers have the convenience and flexibility of purchasing manageable quantities of circulating $1 coins at face value," said United States Mint Director Ed Moy.

The Mint unveiled images of the new 2009 $1 coin in late November. It bears the traditional Sacagawea portrait on the obverse, but sports a new reverse thanks to the Native American $1 Coin Act that mandates a different design each year as well as an equal mintage with the four yearly Presidential $1 coins. Read the rest of this entry »