The Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set was issued by the US Mint on Oct. 15 and 50,000 promptly sold out within 30 hours.

While many collectors on release day experienced anguishing moments due to ordering hiccups at the hands of the Mint, they are smiling more these days.

The Lincoln coins are desirable, the set packaging attractive, and Mint came through with rapid shipping.

Better, and this never hurts, the sets are commanding more than double their $55.95 issue price in the secondary market.

An analysis (see chart below) of over 1,000 eBay auctions from Oct. 14 through Nov. 2 indicate that the quantity of sets sold is increasing, yet their premiums are remaining strong. The continuing demand has been a boon for sellers. Read the rest of this entry »

The latest batch of US Mint sales figures are out and jumping to the forefront are gold coins — both bullion and collector. The bullion Silver Eagles are moving along as well. The US Mint Set and Proof Set continue with strength, with the former smashing through the 500,000 barrier. These and other highlights follow:

• The US Mint news of the week circled around the inaugural Buffalo Gold Proof sales. 19,468 were sold in four days. That was 123 shy of the 2008 Buffalo Proofs. The 2009 bullion versions are on fire as well. They were released on Oct. 15 and are now at 121,000 — 51,000 short from matching the 2008s.

• American Silver Eagle bullion coins officially recorded their best October ever, reaching 2,939,000 in the month. The US Mint has yet to report any November numbers, but the final two months of a year are generally very strong for eagles. American Eagle Gold coins finished last month with sales of 115,500, making October the 5th best ever for the series.

• UHR $20 Double Eagles recovered from the dip that took weekly sales to their second lowest level ever. 1,045 more were scooped up by collectors, bringing the new total to 102,311.

• Three of four Braille Silver Dollar products performed better than the last round. The Braille Education Set, which went on sale Oct. 15, declined slightly with 793 versus the prior 1,004. In related news, the US Mint announced this week that it would stop selling Braille dollars after 5:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 11. For the record, a total of 202,655 of the authorized 400,000 silver dollars have been sold.

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The United States Mint this week announced the deadline to order Braille Commemorative Silver Dollars.

The legislation authorizing the coins stipulates that they can only be issued "during the 1-year period beginning January 1, 2009." On its online store, the US Mint has posted the following message:

The 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar products must be issued by December 31st. In order to meet these requirements, the United States Mint is only accepting orders for these products until December 11th at 5:00 p.m. ET. Please note that all credit card and billing issues must be resolved prior to December 11th.

The coin products referenced in the notice all honor the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, inventor of the Braille system for reading and writing by the blind and visually impaired. The four available, along with their prices and latest sales figures as of Sunday, Nov. 1, follow: Read the rest of this entry »

The second 100 Euro coin in the gold series "Crowns of the House of Habsburg" will be released on Wednesday, 4th November. It is dedicated to the so-called "Archduke’s Hat", a name derived from the red velvet cap within the crown itself.

The title of archduke was invented by Rudolf IV in the spurious document of 1358/59 called the privilegium maius. It was an attempt to assert the status of the House of Habsburg as the equal of any Prince Elector of the Holy Roman Empire. There exists a mediaeval portrait of Rudolf wearing a crown similar to the Archduke’s Hat. Early versions of the crown have not survived, being either broken up or melted down.

In 1616, however, Archduke Maximilian III of Tyrol had the present Archduke’s Hat fashioned and he gave it to the Augustinian Abbey of Klosterneuburg just outside Vienna in honour of St. Leopold, whose tomb and shrine are still situated there to this day. The crown was not worn as such. There was no coronation. It was rather a symbol of authority and rank. It was brought into Vienna only for the ceremony of homage paid by the Estates of Lower Austria on the accession of a new Habsburg ruler. Even today the crown is not permitted to be outside the walls of the abbey for more than 30 days at a time. Read the rest of this entry »

With the release ceremony for the final 2009 Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Cent scheduled for next week, the US Mint has also announced plans for two additional exchange opportunities for those wanting to get their hands on some of the new 2009 Lincoln DC Presidency Cents.

The ceremony itself is scheduled for 10 AM ET on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial on the west side of the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. Following the program, which is expected to last around 30 minutes, attendees will be given the opportunity to exchange cash for new bank-wrapped rolls of the Presidency cents.

Also at 10 AM, two other sites in D.C. will offer coin exchanges. The first will be at the US Mint’s sales outlet at Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave N.E. The second will take place on the first floor of the US Mint’s headquarters, 801 Ninth Ave N.W.

