New UHR Gold Coin Site from the US Mint

A new website from United States Mint has recently appeared, providing information and videos about the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin.
The site allows for an interesting 360 degree rotating tour of the coin with integrated facts. Separate sections of the site on the Design, Heritage, and Technology offer videos that I have not seen posted anywhere else.

I am not sure exactly when the site was launched. I stumbled across it within some search engine results. Even though the site is already live and functional, I don't believe the US Mint has publicly announced or promoted the site. It is not linked or referenced from any of the existing pages about the UHR on the US Mint's main website.

This is the first time I have seen the US Mint create a separate website for any purpose. I think the timing could have been better- they could have launched the site prior to the coin release and mentioned it within some of their promotional materials. With the coin already six months into release, it will be interesting to see how the US Mint starts using the site.

If you have some time this weekend, check out the new site at uhrgoldcoin.gov.

Lincoln Cent Proof Set, Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set

The US Mint made another update to the product schedule yesterday. The update includes release dates for products during the month of September and the appearance of three new products that had not appeared on the previous version of the schedule.

2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Proof Set

This product was added to the schedule with a release date of August 26, 2009. Presumably, this is a separate proof set containing only the four 2009 Proof Lincoln Cents. These coins would likely have the special composition of 95% copper used on the proof cents already released. I will post confirmed details and pricing once they are available.

The addition of this product seems like poor planning or a decision made after the fact. There were likely many 2009 Proof Sets ordered specifically to obtain the special 2009 Proof Bronze Lincoln Cents. This is supported by the large number of auctions and print advertisements already offering separate 2009 Proof Lincoln Cents Set. In order to offer these sets, full proof sets had to be purchased and broken up.

Typically, when the US Mint offers a component set which will be included in a larger set, it is offered before the larger set.

This also serves to further break down the annual proof set into another separate component. The US Mint already offers a separate Presidential Dollars Proof Set and separate DC & US Territories Proof Set.

Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set

This produced was added to the schedule with the release date listed as "Fall". Based on details previously released by the Mint, each set will contain the four 2009 Proof Lincoln Cents (95% copper) and the 2009 Proof Lincoln Bicentennial Silver Dollar Commemorative. The set will further include a reproduction of the Gettysburg Address, an image of Lincoln with signature, and certificate of authenticity. The set will have a limit of 50,000 units. See my previous post on the Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set.

Due to the popularity of the 2009 Lincoln Cents, the higher prices of the Lincoln Silver Dollars on the secondary market, and the low authorized mintage for the set, a quick sell out for this product is expected. Although ordering details have not yet been released, it seems almost certain that the US Mint will have a household ordering limit. In my opinion, they might set this at one per household.

Braille Education Set

This product was added to the schedule with the release date listed as "Fall". Previous press releases from the United States Mint concerning the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar coins had mentioned that a special set would be available. One released stated that it would be available "later in the spring."

Based on the product name, the set may provide educational information about the Braille System of writing for the blind and visually impaired and incorporate one or both versions of the commemorative coin. I will post confirmed details and pricing once they are available.

September Product Schedule

In addition to the newly listed products discussed above, release dates for previously listed products were added to the schedule as follows:

9/3/2009	Sarah Polk First Spouse Gold Coins
9/3/2009	Sarah Polk Bronze Medal 1 5/16”
9/8/2009	American Samoa First Day Coin Cover
9/17/2009	Presidential $1 Coin & First Spouse Medal Set - Sarah Polk
9/28/2009	U.S. Virgin Islands Bags and Rolls

The full product schedule can be viewed on the US Mint's website here.

Julia Tyler First Spouse Gold Coins

A little more than a month after the release of the last coin in the series, the Julia Tyler First Spouse Gold Coins will be released by the US Mint. The coins will go on sale August 6, 2009 at 12:00 Noon ET.

This will be the eleventh release of the First Spouse Gold Coin series. Notably, this will be the second coin released for the Presidency of John Tyler. During his presidential term, he had both a first and second wife. His second wife, Julia Tyler served as First Lady for eight months during the years 1844 to 1845.

The obverse design of the coin features a portrait of Julia Tyler designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Don Everhart. The reverse design of the coin features Julia and John Tyler dancing at a White House event. The reverse was also designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Don Everhart. Each coin is struck with a comoposition of 24 karat gold and contains one-half ounce of gold.

The coins will be priced under the US Mint's pricing policy for gold and platinum numismatic items. This policy uses the average London Fix price of gold for a one week period to determine the prices of the coins. If the average price of gold remains within the current $900 - $949.99 range, then the uncirculated version of the coin will be priced at $616.00 and the proof coin will be priced at $629.00.

