New UHR $20 gold coin sales double up, Guam quarters soar, Braille Silver Dollars sink, and Lincoln Rail Splitter totals approach 24 million. To the US Mint numbers…

Bags and rolls of Guam quarters went on sale May 26 and in less than a week their numbers outshined the first weekly performance of the Puerto Rico quarters. And that happened prior to collectors learning of the extremely low Guam quarter mintage. Instead of rehashing the same details here again, read the CoinNews article entitled Guam Quarter Mintage & Sales Figures.

Sales of new Lincoln penny rolls continue to slow, yet an additional 14,539 of the two-roll sets were purchased just last week. An amazing 23.7M Rail Splitter Cents were sold from May 14 to May 31.

Braille Silver Dollar demand wilted following an impressive rise in the prior week. The latest US Mint numbers show 2,823 more were acquired for a new total of 168,564 across the proof and uncirculated options. Read the rest of this entry »

It is safe to say that the low production numbers for Puerto Rico quarters were a source of conversation for those in the industry a couple of months back. For those who were surprised at those historically low levels, they will be shocked to hear of the drop in production for the Guam quarter. And needless to say, the latest US Mint Guam sales figures show demand for the quarters during their first week of sales in bags and rolls is stronger than that experienced by the Puerto Rico quarters.

2009 Quarter Mintage Figures

Figures from the US Mint released Tuesday show that only 87,600,000 Guam quarters were produced, with 45 million of those struck in Philadelphia and 42.6 million at Denver. That accounts for only a bit over 63% of what was issued for the Puerto Rico quarters. Read the rest of this entry »

Lincoln Rail Splitter cents are still in demand, Braille Silver Dollar sales surge, Puerto Rico quarters are expired and UHR $20 gold coins continue mostly at their regular pace.

Repeating what most coin collectors already know, the Lincoln Rail Splitter cent went on sale Thursday, May 14. By Sunday, 200,055 of the two-roll sets were sold, equating to more than 20 million pennies. Flash forward more than a week to the latest US Mint sales data… 22,771 more sets have sold for a total of 222,826. For background, read the CoinNews article from earlier this week entitled Lincoln Rail Splitter Sales “Normalizing”.

Two Braille Silver Dollars returned from their flight aboard space shuttle Atlantis on Sunday. During their orbital trip, sales of the coins experienced their own mini launch here on earth –although not to the 50,000 level the NFB wanted from the public. Still, 10,000 more Braille dollars were sold, which pushed the gas pedal down some. The proof jumped the most, rising a healthy 8.0 percent over the prior numbers. To date, 165,741 of the allotted 400,000 silver coins have been purchased Read the rest of this entry »

US Mint sales of Puerto Rico quarters in bags and rolls ended Tuesday with the release of the Guam quarters.

Impressive tallies from the latest US Mint sales report show that 37,295 of the 100-coin bags, 2,000 of the 1,000-coin bags and 41,699 of the two-roll sets were sold.

Puerto Rico quarter sales surged when news spread of their relative scarcity compared to other modern quarters. Registering lows that have not been seen in over 40 years, the 2009-P has a mintage of just 53.2 million and the 2009-D has a mintage of 86 million.

The Mint’s quarter-dollar products were launched on March 30. In a week’s time, the 1,000-coin bags sold out. Then the 100-coin (P) bag sold out late last week with 20,000 purchased by collectors. Read the rest of this entry »

Puerto Rico Official First Day Coin Covers are now available at the US Mint for the price of $14.95, plus $4.95 for standard shipping and handling.

This year the production run is limited to 25,000, which is down from the 35,000 issued in prior years. The cover includes two Puerto Rican Quarters with a reverse design featuring a sentry box in Old San Juan overlooking the sea and Puerto Rico’s official flower, the hibiscus.

The design, by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Joseph Menna, also includes the inscriptions Isla del Encanto (Island of Enchantment), making it the first U.S. coin to circulate with a phrase in Spanish. Read the rest of this entry »

Philadelphia minted 100-Coin Bags of Puerto Rican quarters have sold out, with US Mint sales figures as of Sunday, May 17, showing 19,827 were sold. Presumably, sales of the quarter bags were capped at 20,000.

Puerto Rico quarter bags and rolls were launched on March 30. The 1,000-coin bags were priced at $309.95, the 100-coin bags at $32.95, and the two-roll sets at $32.95. In a week’s time, the 1,000-coin bags sold out.

The 100-coin bag with Denver minted Puerto Rican quarters is still available, as are the two-roll sets for the same price. Read the rest of this entry »

Lincoln Formative Year cents are on fire, UHR $20 gold coins are selling at a level pace, demand for Braille Bicentennial Dollars has picked up slightly, and Puerto Rico quarter sales are mixed.

The second redesigned 2009 Lincoln cent went on sale Thursday, May 14. By Sunday, a mind-blasting 200,055 of the two-roll sets were sold. (See 20 Million Lincoln Rail Splitter Pennies Sold.)

Although the public is happier with improved access to the new pennies, collectors are generally disappointed as US Mint sales continue with no apparent end in sight, making the cents far from "scarce." In the Log Cabin penny launch, the Mint concluded sales after 96,000 of the two-roll sets were sold. Then, more than one collector was taken aback by the unexpected stoppage. With this series, the Mint is in an apparent no-win situation. Read the rest of this entry »

Coin collectors have shifted into a lower buying gear during the last several days. While US Mint sales of UHR $20 gold pieces inched, or more aptly millimetered higher, demand fell for Braille Bicentennial Dollars and Puerto Rico quarters.

Ultra High Relief (UHR) $20 gold coins had just come in 27 short of 61,000 in the previous report. That number has been breached, plus 757 more. Sales increased 1.3 percent compared to the prior 1.0 percent rise. As a side note, the Mint increased the UHR price Wednesday by $50. That is likely to play into next week’s sales figures to some degree.

For the second straight time, Braille Bicentennial Dollar sales have declined. However, the newest batch of numbers are down substantially while those from last week remained impressive for a collection of coins that have been on sale since March 26. The tables below shows the tale, but suffice it to say, total new sales were down by more than 75 percent to just 4,617 compared the prior 20,306. Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Mint on Tuesday, May 19, will issue the 2009 District of Columbia and U.S. Territories Quarters Program Map for $12.95, plus shipping and handling.

Designed as a teaching aid to identify the locations for each commemorative coin, the program map also includes coin holders for each of the six 2009 quarters.

The map, according to the US Mint, features "colorful photos of scenes from the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories on the cover and facts about each location on the back panel."

Read the rest of this entry »

Braille Silver Dollars are selling robustly, UHR $20 gold pieces near a new level, and Puerto Rico 100-coin quarter bags pass 30,000, according to the latest US Mint sales report.

While sales of Braille Silver Dollars slipped compared to previous week’s figures that were simply out of this world crazy, collectors are still buying the coins at a remarkable pace. 20,306 more have been sold, bringing the grand total up to 145,308. At the current rate, nearly 3,000 are snatched up every single day.

Ultra High Relief (UHR) $20 gold coins broke the 60,000 threshold more than a week ago. The latest figures have sales just 27 shy of 61,000. The coins are no longer selling at a blazing pace, and haven’t been for several weeks. But then again, 61,000 isn’t bad for coin priced at $1,239 during a recession. In fact, it’s quite good. Read the rest of this entry »