All three locations will allow the exchange of cash for a minimum of two rolls up to a maximum of six rolls of the newly minted Lincoln cents. Each roll will contain 50 circulation quality coins struck at the Mint’s facility in Philadelphia. The Mint has stated in advance that the limits may be changed at any time. Read the rest of this entry »

President Obama on Thursday signed the Girl Scout Commemorative Coin Act into law, authorizing the Untied States Mint to strike up to 350,000 silver dollar coins to honor the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA).

The coins will be minted and sold in 2013, marking the end of Girl Scouts’ yearlong centennial celebration and kicking off a new century of leadership and service to girls.

The bill, H.R. 621, was introduced by Rep. Jack Kingston and easily passed by a voice vote on Oct. 13. Sen. Susan Collins sponsored a companion bill, S. 451. Instead of moving that forward, the Senate simply passed the House version on Oct. 19 by Unanimous Consent.

President Obama signed the bill at 3:15 p.m. ET during a ceremony at the White House that included Connie L. Lindsey, GSUSA National Board Chair, Laurie Westley, Senior Vice President, Public Policy, Advocacy & the Research Institute, and girls from the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital. Read the rest of this entry »

US Mint collector coins moved like molasses when compared to sales figures of two weeks ago. But bullion coins — especially gold — still had a little swagger in their step. October will be a robust month for American Eagles and American Buffalos.

These and other highlights follow:

• UHR Double Eagles took a significant hit, rising sadly by only 562. Since they went on sale Jan. 22, there has been one single instance when weekly sales were lower. The reason? Gold has been on a five day losing streak, which started last Thursday. It makes sense for collectors to be cautious in buying with expectations of a $50 price decline. We missed that reduction by just 28.8 cents.

• In the Lincoln category, the Chronicles sets were taken off standby status last week with the max 50,000 officially allocated. Lincoln Cent Proof Sets climbed by 4,900, which was less than half of the prior 10,921 increase.

• 2009 US Mint and US Mint Proof Sets were the biggest unit gainers, rising 21,826 and 22,613 respectively. The proof sets were actually up a tad bit. Not so for the mint sets which previously climbed by 74,474. The 500,000 milestone is still nearly 11K away.

• Read the rest of this entry »

Two new bills, one in the U.S. Senate and the other in the U.S. House of Representatives, seek to introduce a maximum of 1,000 silver $1 coins in 2010 "commemoration of the opening of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, each of which shall."

Observers of coin legislation will quickly ponder the lateness in introduction and the extremely unusual 1,000 mintage limit. Yet that is exactly what is described in both bills, each named the International Civil Rights Center and Museum Commemorative Coin Act. If the legislation moves beyond their respective assigned chamber committees, expect limits to be more aptly applied.

The International Civil Rights Center and Museum is located at the site of the F.W. Woolworth’s store in Greensboro, North Carolina, where a sit-in movement began to protest private-sector segregation in the United States. On February 1, 1960, 4 African-American students of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University sat at a white-only lunch counter inside the store in a non-violent protest. By August of 1961, more than 70,000 people had participated in sit-ins and sit-down demonstrations in more than 60 cities throughout the Southeast. Read the rest of this entry »

Legislation seeking to recognize and celebrate the establishment of the Medal of Honor was approved in the U.S Senate Thursday by Unanimous Consent. The bill, H.R. 1209, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives back on May 14, 2009.

Following a procedural clearance step, the Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin Act of 2009 will make its way to President Obama who is expected to sign it into law. That will authorize the United States Mint to strike up to 500,000 $1 silver coins and 100,000 $5 gold coins in proof and uncirculated conditions in 2011.

H.R. 1209, which was introduced by Rep. Christopher Carney, calls for gold and silver coin designs to be "emblematic of the traditions, legacy, and heritage of the Medal of Honor, and the distinguished service of its recipients in the Nation’s history." Read the rest of this entry »

US Mint sales once again look attractive following a week when collector interest in most coins dipped. Demand is strong for both silver and gold bullion coins, as has been the case for much of the year. The newly released Gold Buffalo coins were most impressive.

In other notables, Ultra High Relief $20s finally topped the 100K barrier, and the Lincoln Chronicles set shot off Mint shelves to the tune of 50,000 in 30 hours. Collector silver coins and sets also held their own, enjoying better than normal weekly gains. These and other highlights follow:

• UHR Double Eagle Gold Coins hit 100,704 since their release on Jan. 22. Weekly sales picked up by 1,913 compared to prior 1,172.

• As expected, although not on the first day like many anticipated, the Lincoln Coin and Chronicles set sold out. The maximum 50,000 were scooped up within 30 hours. Standby orders are now in affect. Also in the Lincoln family line, the Lincoln Proof Set climbed by 10,921.

• Passing through their haze, Presidential Dollar Proof Set and 2009 Silver Proof Set increased by 2,872 and 12,306, respectively. Both sets were knocked down with negative adjustments in last week’s report.

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