A household ordering limit of ten coins per option per household will initially be in place. The same ordering limit has been used for each release of the series this year. The limit is still in place for the Letitia Tyler coin, but has been lifted from the Anna Harrison coin. The total authorized mintage for the Julia Tyler First Spouse Gold Coin is 40,000 units across both options.

On the same date, the US Mint will also release a bronze medal featuring the same design as the gold coins with the removal of some inscriptions. The 1 5/16-inch bronze medals will be priced at $3.50 each.

US Mint News Quick Updates

There are a number of US Mint related news items worthy of a quick mention:

Today at 12:00 Noon ET, sales of the American Samoa Quarter Bags and Rolls began at the United States Mint. Two-roll sets are priced at $32.95, 100-coin bags from either the Philadelphia or Denver Mint are priced at $32.95, and 1,000-coin bags from either Mint are priced at $309.95.

To coincide with the release, sales ended for the previous Guam Quarter Bags and Rolls. These products had initially went on sale May 26, 2009. The 1,000-coin bags were unavailable for approximately one month, but the other products were available continuously during the period.

The last reported sales statistics (as of July 19) indicate 37,106 two-roll sets sold, 12,777 100-coin Philadelphia bags, 12,071 100-coin Denver bags, 1,475 1,000-coin Philadelphia bags, and 1,399 Denver bags sold. With the exception of the 1,000-coin bags, these numbers are below the sales figures for the prior Puerto Rico Quarter bags and rolls.

As previously posted, the ordering limit for the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coins increased today. After imposing a household ordering limit of one for nearly six months, the limit has now been raised to ten coins per household.

CoinWorld is reporting that the US Mint is striking more 2009 Jefferson Nickels, despite "officially" announcing the end of production three months prior. The Denver Mint has reportedly struck 7.4 million additional coins in June and July. This adds to the previously produced 39.36 million 2009-D Jefferson Nickels.

In a separate story, the US Mint has provided some new information regarding the status of the 2009 Gold Buffalo Coins. Before the latest news, let's back track through their previous statements.

Back in June, the US Mint indicated that only the proof version of the coin would be minted for 2009 and bullion coins would not be produced. A few weeks later, this statement was corrected when the US Mint indicated that the bullion coins were not canceled and would be produced as "required by law." This week, the US Mint is indicating that the proof version of the coin might not be minted for 2009 after all. With these latest statements, we are brought to the exact opposite of the US Mint's initial statements.

Late last year and early this year, there were constant issues about the US Mint's lack of communication and their failure to respond to questions about the status of products, shipping, and other issues. In the past few months, the US Mint has been communicating a whole lot more, but often reversing positions to the exact opposite of their previous statements. Unreliable communication is not an improvement from lack of communication.

Recent Sold Out US Mint Products

Three products have recently sold out at the United States Mint. The products are the Louisa Adams First Spouse Gold Coins, the 2008 Silver Proof Set, and the Harrison Presidential Dollar Coin and First Spouse Medal Set. With this post, I wanted to take a brief look at each sold out product.

Louisa Adams First Spouse Gold Coins

Sales of the Louisa Adams First Spouse Coins ended on July 2, 2009 to coincide with the release of the next coin in the series. The duration of sales lasted somewhat longer than expected. The US Mint has stated that each coin will remain available for sale until the maximum authorized production has been sold or for approximately one year, whichever comes first. In this case, the coins remained on sale for over 13 months due to the delayed release of the Letitia Tyler coin.

The last reported sales statistics for the Louisa Adams coins indicate that 4,223 uncirculated coins were sold and 7,454 proof coins were sold. Of the First Spouse Gold Coins which are no longer available for sale, this marks the lowest mintage level to date.

Whether collectors will eventually come to appreciate the low mintages of the First Spouse coins has been a topic of continual debate. In the past, coins which were unpopular or poor sellers during their offering period, ironically became popular and more expensive coins after sales had ended. Collectors who had initially ignored or overlooked the coins became enticed by the low mintages. This doesn't seem to be happening to any large extent with the First Spouse Gold Coins. One potential reason is that most collectors expect the mintages to continue declining as the series progresses, or at least remain perpetually low.

Sales of Louisa Adams coins on eBay have tended to be sporadic. Most current listings either have high opening bids or high fixed prices. Most coins offered for sale also tend to be NGC or PCGS graded examples. Here are the current eBay auctions.

