WASHINGTON - Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson has authorized the United States Mint to issue a one-ounce ultra-high relief 24-karat gold coin, creating a 2009 version of what many have called the most beautiful gold piece ever made: the 1907 Augustus Saint-Gaudens $20 Double Eagle. The mintage of the new coin will be unlimited for one year. Among the production specifications approved by Secretary Paulson are the new coin’s business-strike finish and a diameter of 27 millimeters.

Only 2009-dated coins will be minted. The coins will go on sale in early 2009, although sales may continue into 2010 if inventory exists.

United States Mint Director Ed Moy announced at a meeting of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) on March 13, 2008, that the agency planned to recreate the Saint-Gaudens 1907 ultra-high relief $20 gold piece commonly referred to as the “Double Eagle.” The initial proposal by the United States Mint to develop this 24-karat gold coin had also been authorized by Secretary Paulson.

Through advancements in technology, the United States Mint can today produce the ultra-high relief coin envisioned by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in the early 20th century. A 27-millimeter diameter gold blank, more than 50% thicker than other United States Mint one-ounce 24-karat gold coins, will be used, because of its historical significance and the opportunity it provides to achieve the greater depth and relief to which Saint-Gaudens had aspired.

In most respects, the new legal tender gold coin will authentically reproduce the ultra-high relief gold piece. The obverse design (heads side) will be based on the obverse of the original Saint-Gaudens design executed in 1907. The reverse (tails side) also will be based on those pieces and will include 14 sun rays. The edge of the coin will feature the same raised edge-lettering as the 1907 pieces. The edge-lettering features the inscription “E Pluribus Unum” with stars serving as delimiters between the letters. (more…)

WASHINGTON - At 12:00 noon on April 28, 2008, collectors can begin purchasing 2008-dated Golden Dollar coins bearing the image of Sacagawea. The coins, available in bags and rolls, are of circulating quality and were struck on the main production floors at the United States Mint facilities at Philadelphia and Denver.

Each roll of Sacagawea Golden Dollars contains 25 coins wrapped in distinctive packaging and priced at $35.95. The canvas bags, priced at $319.95, contain 250 coins. Both options bear either the “P” or the “D” mint mark denoting the mint of origin.

The obverse image of the Sacagawea Golden Dollar, designed by sculptor Glenna Goodacre, honors the young Shoshone woman who assisted Lewis and Clark in their exploration of the Pacific Northwest more than 200 years ago. The reverse of the coin, designed by former United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Thomas D. Rogers, Sr., features a soaring bald eagle and 17 stars representing each of the states at the time of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

The United States Mint will accept orders for 2008-dated Sacagawea Golden Dollar coin options at its secure Web site, www.usmint.gov, or at the toll-free number, 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468). Domestic orders include a $4.95 fee per order for shipping and handling.

WASHINGTON - Spring has returned and so has the United States Mint’s Spring Gift Catalog. Available by mail and online on April 18, the 2008 Spring Gift Catalog features the Presidential $1 Coins, the American Eagle Coins and the Bald Eagle Commemorative Coins.

“Spring is the time of rebirth and renewal,” said United States Mint Director Ed Moy. “And like spring, the products offered in this catalog herald the rebirth of great coin design and a renewed sense of the American spirit.”

The 2008 United States Mint Presidential $1 Coin Proof SetTM, priced at $14.95, contains coins bearing the likenesses of James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. These Presidential $1 Coins -honoring the Presidents of the United States who served from 1817 to 1841-are the second series of coins released in the Presidential $1 Coin Program.

Additional Presidential $1 Coin products include the Official United States Mint Coin Album - Presidential $1 CoinsTM, priced at $11.95, and the James Madison Presidential $1 Coin Cover-part of the United States Mint Official American Presidency $1 Coin Cover Series-priced at $14.95.

The 2008-dated American Eagle Gold Coin-in both the proof and the uncirculated versions-is available in one-tenth ounce, one-quarter ounce, one-half ounce and one ounce denominations. A Certificate of Authenticity, documenting the coin’s specifications, is included.
Struck on specially burnished blanks, the American Eagle Uncirculated Coins feature a finish similar to their bullion counterparts, but they carry the “W” mint mark indicating their production at the United States Mint at West Point.

For the most current pricing information for the proof and uncirculated American Eagle Gold Coins, please call 1-800-USA MINT (872-6468) or visit the United States Mint Online Catalog at www.usmint.gov. (more…)

President Bush to Present Nation’s Highest Civilian Honor to Cardiovascular Medicine Pioneer

WASHINGTON - The United States Capitol Rotunda will be the backdrop on April 23 when President George W. Bush presents the Congressional Gold Medal to heart surgeon Michael E. DeBakey, M.D.

Public Law 110-95, approved by President Bush on October 16, 2007, authorized the United States Mint to strike a gold medal to honor Dr. DeBakey for his many outstanding contributions to the Nation. Each Congressional Gold Medal is individually designed to reflect the accomplishments of the recipient. The public law also authorizes the United States Mint to produce and sell bronze reproductions of the medal.

Engraved on the medal’s obverse is an image of Dr. DeBakey in full hospital scrubs, with a surgery in progress in the background. Inscriptions on the obverse are “Michael E. DeBakey, M.D.,” “Act of Congress” and “2007.”

The medal’s reverse design depicts a human heart placed prominently over a globe representing the universal influence of Dr. DeBakey’s teachings on cardiovascular procedures. A ribbon encircling the heart bears the following quote by Dr. DeBakey: “The pursuit of excellence has been my objective in life.”

United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart designed both the obverse and reverse of the Michael DeBakey Congressional Gold Medal.

Three-inch bronze reproductions of the Michael DeBakey Congressional Gold Medal, priced at $38, will be available for purchase beginning noon (ET) on April 23. One and one-half inch miniature bronze replicas of the medal, priced at $3.75, also will be available. Customers may order these medals and other genuine United States Mint products at www.usmint.gov, or at the toll-free number, 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). There is an additional shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order. Presentation cases also are available.

Media are invited to watch as an eaglet is released into the wild in Douglas Lake, Tennessee, in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains. Entertainer Dolly Parton will pull a rope to open a door to an artificial nest where the 14-week-old eaglet has been raised by the American Eagle Foundation. United States Mint Associate Director of Sales and Marketing, Gloria Eskridge, and Al Cecere, the founder and president of the AEF, will be on hand for the release.

The United States Mint, pursuant to an Act of Congress, is issuing a limited edition of commemorative coins in 2008 to celebrate the recovery of the Bald Eagle and its status as our national emblem. The United States Mint is authorized to pay qualifying surcharges, collected from the sales of these coins, to the American Eagle Foundation of Tennessee to further its work.

Just 35 years ago, the Bald Eagle, chosen in 1782 to be the Nation’s emblem, was on the brink of extinction. Now, it has made a remarkable recovery with 10,000 nesting pairs located around the nation. The Bald Eagle was removed from the List of Threatened and Endangered Species in 2007. (more…)