This year the Nation will celebrate the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. To commemorate the occasion, the United States Mint is releasing the 2009 Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar on February 12, Lincoln’s 200th birthday, at 12:00 noon Eastern Time (ET). Public Law 109-285, the “Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act,” authorizes the United States Mint to pay qualifying surcharges collected from the sale of these commemorative coins to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission to further its work.

Mintage for the 2009 Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar is set at 500,000 coins across all product options. Available options include proof and uncirculated versions of the coin, struck in 90 percent silver. A special set containing a proof silver dollar and proof versions of four 2009 Lincoln one-cent coins-each bearing a design representative of a different aspect of Lincoln’s life-is expected to be available in the spring. The special set will be limited to 50,000 units.

Pricing for the 2009 Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar is as follows:

Proof Silver Dollar: Introductory Price – $37.95 Regular Price – $41.95
Unc Silver Dollar: Introductory Price – $31.95 Regular Price – $33.95

The introductory sales period ends on March 16, 2009, at 5:00 pm ET, when regular prices will go into effect.

The designs of the Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar are emblematic of the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln. The obverse (heads side) features an image symbolic of Lincoln’s strength and resolve. The image was inspired by Daniel Chester French’s famous sculpture of the President that sits inside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The design-created by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program Master Designer Justin Kunz and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart-includes the inscriptions LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and 2009. (more…)

Hawaii Quarter Signals the End of the Most Successful Coin Program in U.S. History

WASHINGTON – The United States Mint closes the book on one of the most successful coin programs in U.S. history on November 3, 2008, when the final commemorative quarter-dollar coin in the 50 State Quarters® Program, honoring Hawaii, is released into circulation. At noon Eastern Time the same day, customers can begin ordering coin options featuring the Hawaii quarter-dollar that include a two-roll set priced at $32.95, and 100- and 1,000-coin bags priced at $32.95 and $309.95, respectively.

The reverse (tails) design of the Hawaii quarter, by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart, features Hawaiian monarch King Kamehameha I with his right hand extended toward the eight major Hawaiian Islands. Inscriptions include the State motto, “UA MAU KE EA O KA ‘?INA I KA PONO” (“The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness”), “Hawaii” and “1959.”

The coins contained in the bags and rolls were struck on the main production floors of the United States Mint at Denver and Philadelphia for use in general circulation. The two-roll set includes one roll each of 40 coins-bearing the “D” and “P” mint marks-wrapped in distinctive packaging displaying the 50 State Quarters logo, the mint of origin, the official state abbreviation and the dollar value of the contents. Each canvas bag has a tag denoting the mint of origin and the state abbreviation.

The Hawaii quarter will be launched in a ceremony at Bishop Square in downtown Honolulu at noon (Hawaii Standard Time) on November 10, 2008. (more…)

The United States Mint today released the four new portraits that will appear on the obverse (heads side) of Presidential $1 Coins in 2009. The coins honor former Presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor.

“We hope Americans not only appreciate the aesthetic qualities of the Presidential $1 Coins, but also remember each President’s legacy every time they use the coins in their daily transactions,” said United States Mint Director Ed Moy. “Presidential $1 Coins are convenient to use, save the taxpayers money, and are durable and last for decades.”

Beginning with the William Henry Harrison Presidential $1 Coin next year, “In God We Trust” will appear on the obverse of all Presidential $1 Coins. As a result, the edge lettering of the 2009 Presidential $1 Coins will be slightly different from that of 2007 and 2008. Where currently there are single dots (delimiters) between the inscriptions, in 2009 there will be three stars between “E Pluribus Unum” and the mint mark and 10 stars between the year of minting and “E Pluribus Unum.”

The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 directed the United States Mint to inscribe the year of minting or issuance, and the national mottos “E Pluribus Unum” and “In God We Trust” on the edge of the Presidential $1 Coin. In 2008, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which included a provision directing the Secretary of the Treasury to move the inscription “In God We Trust” from the edge of the Presidential $1 Coin to the obverse (heads side) or reverse (tails side) of the coin. (more…)