2008 Silver Proof Set

The 2008 Silver Proof Set went off sale on July 17, 2009 to coincide with the start of sales for the 2009 set. The 2008 set featured a total of 14 coins, including the final five issues of the State Quarter series.

The last reported sales figure for this set was 774,874. This seems to be the lowest mintage for a Silver Proof Set released during the State Quarter era (1999-2008). The next lowest figure occurred in 1999 when 804,565 sets were produced. It should be noted that in 1999, the US Mint did not issue a separate Silver State Quarters Proof Set as they did from 2004 onwards. The previously sold out 2008 State Quarters Silver Proof Set had sold 429,021 units.

The 2008 Silver Proof Sets now seem to be selling for around $50 each, which is a slight premium to the original offering price of $44.95.

Presidential Dollar Coin and First Spouse Medal Set - Harrison

This small set contains one uncirculated (satin finish) William Henry Harrison Dollar and one Anna Harrison Bronze Medal. The latest sales indicate that 15,038 sets were sold. The sell out seems to have occurred this Wednesday.

Many collectors have opted for these neatly packaged sets as an inexpensive alternative to the costly First Spouse Gold Coins. However, ordering and receiving the sets has often proven to be a difficult task. There have been multiple and continued reports of orders which remain in backorder status for months, only to be eventually canceled when the product's status is changed to "Sold Out." If you are looking to collect this series, the best bet seems to be ordering them soon after release.

Guam Quarter First Day Coin Cover

The US Mint will release the Guam Quarter First Day Coin Cover on July 28, 2009 at 12:00 Noon ET. This will be the third First Day Coin Cover released for the 2009 DC & US Territories Quarters Program.

Each cover will include two Guam Quarters from the first day of mintage, one from the Philadelphia Mint and one from the Denver Mint. The two coins are mounted on a custom designed display card with a 44 cent Flag stamp. The covers will be post marked May 26, 2009, Hagatna, GU.

The Guam Quarter First Day Covers are limited to a maximum production of 25,000 units and will be priced at $14.95 each. The product page is already available on the US Mint's website here.

The two previously released 2009 Quarter First Day Covers remain on sale. To date, the District of Columbia Quarter Cover has sold 13,037 units and the Puerto Rico Quarter Cover has sold 8,571 units.

American Samoa Quarter Bags and Rolls

American Samoa Quarter Bags and Rolls will go on sale at the US Mint on July 27, 2009 at 12:00 Noon ET. This will be the fourth coin released in this year's District of Columbia & U.S. Territories Quarters Program.

The reverse design of the American Samoa Quarter features the ava bowl, whisk, and staff in the foreground. A coastline with coconut trees appears towards the background. An inscription reads "SAMOA MUAMUA LE ATUA" which translates to "Samoa, God is First." This reverse was designed by Stephen Clark and sculpted by Charles Vickers.

Similar to prior releases, the US Mint will offer 100 and 1,000-coin bags and two roll sets featuring the latest quarter.

The 100-coin bags will be available from either the Philadelphia or Denver Mint and will be priced at $32.95 each. The 1,000 coin bags will also be available from either mint and will be priced at $309.95. The two roll sets contain on 40-coin roll from each mint and will be priced at $32.95 each. The rolls will come in custom US Mint wrappers which denote the contents and face value of each roll.

Final production figures have not yet been released for the American Samoa Quarter, but the numbers will be closely watched. For all three quarter designs which have been released so far this year, each subsequent release has had a lower overall mintage than the one before. The most recently released Guam Quarter had a combined mintage of 87.6 million coins, comprised of 45 million Philadelphia Mint coins and 42.6 million Denver Mint coins.

The final production figures for the American Samoa Quarter will likely be available in early August, a few days after the bags and rolls are first released.

Do you have an opinion on the American Samoa Quarter design or its prospects as a collectible? You can rate and review this coin on Coin Review!

US Mint Product Schedule Update

The US Mint has updated their Scheduled Product Listing with dates for products expected to be released in the month of August. As opposed to prior years, the US Mint continues to update this schedule in pieces, providing a look at upcoming release dates one month at a time.

The following represents the updated portion of the US Mint's schedule. (The full schedule can be found here.)

