James K. Polk Presidential $1 Coin Covers will be available Thursday, Oct. 1 at 12:00 noon (ET), the United States Mint announced in a press statement Monday.

These 40,000 limited edition covers include two James K. Polk Presidential dollars that were struck on the first day of minting.

One dollar is from the Mint’s Denver facility and was produced on June 15, 2009. The other is from Philadelphia and was minted on June 1, 2009.

The Presidential $1 coin covers are priced at $14.95, plus $4.95 for standard shipping and handling. No household order limits are in place. Read the rest of this entry »

James K. Polk and Sarah Polk Presidential Dollar & First Spouse Medal Sets launched Thursday at noon ET and are available at the United States Mint Web site for a price of $8.95, plus shipping and handling.

Marking the fourth issue of the product series this year and the twelfth since it began in 2007, the set includes an uncirculated James K. Polk Presidential Dollar and a 1/15 inch Sarah Polk Bronze Medal.

The two are mounted within an attractive "durable plastic card enhanced with beautiful representations of the President and first spouse’s portraits, with issuance information on the back."

US Mint sales figures for this year’s sets, as illustrated in the table below, are stronger than individual First Spouse Gold Coins, but less than bags and rolls of the Presidential Dollars. Read the rest of this entry »

In less than two weeks, James K. Polk Presidential dollar rolls shot past this year’s William Henry Harrison and John Tyler same roll sales.

The US Mint launched the Polk rolls Thursday, Aug. 20. As of Sunday, Aug. 30, collectors purchased a total of 31,915 Philadelphia rolls and 30,920 Denver rolls.

By contrast, the first two 2009 rolls of Harrison and Tyler dollars reached 30,000 from each Mint facility. Is this a fair comparison? No. Unlike prior Presidential roll offerings and the latest Polk $1 rolls, the Mint stopped selling each when they reached the 30,000 figure. Read the rest of this entry »

James K. Polk Presidential $1 Coins and dollar rolls are now available following their ceremonial launch Thursday by the US Mint at Polk’s ancestral home in Columbia, Tenn.

"The James K. Polk Presidential $1 Coin is the 11th in the United States Mint’s Presidential $1 Coin Program," United States Mint Deputy Director Andy Brunhart told the crowd. "It is my great privilege to present the coin to the Nation."

Polk is probably best known for his support and actions relating to Manifest Destiny, which was the belief that the US had the right to expand throughout North America. In following this belief, Polk annexed the area now known as Oregon and Washington from Great Britain. He also waged war with Mexico and won California and New Mexico through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 Uncirculated Presidential Dollar Coin Sets will be available for sale beginning Thursday, April 2, at 12:00 noon ET, according to a United States Mint press statement.

The 8-coin set is priced at $15.95 and includes four uncirculated coins minted from Denver and four struck in Philadelphia. Each includes the respective "D" or "P" or mintmark. The 2009 uncirculated set contains Presidential $1 coins honoring and bearing the portrait of the following past Presidents:

• William Henry Harrison
• John Tyler
• James K. Polk
• Zachary Taylor

The coin packaging includes biographical "sketches and portraits" for each President. Read the rest of this entry »

Sales of the 2009 Presidential $1 Coin Proof Set begin Tuesday, February 10, at noon ET, the United States Mint said in a statement Tuesday.

The Presidential Dollar Proof Set has now approached its third year of issue, with the first set released in 2007 when the $1 coin series began.

The annual 4-coin proof collection has proven to be popular with collectors, although the circulating $1 coin versions have had less success with a public who mostly prefers using dollar bills. The latest Mint sales figures indicate 869,202 of the 2008-dated sets — which will be discontinued with the release of the new sets — have been sold.

Each of the presidential coins has a common reverse while the obverse, or heads side, bears a portrait honoring a past President. The 2009 set includes four presidential proof coins featuring: Read the rest of this entry »

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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The United States Mint on Wednesday introduced newly designed 2009 Presidential $1 coins and released detailed artist images of the dollars. The American public will see 2009 circulating coins honoring Presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor. Most interestingly, different design elements have been implemented compared to the initial series of 2007 and 2008 coins.

Notable in the new designs is the placement of "In God We Trust," which in past years has been on the edge of each Presidential dollar. A public outcry occurred when the U.S. Mint inadvertently issued a small subset of 2007 dollars that did not have the inscription because of minting errors. Also, while many thought edge letterings on coins would be a fresh approach, fewer liked "In God We Trust" there after seeing the new dollars. They felt the inscription lacked prominence, and needed to be moved.

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