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 article »

Curb Your Capital(ism)

Good Day,

A more robust gain in the US dollar overnight (rising 0.56 on the index, to 75.82) drew additional sales from gold holders and dented values in crude oil as well as other precious and base metals. The US currency gained ground following cautionary words on the state of economic recovery by ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet. US stock index futures were indicating a drop on the day, and risk appetite appeared to be on the wane this Friday morning.

Analysts at Fort Pitt Capital in Pittsburgh distilled the dollar-centric action as follows this morning: "Everyone is looking at the dollar right now. Low interest rates are supposed to make investors want to take risks, but that is not happening. People remain very nervous about the economy, and especially about the consumer.” Nervous, like Mr. Trichet, who cautioned that it is ‘too early to call the [financial] crisis as over.’

Against this changing set of background conditions, New York spot gold bullion opened with an $8 loss, quoted at $1136.70 per ounce. Trade talk indicates a possible dip to the $1100 area prior to a possible renewed assault on the other side of the $1150 mid-point, up to $1180 or $1200. Provided other obstacles do not materialize, of course. In any case, ‘corrections’ have been ultra-shallow up to this point, despite growing nervousness about the sustainability of the patterns now in place since the first day of September. Thus, we still expect to see attempts at higher levels not only today, but perhaps next week as well. Read the rest of this article »

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 article »

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 …

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Gold futures managed to rise slightly Thursday despite a rebounding dollar and sinking oil prices. Silver advanced modestly also, while platinum declined 0.6 percent. US stocks sank for a second straight day, tumbling to register their worst performances this month.

New York precious metal figures follow:

• Silver for December delivery rose 4 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $18.455 an ounce. It ranged from $18.150 to $18.64.

• Gold for December delivery climbed 70 cents to $1,141.90 an ounce. It ranged from $1,130.00 to $1,146.50.

• January platinum declined $8.10 to $1,443.90 an ounce. It ranged from $1,423.60 to $1,455.90.

Read the rest of this article »

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.
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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 article »

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 article »

"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 article »

New York gold futures reached higher Wednesday to set a new record at $1,153.40 an ounce. Demand brightened for the yellow metal as the US dollar slid against world currencies. The other metals followed, hitting more than 12-month highs. Some settling occurred later, with platinum ending lower on the day.

In other markets, crude oil finished up for a third trading session while US stocks retreated from 13-month highs.

New York precious metal figures follow:

• Silver for December delivery finished up 2.8 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $18.415 an ounce. It ranged from $18.325 to $18.855 — the highest level since July 2008.

• Gold for December delivery advanced $1.80 to $1,141.20 an ounce. It ranged from $1,136.00 to $1,153.40 — an all-time high.

• January platinum declined $10.50, or 0.7 percent, to $1,452.00 an ounce. It ranged from $1,442.50 to $1,471.70 — the highest since Sept. 2008

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