8/6/2009	Julia Tyler First Spouse Gold Coins
8/6/2009	Julia Tyler Bronze Medal
8/13/2009	2009 Lincoln Cent Two-Roll Set “Professional Life”
8/18/2009	John & Julia Tyler Presidential $1 Coin & First Spouse Medal Set
8/20/2009	James K. Polk Presidential $1 Coin Rolls

The Julia Tyler First Spouse Gold Coins will be released August 6, 2009. This is just a little bit more than a month after the prior release for the Letitia Tyler coins. During 2009, there will be a total of five First Spouse Coins released, rather than the usual four, so the short gap between the latest releases will help put the Mint back on schedule.

The next 2009 Lincoln Cent Two Roll Set featuring the Professional Life design will be released on August 13, 2009. This will also be the date of the launch ceremony to be held in Springfield, Illinois and the circulation release date.

The Presidential Dollar Coin and Medal Set for John and Julia Tyler will be released on August 18, 2009. A separate set featuring John Tyler and his first wife Letitia Tyler has already been released.

The James K. Polk Presidential Dollar Rolls will be released on August 20, 2009. This will also be the date of the official launch ceremony to be held at Polk's home in Columbia, Tennessee and the circulation release date.

One notable change to the schedule which had taken place previously was to switch the expected release date of the 2009 Uncirculated Mint Set to "Fall" after it was previously listed as "Summer". The US Mint has reportedly encountered unique tarnish issues with the 95% copper Lincoln Cents that will be included with this set.

Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin Ordering Limits to Rise

More than six months after the initial launch, the US Mint will finally raise the ordering limits for the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin. Starting on July 27, the ordering limit will be increased from one coin per household to ten coins per household.

The one per household ordering limit has been in place since the coins first went on sale with the continual message that the limit would be "re-evaluated on a weekly basis."

The UHR Double Eagle had gone on sale on January 22, 2009 with much fanfare. The coins were priced at $1,189.00 with an ordering limit of one coin per household. In the first few days of sales, more than 40,000 coins were sold.

In the ensuing months, the pace of sales slowed considerably. As of July 15, 2009, the US Mint has sold 69,517 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coins. For the past several months, the US Mint has typically sold fewer than 1,000 coins per week.

During the six months of sales, the price of the coin has fluctuated. Under the US Mint's pricing policy for numismatic gold coins, prices can be adjusted weekly if the average price of gold moves across cerain threshholds. The price of the UHR Double Eagle has ranged from the initial offering price of $1,189 to a high of $1,339.

The secondary market has continued to support premium prices for UHR Double Eagles available in hand. These premiums are at least partially attributable to the low ordering limit and the potential for shipping delays. Recently completed eBay auctions still show uncertified coins selling for $1,400 to $1,500 each ($100 to $200 above the current US Mint price) with graded examples selling for even more. View current eBay auctions.

Lifting the ordering limit will no doubt have some interesting impacts. Prices on the secondary market may finally decline, particularly for uncertified coins. Collectors will be able to purchase coins directly from the US Mint in larger quantities. This will satisfy some of the demand for coins and also create a more accessible source for resellers.

Weekly sales will likely see a boost, although the effect might be tapered by the current price of gold. The coins are currently priced at $1,289, which is at the high end of the price range for the coins during the six month offering period.

One final thing worth mentioning- raising the household limit is another sign that the US Mint is finally getting a handle on their precious metals blank supply. Long awaited collector coins and some of the hold out bullion coins will hopefully be appearing soon.

US Mint 2009 Silver Proof Set

The United States Mint will release the 2009 Silver Proof Set on July 17, 2009 at 12:00 Noon ET. This year's set will feature 18 different coins, including 8 coins struck with a composition of 90% silver.

The sets are priced at $52.95 each. This represents an increase of $8 from the price of last year's set. The increase can be attributed to the increased size of the set from 14 to 18 coins. There are no ordering limits anticipated and the US Mint's product page can be found here.

Each set will contain the following coins:

2009-S Lincoln Cents - All four designs will be issued including Birthplace, Formative Years, Professional Life, and Presidency. As with the regular (clad) proof set, each Lincoln Cent will be struck with a composition of 95% copper, 3% zinc, and 2% tin. (Also referred to as bronze.)

2009-S Proof Jefferson Nickel

2009-S Proof Roosevelt Dime - stuck with composition of 90% silver.

2009-S Proof DC & US Territories Quarters - All six designs will be included featuring the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands. Each coin will be struck with a composition of 90% silver.

2009-S Proof Kennedy Half Dollar - struck with composition of 90% silver.

2009-S Proof Presidential Dollars - All four designs will be included featuring William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, and Zachary Taylor.

