Monthly Archives: April 2009
Bowers and Merena Shines in March with Two Standout Auctions
Palladium Ultra High Relief Coins Come Back, S. 758
Legislation has been reintroduced in the Senate that would authorize the United States Mint to produce Saint-Gaudens Ultra High Relief bullion coins in palladium.
Details are sparse since the legislation has yet to be published by the Government Printing Office (GPO). The bill, S. 758, was only introduced Wednesday.
History, however, provides insights. Senators Max Baucus [D-MT] and Jon Tester [D-MT] sponsored S. 758 and they also introduced S. 2924 for the same purpose last year. That bill was similar to an earlier and unanimously passed House version, H.R. 5614. The Senate failed to take action on either before the new year, and both died with the end of the 110th congress.
Puerto Rico Quarter Ceremonial Launch
Gold Touches Below $900, Silver and Platinum Advance
Heritage Baltimore Auction: Nearly $14 Million and Climbing
Numismatic News Headlines – Apr 2
Lincoln, Braille & UHR Sales Figures – April 2
This week there is a huge surprise in the Lincoln Silver Dollar sales figures. Additionally, we learn how the new Braille commemoratives are performing, say goodbye (again) to Lincoln Birthplace cent rolls and watch sales of the Ultra High Relief (UHR) Gold coins sputter to a near crawl.
First to the surprise. When the Lincoln Silver dollar availability date was announced, the US Mint said 50,000 of the proofs were allocated for a special five-coin set. In an eyebrow raiser, we learn that amount is likely to be substantially less.
The law authorizing the bicentennial Lincolns permits a maximum mintage of 500,000. The latest US Mint figures show 465,614 Lincoln Silver dollars have already sold. Unless something gives, that leaves less than 35,000 for the special set.
Australian Minted Silver Coin Commemorates Fall of Berlin Wall
Commemorating one of the world's most memorable events of the late 20th century, the Perth Mint of Australia has created the Fall of the Berlin Wall Silver Proof Coin.
This 99.9% pure silver coin celebrates the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall that stood for over 28 years separating East and West Berlin, and which symbolized the separation created by the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, and their allies.
Gold Edges Up Slightly, Silver Declines
2009 Quarter Production Figures Plunge
The latest US Mint figures show a massive production decline for circulating 2009 quarters as compared to ANY of the state quarters minted from 1999-2008. Or, for that matter, quarters issued from many more years past.
2009 Quarter Production Figures
| 2009 Quarters | Denver |
Philadelphia |
Total |
| District of Columbia | 88,800,000 | 83,600,000 | 172,400,000 |
| Puerto Rico | 86,000,000 | 53,000,000 | 139,000,000 |
| Guam | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Samoa | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2008 Total Quarter Production: 311,400,000 |
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Of all the 50 state quarters, the 2008 Oklahoma quarter fell at the bottom with a circulating mintage of 416.6 million. (In contrast, the 2000 Virginia quarter came in at a whopping 1.6 billion.) The DC and Puerto Rico mintages combined is 311.4 million, which is less than Oklahoma's.