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 US Mint has updated coin production figures through to April 2009, and the data indicates a further slide for circulating change.
Rather than offer a hodge-podge of numbers that make it difficult to see and compare mintage levels for modern coinage, the included charts visually show trends for a quick analysis.
The US Mint has already said fewer coins will be struck this year. Had the Mint remained silent, it would still be a simple deduction to realize that 2009-dated pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters should be much, much scarcer.
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2009 Louis Braille Silver Dollars were launched in a ceremony Thursday at the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. The commemorative proof and uncirculated silver dollars celebrate the 200th birthday and the life and work of Louis Braille, inventor of the Braille system for reading and writing by the blind and visually impaired.
The United States Mint first released the Braille designs and a prototype in July 2008 during the NFB annual convention in Dallas, Texas. The unveiling showcased the unique silver dollar design, which US Mint Director Ed Moy told the audience about during Thursday’s ceremony.
"For the first time in history, the United States has a coin with readable Braille. The 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar honors the developer of Braille, a tactile code that has been instrumental in the literacy and independence of the world’s blind people."
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The United States Mint provided Louis Braille Silver Dollar prices and gave notice it will offer introductory prices for the silver coins beginning March 26. It also threw a new Braille product into the mix.
Through to April 27, the initial pricing for the bicentennial coins honoring Braille’s birth will be $37.95 for the proof silver coin and $31.95 for the uncirculated version, according to the Federal Register which published the Mint memo.
Prices will increase to $41.95 and $33.95, respectively, following the introductory period.
Additionally, the notice provides information for another Louis Braille product the Mint will offer described as an "Uncirculated Silver Dollar in Easy-Open Capsule." Priced the same as the uncirculated silver coin, it will offer an "easy-to-open capsule for those who would like to feel the tactile elements offered by the coin design."
The Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar is the first U.S. coin ever struck that contains readable Braille characters. The dots in the coin design spell “Brl,” which is the contraction for Braille. Read the rest of this entry »
U.S. Mint circulating coin production is down across the board based on a current pace that should see about 10.1 billion coins minted in 2008. That compares to 14.4 billion coins issued in 2007 and over 15 billion in years 2006 and 2005. In fact, at the current rate, 2008 coin output will end at its lowest level in at least the last ten years.
The Mint’s first release of production figures for 2008 reported 3.2 billion coins struck through April. The newest figures indicated 6.7 billion coins were minted through August, or about 842 million coins on average per month. The comparison charts shown below provide the best visual evidence of the declines at both Mint facilities in Denver and Philadelphia.
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The United Sates Mint released a press statement today officially — or at least more publicly — announcing the release of their 2008 American Eagle Platinum Uncirculated Coins. Today was not their first day of sale. The Mint began accepting orders for the 99.95 percent pure platinum coins on July 1 at noon.
The 2008 platinum coin’s reverse features the final design in the three-year series entitled, “The Foundations of American Democracy.” (See images and initial CoinNews availability article.) The ending to the design series alone is worth the Mint’s press announcement, even though delayed.
Platinum down in price, proof coins no longer listed
While the price of London platinum was $2,075 an ounce when the Mint started offering the coins, platinum has since dropped by $182 to today’s close of $1,893 per ounce. The coin prices have remained unchanged since July 1, most likely making a buying decision harder for many collectors.
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US Mint Director Ed Moy revealed the design and a prototype of the commemorative Louis Braille Bicentennial coin at the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) annual convention in Dallas, TX on July 2.
Local Dallas NBC5 News was on hand to report on the ceremony and has released their video coverage, which is included below.
The 1 minute and 22 second video is short, but offers a unique perspective with a few comments from leaders and the public in addition to several Braille coin design close ups.
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Louis Braille commemorative silver $1 coins design images and a prototype of its readable Braille reverse were unveiled today by U.S. Mint Director Moy at the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) annual convention in Dallas, Texas. 400,000 commemorative silver coins will be issued in 2009 in both proof and uncirculated versions to honor the bicentennial birth and achievements of Louis Braille.
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Uncirculated 2008 American Eagle Platinum Coins were launched today by the U.S. Mint. These 99.95 percent pure platinum coins for collectors bears the "W" mint mark, indicating they were minted at the Mint’s West Point facility.
Like their proof counterparts, each coin depicts the final Judicial Branch design from the three-year series entitled The Foundations of American Democracy.
The 2008 platinum coins come in bullions sizes of one ounce, one-half ounce, one-quarter ounce and one-tenth ounce. There is also a four-coin set available that includes each coin size.
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The United States Mint announced today that Mint Director Ed Moy will unveil the commemorative 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar coin design in Dallas, TX on Wednesday morning, July 2, 2008.
The ceremony at AT&T Plaza at the American Airlines Center in Dallas will open the National Federation of the Blind’s 2008 National Convention, an organization dedicated to improving blind people’s lives and recipient of $10 surcharges collected for each Braille commemorative coin sale.
The 400,000 limited issue proof and uncirculated $1 silver dollars will be the first Braille readable coin in the U.S., and honors the bicentennial of the birth of Louis Braille — an extraordinary person and the creator of the Braille reading and writing system for those who are blind or have vision loss.
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