2009-S Proof Native American Dollar

The Silver Proof Set has actually become a bit of a redundancy in recent years since the US Mint issues such a wide range of component proof sets. The 2009 Silver Proof Set will only include two coins which have not yet been released in other annual sets. These two coins are the 2009-S Silver Proof Kennedy Half Dollar and 2009-S Silver Proof Roosevelt Dime. All of the other coins in the set have already been released in one or more of the following sets: 2009 Presidential Dollar Proof Set, 2009 DC & US Territories Silver Proof Set, and the regular 2009 Proof Set.

For this reason, the release of the 2009 Silver Proof Set might be met with less enthusiasm than the regular 2009 Proof Set or the still unreleased 2009 Mint Set. The 2009 Mint Set has been delayed until the US Mint can resolve "unique tarnishing issues" with the Lincoln Cents.

It's worth noting that in the recent past, the release date for current year annual sets has usually marked the end of sales for the prior year set. As such, it seems likely that sales of the 2008 Silver Proof Set will end when this year's set goes on sale. This set is currently for sale on the US Mint's website for $44.95.

2009 Gold Buffalo Bullion Coins Not Cancelled

Contrary to earlier reports from Coin World, the US Mint will be issuing 2009 American Gold Buffalo bullion coins during 2009.

CoinWorld had published a story in their July 6, 2009 issue stating that the offering was canceled based on information received from the US Mint. This information was not correct and the Mint has already received the 24 karat gold planchets necessary to produce the coins.

The US Mint added this statement to their press releases page:

2009 American Buffalo Gold Bullion Coin Update — Annual production of the United States American Buffalo Gold Bullion Coins is required by law. As a result, the United States Mint is presently developing a production and launch schedule to determine the earliest possible release of these coins through the Authorized Purchaser network.

The US Mint first released the 24 karat American Gold Buffalo coins in 2006. The coins were offered as one ounce gold bullion coins and one ounce proof coins for collectors. The same line up was offered in 2007. In 2008, the number of collector offerings ballooned to included fractional proof and fractional uncirculated coins. These additional offerings were announced discontinued before the end of the year.

Based on current information, the US Mint will offer one ounce 2009 Gold Buffalo bullion coins and one ounce 2009 Gold Buffalo proof coins. Last year, the US Mint sold 189,500 of the one ounce bullion coins and 19,591 of the one ounce proof coins.

Release dates for this year's offerings have still not been provided.

US Mint Coin Production June 2009

The US Mint recently posted their latest production figures for circulating coins. These numbers have received more attention this year because of the significant decline from prior years.

The table below lists the US Mint's coin production during the month of June 2009. The numbers are produced by subtracting last month's year to date production figures from this month's year to date production figures.

US Mint Coin Production June 2009
	Philadelphia	Denver	Total
Cents	64.40 M	164.40 M	228.80 M
Nickels	0	0.48 M	0.48 M
Dimes	0	0	0
Quarters	42.60 M	26.60 M	69.20 M
Halves	0	0	0
Presidential Dollars	41.02 M	14.28 M	55.30 M
Native Amer Dollars	0	0	0
Total	148.02 M	205.76 M	353.78 M

Production was concentrated in three denominations, the cent, quarter, and dollar. The production for the nickel also moved up slightly. The US Mint had previously announced that they had ended production of nickels and dimes for the rest of the year, so perhaps this was just a slight adjustment to the previously reported figures. Overall the US Mint produced 353.78 million coins during June. This was in line with the prior month when 352.92 million coins were produced.

The additional table below shows the total year to date coin production for each denomination, and where possible, each coin design. For Quarters and Presidential Dollars, the US Mint posts production figures for each separate design once production for that design has ended.

2009 Coin Production January 2009 to June 2009
	Philadelphia	Denver	Total
Lincoln Cent	660.40 M	714.00 M	1,374.40 M
Jefferson Nickel	39.84 M	39.84 M	79.68 M
Roosevelt Dime	96.50 M	49.50 M	146.00 M
District of Columbia Quarter	83.60 M	88.80 M	172.40 M
Puerto Rico Quarter	53.20 M	86.00 M	139.20 M
Guam Quarter	45.00 M	42.60 M	87.60 M
Kennedy Half Dollar	1.70 M	1.70 M	3.40 M
W.H. Harrison Dollar	43.26 M	55.16 M	98.42 M
John Tyler Dollar	43.54 M	43.54 M	87.08 M
Native American Dollar	27.30 M	23.80 M	51.10 M

The US Mint did not post any new "final" mintage figures for 2009 Presidential Dollars or 2009 DC & US Territories Quarters. The figures for the Guam Quarter and John Tyler Presidential Dollar had been available in last month's update. During 2009, the overall mintage for each quarter and dollar release has been lower than the previous release. The US Mint's next coin production update will be closely watched to see if this trend remains intact.

