2009 US Mint Proof Set sales were on fire during their inaugural launch week.

While the annual sets are always exceedingly popular, the latest one took the Mint by storm. Amazingly, 437,178 of the sets were sold from Monday, June 1, to Sunday, June 7.

The high volume was not without consequences. Most collectors who ordered during the opening hours needed a booster shot of patience.

Purchasing the proof coins online was like waiting for store doors to open on Black Friday morning. Read the rest of this entry »

The U.S. Mint is spending about $12 million in a four-city pilot program in an attempt to dissuade consumers away from their convictions that dollar coins are superior to paper bills. The pros and cons of $1 coins have been debated for years. The first round knockout always goes to the untouched champ, Mr. Paper Note. The bruised coin then pines away within government storage until its next mandated match.

In a cruel twist of fate, the dollar coin has just a few things going for it — coin collectors who find it unique, its production savings, and a government that continually throws money its way. The latter is despite foreknowledge the coin will always drop to the canvas hard as long as the $1 bill is pumped up by adoring consumer fans who use it every day.

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silberinfo’s exclusive interview with the The Perth Mint of Australia provides some interesting insights into one of the world’s largest Mints.

Ron Currie, Sales and Marketing director of The Perth Mint, answers a bevy of company and coin product questions, including why they’re able to keep up with bullion demand while Mints like the US have had to cut production of several gold coins.

Reprinted by permission, here is the www.silberinfo.com exclusive interview:

silberinfo:
Please tell us something about the legal form of your company and who is ‘in the driver’s seat’?

Perth Mint: 
Gold Corporation was created by the Western Australian Government under the Gold Corporation Act 1987 to take over the operations of The Perth Mint and launch Australia’s official bullion coin program.

The Board of Directors of Gold Corporation comprises ten members under the chairmanship of Ross Bowe, the former Under Treasurer of Western Australia.

Ed Harbuz was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Gold Corporation on 1 July 2003.  Mr Harbuz is a previous Managing Director of the South African Mint Company Pty Ltd.  He holds a Master of Business Leadership from the University of South Africa and a BSc (Engineering Electrical) from the University of Natal.

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The Andrew Jackson Individual Proof $1 Coin will be available through the United States Mint Thursday, August 28, at 12 noon (ET).

Andrew Jackson was was the seventh President of the United States and the special individual proof coins honoring his presidency are priced at $5.95 each.

There is a $4.95 standard shipping and handling charge, which makes the total cost more prohibitive unless ordering them in quantity or with additional U.S. Mint products. There is a 5 order limit is in place for the proof singles.

Jackson Presidential $1 Coins first entered circulation on August 14, 2008 with their ceremonial release at The Hermitage, the home Jackson built and lived in near Nashville, Tennessee. It was the third Presidential Dollar for 2008 and the seventh since the series began in 2007.

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Americans are very familiar with the continual failure of dollar coins in every day use. In recent years, the Susan B. Anthony and the Sacagawea Golden Dollar have lost their acceptance battle.

Today, the new Presidential $1 coins honoring U.S. presidents is failing. Over one billion of the coins have been minted since the series start in 2007. Yet, few are ever seen in daily use. The paper bill is the currency of choice.

The U.S. Mint hopes a new marketing campaign will change people’s minds. They have selected four cities — Austin, TX; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Portland, Oregon; and Charlotte, North Carolina — as their testing bed.

The latest campaign takes a "green" approach, marketing how paper dollars waste money and harm the environment. To help America, the four city residents will be told to use "100 percent recyclable" coins that last decades instead of 21 months, like a $1 note’s typical lifespan.

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Andrew Jackson Presidential $1 Coins were launched into circulation Thursday with a ceremonial release at The Hermitage, the home Jackson built and lived in near Nashville, Tennessee.

The Hermitage became a museum in 1889 and has had over 15 million visitors.

Thursday, the museum experienced an influx of new traffic as the United States Mint kicked off the event in front of hundreds of people.

Most notable was the presence of more than 300 children who received a shiny new Jackson $1 coin for free. They not only brought home with them a new coin, but a fresh perspective of history and Jackson.

U.S. Mint Deputy Director Andrew Brunhart commented,

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Andrew Jackson Presidential Dollars will enter circulation Thursday, August 14. On the same day at 12:00 noon, Bags and Rolls of the $1 coins will be available directly from the United States Mint.

While nearly one billion Presidential coins were minted in 2007, finding them in circulation or exchanging for them at banks is often a challenging task. That holds true for this year’s coins as well. Although the U.S. Mint charges a premium, purchasing $1 coins through their secure website is at least doable.

The Mint offers the presidential $1 coins in 250-coin bags and 25-coin rolls that may be purchased with either the Philadelphia, “P”, or Denver, “D”, mint mark.

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The United States Mint will begin circulating the latest Presidential $1 coin featuring Andrew Jackson on August 14, 2008.

The Mint has announced that a ceremonial introduction of the dollar coin will occur at The Hermitage, the home Jackson built and lived in near Nashville, Tennessee.

Over 15 million people have visited The Hermitage since its opening as a museum in 1889. Visitors on Aug. 14 will experience a once in a lifetime event as the seventh coin in the Presidential $1 coin program is officially released.

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The United States Mint announced the 2008 U.S. Proof Set release starting June 24 for $26.95. These 14-coin sets are popular with many coin collectors, as exemplified by the same priced 2007 sets experiencing over 1.7 million units sales to date.

The 14-coin sets are less expensive and offer more coins compared to purchasing both the already available Mint products:

• 2008 United States Mint 50 State Quarters Proof Set™ for $13.95, and
• 2008 United States Mint Presidential $1 Coin Proof Set™ for $14.95

These two sets are included in the 14-coin proof set for $1.95 less. Plus, the 14-coin set includes the penny, nickel, dime, half-dollar and Sacagawea dollar.

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2008 First Spouse gold coins and bronze medals honoring Louisa Adams may be purchased from the United States Mint Thursday, May 28. The Louisa Adams gold coins are the second for 2008 and sixth in the First Spouse Gold Coin Series - a series that started off blazing hot, but have drastically cooled due to prices and demand.

Martha Washington, Abigail Adams and Jefferson’s Liberty First Spouse gold coins flew of the Mint shelves and sold at records speeds — within hours of their availability.

The fourth and fifth coins — Dolley Madison and Elizabeth Monroe — sputtered. Their demand in the secondary market cooled and the high price of gold made buying them a larger obstacle.

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