The United States Mint has announced a release date of March 17 and a price of $25.95 for the new Uncirculated American Eagle Silver collector coin. Each coin contains one troy ounce of .999 silver and bears the distinctive "W" mint mark to indicate it was produced at the Mint’s West Point facility.

The U.S. Mint has produced American Eagle Silver coins since 1986. While uncirculated silver eagles have been available every year since, they were not offered with the "W" mint mark and "burnished" finish. The Mint first started producing these collector coins two years ago.

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Canada’s destiny was in the stars as it won the 2008 Coin of the Year Award sponsored by World Coin News, a monthly periodical dedicated to collectors of world coins.

A four-piece set of $50 palladium coins showing the Big Bear and Little Bear constellations in changing seasonal positions was voted the winner in the second round of balloting by an international panel of judges. They are KM-672-675 in the Standard Catalog of World Coins identification system.

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RCM presents Proof Silver Dollar coin commemorating historical milestone to Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume

QUEBEC CITY, Jan. 31 - The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) visited City Hall yesterday to present Quebec City’s Mayor and invited guests from the Quebec 400th organization with a 2008 Proof Silver Dollar commemorating the 400th anniversary of Quebec City.

The coin was officially presented by Ghislain Harvey, member of the RCM’s Board of Directors and Marguerite F. Nadeau, Q.C., Vice-President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Joining Mayor Labeaume in accepting this exquisite gift was Quebec 400th Chairman Jean Leclerc.

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The United States Mint has announced the sale of the 2008 Presidential $1 Coin Proof Set™. This is the second Presidential Dollar Proof Set since the program started in 2007 and includes four presidential coins honoring:

• James Monroe
• John Quincy Adams
• Andrew Jackson
• And Martin Van Buren

In regards to the 2008 Presidential Dollar Sets, the U.S. Mint states:

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The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) has announced that the 2008 $2 Single Note is available for sale. The note features:

• Crisp, uncirculated Series 2003A
• Serial number beginning with “2008xxxxD”
• Designation from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

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The British Royal Mint has released a new 2008 commemorative £5 coin celebrating the 450th anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth I. The attractive, limited edition commemorative coin comes in Brilliant Uncirculated and Proof versions and bears a uniquely interesting reverse design.

On 17 November 1558 the 25-year-old Elizabeth was proclaimed Queen of England. According to the British Royal Mint:

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Ottawa, Ontario, January 9, 2008 – One week after turning 100 years old, the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) today released the first new collector coins and gift products of 2008. In keeping with its mandate of celebrating Canada’s values, history and culture, the RCM has chosen to devote the silver dollar, in proof, brilliant uncirculated and selectively gold plated finishes, to Samuel de Champlain, as a tribute to the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City.

This figurehead of the RCM’s annual collector coin program is followed by the perennial $100, $200 and $300 face value gold issues featuring themes which resonate from Canada’s East to West coasts, as well as the traditionally anticipated proof, uncirculated and specimen coin sets. The popular annual coin sets featuring a unique painted 25-cent coin are once more available in five different themes, as are annual baby and wedding gift sets.

“Over 100 years, the Royal Canadian Mint has established a global reputation as a leader in the minting industry”, said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. “The quality and creativity which are hallmarks of the Royal Canadian Mint shine through in the first new collector coins of 2008. The themes they portray will resonate with Canadian and international collectors alike”.

Below are several of the featured products that are being introduced this month.

2008 PROOF SILVER DOLLAR – CELEBRATING THE ANNIVERSARY OF QUEBEC CITY (1608-2008)

A pivotal figure in Canadian history, Samuel de Champlain landed on the shore of the St. Lawrence River in 1608 at a place the local Algonquin people called “Kebec” or “where the river narrows”. 400 years later, the banks of the St Lawrence are bursting with pride as millions of Canadians celebrate a milestone anniversary in the history of Quebec City, one of North America’s oldest and most enchanting cities. The Royal Canadian Mint is proud to join Quebec City, its citizens and its admirers across Canada and the world, in marking the city’s 400th anniversary on the 2008 proof silver dollar.

This sterling silver dollar features a portrait of Samuel de Champlain with the “habitation” he built at the foot of Cap-aux-Diamants, now Quebec City, in the background. This design is the work of Longueuil, QC artist Suzanne Duranceau. Limited to a mintage of 65,000, the 2008 Proof Silver Dollar retails for a suggested $42.95 CDN. The brilliant uncirculated version of this coin is also proposed at $34.95 CDN and limited to a mintage of 35,000.

The same design is reproduced on a selectively gold-plated proof dollar coin, which is exclusive to the RCM’s 2008 Proof Set. Only 60,000 sets, with a suggested retail price of $89.95 CDN, are available world-wide.

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Next Thursday, Jan. 3, the 2008 American Eagle Silver Proof Coin will go on sale by the United States Mint. While the 2007 proof version is currently sold for $29.95, its days are numbered and the Mint has announced its newer replacement will sale for $2 more, at $31.95.

Last week’s mintage numbers indicated approximately 810,000 of the current 2007 American Eagle Silver Proof Coin have been sold.

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In a blaze of actions and to get home for the holidays, the Senate and House tossed together a several hundred page bill named, The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008. The bill has been given to the President and while there’s no guarantee, the signing of it seems likely.

(Editor’s update: President Bush signed the act into law Dec. 26.)

Even with the latest and greatest computer, the digital document takes seconds to load. Reading it in its entirety… well, that’s hours of tedium. Thanks to modern search tools, quicker inspection is possible. And upon review, the bill contains a few nuggets of interest for coin collectors.

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The mass media many times tends to focus on topics that are popular and will catch the viewer or reader’s eye.

The U.S. Mint announcement showing artist renderings of the final 2008 state quarters proved to be popular with the media, which provides another barometer reading that underscores the success of the 50 States Quarters® Program.

On the day after the announcement, some interesting state quarter facts, figures and quotes rise to the top of many articles due to their frequency in use. They also reflect to some degree the popularity and success of the quarters with the public.

A few interesting state quarter numbers

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