The year to date production figures for the one cent denomination yield an interesting observation. Assuming that the US Mint has not yet begun production of the third design representing Lincoln's Professional Life, the implied mintage for the Formative Years design is now above the mintage for the Birthplace Design. The Birthplace design had a final mintage of 350.4 M Denver coins and 284.4 M Philadelphia coins. Backing these numbers out of the total above results in possible Formative Years mintages of 363.6 M Denver coins and 376 M Philadelphia coins.

Update: The US Mint is done producing the Formative Years design. The possible mintages quoted above are the final mintages.

John & Letitia Tyler Presidential $1 Coin and First Spouse Medal Set

The US Mint will offer the Presidential Dollar Coin and First Spouse Medal Set for John and Letitia Tyler starting on July 14, 2009 at 12:00 Noon ET.

Each set will contain one uncirculated 2009 John Tyler Presidential Dollar and one Letitia Tyler Bronze Medal. These will be mounted on a custom designed display card featuring images of the President and First Spouse. Issuance information is included on the back of the card. The sets will be priced at $8.95 with no household ordering limits.
The US Mint has already posted the product page, which can be found here.

John Tyler had a first and second wife while serving as President. A separate Coin and Medal Set will be released later this summer featuring the his second wife Julia Tyler.

The Presidential Dollar Coin and First Spouse Medal Sets have been an interesting product line to watch over the past few years. The sets were released amidst a conglomeration of other Presidential Dollar related products including the now canceled Historical Signature Sets and Individual Proof Coins, as well as the still offered annual Presidential Dollar Uncirculated Set and Proof Set.

The Coin and Medal Sets started showing up on more collector's radar screens after the set featuring Thomas Jefferson started consistently selling for over $200. Prices have settled since then, with the sets released in 2007 seeming to sell for around $50, and the sets released in 2008 selling for around double or more than the original offering price. Here are the current eBay auctions.

Mint News Blog Update

Things have been relatively quiet on the US Mint news front. Yesterday, the Letitia Tyler First Spouse Gold Coins and John Tyler Presidential Dollar Coin Cover were launched. Coinciding with this release, the Louisa Adams First Spouse Gold Coins went off-sale.

As mentioned, I am currently on vacation, but will continue to monitor US Mint products and news and provide periodic posts. For now, here are some recent articles which might be of interest to Mint News Blog readers, as well as some of my other sites to check out over the weekend.

US Marshals High Relief Gold Coins - Legislation was introduced which would create one-ounce $5 Gold Commemorative Coins for the 225th Anniversary of the US Marshals. The coins would be struck in high relief and feature edge lettering. The one-ounce size, high relief, and edge lettering are all unique or uncommon aspects for gold commemorative coins. If the legislation is approved, the coins would be issued in 2014.

Fair Treatment for Precious Metals Investors Act - Legislation was recently introduced which would have an impact on coin collectors and precious metals investors. Gains from the sale of gold, silver, and platinum are currently classified as collectibles gains and subject to a maximum tax rate of 28%. This compares to a long term capital gains tax rate of 15% for stocks and other assets. If the bill becomes law, precious metals investors would be allowed the same preferential rates available to investors of other asset classes.

Gold Buffalo Bullion Coins Canceled - The US Mint announced that the bullion version of the Gold Buffalo Coin will not be issued for 2009. The 24 karat one ounce gold bullion coins had been issued since 2006. The US Mint still plans to release a one ounce 2009 Proof Gold Buffalo Coin for collectors later in the year.

Gold, Silver, and Platinum Second Quarter Performance - For the second quarter of 2009, gold, silver, and platinum all posted single digit gains. Precious metals performance for the year to date shows platinum in the lead with a gain of more than 32%.

July 1, 2009 Coin Update - A round up of recent coin collecting news including the undated 20p UK coins, the results of an external audit at the Royal Canadian Mint, the next 2009 Lincoln Cent launch ceremony in Springfield Illinois, and more.

Click Coins - Stay up to date with the latest coin related articles and blogs from a variety of sources. Make this site your home page and get an instant snapshot of current coin news every time you go online.

Coin Review - A site where anyone can provide their ratings and reviews on US coin designs. The site has been updated to include the latest releases for 2009, as well as some of the proposed designs for 2010 coins. Over 200 reviews have been provided to date.