The United States Mint officially confirmed today that the one-ounce 2009 American Platinum Eagle Proof Coin will be available for purchase at noon Eastern Time (ET) December 3, 2009 — the same date it had tentatively provided back in October. As part of the announcement, the US Mint released an image of the new theme for the reverse, which will change annually on platinum coins until 2014.

Platinum Eagles have not been available from the Mint all year and, as it announced in October, no bullion versions will be struck until at least 2010. This makes the one-ounce proof eagle the only coin available to collectors and investors who desire a 2009-dated platinum American coin. (The Mint discontinued all Platinum Uncirculated Eagles and the fractional Platinum Eagle Proofs in 2008.)

The reverse of this year’s coin will feature the first design of a six year series commemorating the core concepts of American Democracy by showcasing six principles of the Preamble of the United States Constitution. Read the rest of this entry »

America the Beautiful Quarters kick off in 2010. During the next 11 years and at a rate of 5 per year, the reverse or tails side of each quarter will feature a design emblematic of a national park or site in each state, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.

[Read about the US Mint's announcement of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program.]

Nearly twenty art renderings were completed some months back as part of the process to select a final quarter-dollar design per location for next year.

Referred to as "candidate designs," these have also been submitted to the United States Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) for review.

All of the 2010 candidates are below, with the favorites of both groups highlighted along with their comments. Read the rest of this entry »

Zachary Taylor Presidential $1 coins in dollar rolls went on sale at the US Mint today at Noon ET. The coins mark the fourth and final release this year of a Presidential Dollar and the twelfth for the series overall.

"The idea that I should become President seems to me too visionary to require a serious answer. It has never entered my head, nor is it likely to enter the head of any other person," said Zachary Taylor when the idea of his running for President of the United States first appeared.

But, after winning the office with 47.3% of the popular vote, Taylor said : "I have no private purpose to accomplish, no party objectives to build up, no enemies to punish — nothing to serve but my country," and that is what Taylor tried to do for his short tenure.

Born into a comfortable farmers family and brought up on the frontiers of Kentucky, Taylor had little time or access to receive much of a formal education, which was not uncommon for the era. Upon reaching adulthood, Zachary joined the Army and shortly received a commission as a first lieutenant from his cousin James Madison (current President of the United States). Continuing to serve with distinction, Taylor climbed the ranks and was instrumental in the defeat of several Native American tribes before being promoted to brigadier general and given the command of the southern division of the United States Army.
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With gold prices pounding on new highs, many of the US Mint’s gold coins enjoyed stronger sales last week, although $20 UHRs dropped back and proof Buffalo coins continue to slow.

The newly released Lincoln Presidency cent two-roll sets are visible in this week’s report. The initial numbers are solid. Braille Silver Dollars, which will go off sale in less than a month, also picked up nicely. These and more highlights follow:

• 2009 Buffalo Gold Proof Coin sales continue to soften as compared to their first few days following their Oct. 19 launch. Another 4,316 were added, which is down nearly half from last week’s reported increase of 8,487. On the other hand, the bullion one-ounce versions climbed 13,500 versus the prior 11,000.

• American Silver Eagles topped 25 million this week. Their latest seven-day sales rose by 750,000, which is down from the prior 850,000. American Gold Eagles are moving faster. 41,500 were sold in the last seven days compared to the previous 30,000.

• UHR $20 Double Eagles snapped a two-week winning streak. Numbers came in at 1,098 and lagged behind the last gain of 1,453. The year-to-date tally is at 104,862.

• Louis Braille Silver Dollars improved across the board. A combined 208,272 have now been sold for all offerings. The Mint will take the Braille products off sale on Dec. 11 at 5:00 PM ET.

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The fourth and final redesigned 2009 Lincoln cent launched in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Nov. 12. By the following Sunday and according to the latest US Mint sales report, 153,427 of the two-roll sets were scooped up by collectors. Crunching the numbers and moving the decimal point, that is 15.3 million pennies.

During the same initial days following the launch of the previous two pennies, 15.2 million of the third Professional Life cents sold, and 20 million of the second Rail Splitter pennies sold.

In contrast, it took almost two weeks for collectors to purchase 9.6 million of the first 2009 Lincoln Birthplace cents — although these set the demand tone for the next three cents when the Mint unexpectedly stopped selling them. The following table provides the latest sales data for the Lincoln penny rolls. Read the rest of this entry »

Each of US Mint’s four 2009 Lincoln Cent ceremonial launch events were unique, but all have been similar in offering opportunities for the attendees to make money.

Following the Presidency cent launch in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Nov. 12, rolls of the new pennies began to appear on the secondary market from those who were there to experience the launch.

A decent profit has been seen by resellers who waited in line to exchange cash for the new Presidency rolls, and then waited in another line to have them stamped and canceled by the US Postal Service as proof they were issued on the day of the ceremony.

In analyzing 56 completed eBay auctions between Nov. 13 and Nov. 15, the average sold price per 50c roll was just four cents shy of $15. Read the rest of this entry »

The US Mint today pulled away the drapes and revealed the new 2010 Lincoln Cent reverse design. The 2010 penny is a continuation of sorts of the themed 2009 designs, which reflect four distinct phases of Lincoln’s life: his birth in Kentucky, his formative years in Indiana, his professional life in Illinois, and his presidency in Washington, D.C. 

The 2010 cent theme is "emblematic of President Lincoln’s preservation of the United States of America as a single and united country," and was outlined in authorizing Public Law 109-145.

While this year’s cents were issued to celebrate the bicentennial birth of Abraham Lincoln and are minted for 2009 only, next year’s penny design has no specific end date. It could be seen by generations yet to come. Congress would have to marshal through new legislation for ANY change to occur. Read the rest of this entry »

At the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial located below the west front of the U.S. Capitol Building, the US Mint today launched the last 2009 Lincoln Cent. Known as the ‘Presidency Life in Washington, DC‘ penny, the release brings to a close a year of four redesigned coins which have excited the public and awakened new interests with collectors.

"The fourth and final 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Coin design evokes the historical challenges of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency," said United States Mint Director Ed Moy.  "The image of an incomplete U.S. Capitol symbolizes the unfinished business of a Nation torn apart by slavery and the Civil War."

Donald R. Kennon, Chief Historian of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, and Eileen R. Mackevich, Executive Director of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, joined in the ceremonial launch. 

Similar to the prior cent launches in Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln City, Indiana and Hodgenville, Kentucky, shiny pennies bearing the new design were handed out free to eagerly awaiting children. Read the rest of this entry »

Gold coins are again the major talking points coming out of the latest US Mint sales data. Buffalo gold proof numbers are less spectacular than those from last week’s report. But they are far from shabby and a retreat from the earlier blazing sales was to be expected.

Standing out also were Ultra High Reliefs, bullion Eagles, Braille dollars and the Mint’s traditional annual sets. All improved over the prior week. Our bullet point analysis follows:

• In less than two weeks, collector 2009 Buffalo Gold Proof Coins surpassed the 2008 sales figures of 25,896. Another 8,487 were added, raising the total to 27,955. In the same family, the sister bullion versions are now at 132,000 for an increase of 15,500 in the last seven days. They are 40,000 shy of topping the same sized 2008-dated sales.

• American Silver Eagles climbed 850,00 during the same seven-day period, which was 151K better than the last. American Gold Eagles spurred ahead 30,000 — more than double the prior figure. November is historically one of the better months of the year for bullion coins.

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In ironic fashion, a single penny will push US Mint collector gold coin prices higher.

The UHR Gold Double Eagle will increase by $50 to $1,489, the newly released 2009 Gold Buffalo Proof Coins will jump $50 to $1,410 and First Spouse Gold Coins will rise $25 to $729 for the proofs and to $716 for the uncirculated options.

The US Mint uses a London Fix weekly gold average to determine whether to keep gold coin prices the same, or adjust them up or down. An upward adjustment seemed unlikely as the several day average as of Tuesday was well below the $1100 threshold that would trigger them. However, the Wednesday AM London Fix came in higher by over a dozen dollars to $1114.75 an ounce, which was exactly enough to tip the balance. Read the rest of this entry »