For the first time, United States Mint Director Ed Moy will display in Dallas, Texas, the design for the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar, the first United States coin to feature readable Braille. The unveiling ceremony at AT&T Plaza at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wednesday morning, July 2, 2008, will open the National Federation of the Blind’s 2008 National Convention. A United States Mint exhibit at the convention from 12 p.m. -2 p.m. CT the same day will allow visitors to examine a coin prototype and read the word “Braille” in Braille code on the prototype’s reverse (tails side).

The commemorative silver dollar, authorized by Congress and issued by the United States Mint, honors the bicentennial of the birth of Louis Braille, the creator of the Braille reading and writing system for the blind and people with vision loss. Surcharges from the sale of this collectible coin are authorized to go to the National Federation of the Blind to fund Braille literacy initiatives.

A Federation “March for Independence” will stop briefly at AT&T Plaza at 8:00 a.m. for the unveiling ceremony and then continue to the convention at the Hilton Anatole Hotel, where the coin prototype will be exhibited in the afternoon.

The 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar will be available for purchase from the United States Mint in the spring of 2009. (more…)

By Mark Ferguson for COIN VALUES

Nobody can predict the future of the coin market with absolute certainty. We’re still in a 5-year-old bull market trend, which is very lengthy in terms of past coin market cycles. And as we all know, the general world-wide economic climate is dismal.

Certain areas of the coin market are feeling the pinch, but overall the market still has solid support from eager buyers. As reported in the June 23 issue, collectors of average means are left with less disposable income to use for purchasing coins because they’re having to struggle with much higher living costs. This reality has slowed business in some areas, but has generally not affected values in the overall coin market.

Few market bubbles are apparent that could burst, taking values down. A possible exception could be in the registry market for modern coins (those struck since the 1960s).

Coins graded as perfect Mint State and Proof 70 lack dealer buyback support, and the supply grows as more are graded as such, which could lead to a correction in market values for particular coins that have advanced to levels beyond ridiculousness, according to many seasoned collectors and dealers.

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The 2008 United States Mint Proof Set® will be available beginning June 24 at 12 noon (ET). There is no order limit for this set, which is priced at $26.95.

The 2008 United States Mint Proof Set includes four Presidential $1 Coins honoring James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren and the final five quarters of the 50 State Quarters® Program honoring Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii. The Lincoln cent, the Jefferson 5-cent coin (nickel), the Roosevelt dime, the Kennedy half-dollar, and the Golden Dollar featuring Sacagawea also are included.

The United States Mint Proof Set-manufactured at the United States Mint at San Francisco using specially prepared, highly polished dies-contains extraordinarily brilliant coins, with sharp relief and a mirror-like background. A frosted, sculpted foreground gives these coins a special cameo effect. The coins are sealed in three presentation cases that are housed in a custom “sleeve.” A Certificate of Authenticity is included with each set.

Collectors may purchase the 2008 United States Mint Proof Set, and other numismatic products, at www.usmint.gov, or by calling the toll-free number, 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468). All domestic orders will be assessed a shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order.

The United States Mint Proof Set also is available through the United States Mint’s Online Subscription Program. For more information about this convenient ordering method, please visit www.usmint.gov.

Note: To ensure that all members of the public have fair and equal access to United States Mint products, any order placed prior to the official on-sale date and time shown above shall not be deemed accepted by the United States Mint and will not be honored.

The third installment in the United States Mint Presidential $1 Coin Historical Signature Series is scheduled for release today, June 10th. This new Historical Signature Series collection of products began on April 8th with the introduction of the George Washington folder. The Series highlights the 2007 Presidential $1 Coins honoring the Presidents of the United States. The Set features a proof version of the Presidential $1 Coin and a Presidential intaglio print from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The product is presented in a textured, leather-like folder which opens to reveal the intaglio print and the official Presidential signature. A Certificate of Authenticity accompanies each United States Mint Historical Signature Set.

The most current United States Mint Presidential $1 Coin Historical Signature Set – features Thomas Jefferson, and is the third in this new collection. The proof coin which is extraordinarily brilliant, has a sharp relief and a mirror-like background. The frosted, sculpted foreground gives a special cameo effect. The image of President Thomas Jefferson appears on the obverse of the coin and the reverse features a striking rendition of the Statue of Liberty. The Presidential $1 Coins also feature edge-incused inscriptions of the year, “E Pluribus Unum,” “In God We Trust,” and the mint mark. The size, weight and metal composition of the new Presidential $1 Coins are identical to that of the Sacagawea Golden Dollar. Each coin is mounted in a removable capsule.

Visible from the cover of the United States Mint Presidential $1 Coin Historical Signature Set is the Presidential intaglio print of Thomas Jefferson printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Opening the cover reveals the official Thomas Jefferson Presidential signature, courtesy of the White House Historical Association.

The two previous Presidential “Signature Sets” of George Washington and John Adams are still both available from the US Mint Store. Each Set, including the new Jefferson Folder costs $19.95 each.

By David L. Ganz for Numismatic News

It seemed like it was raining coinage legislation on Capitol Hill in May as the House of Representatives passed bill after bill that sets up new coin programs. If the Senate concurs, and the President signs the measures into law, the face of coin collecting will likely not be the same. Replacing it will be a quilt work of new programs and directions.

First and foremost on the scene was the double eagle ultra-high relief in gold, and a second version in palladium. See separate story on Page 4.
Other legislation makes for one of the busiest numismatic Congresses in recent memory:

Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act (Under House consideration May 13 when squabbles broke out among the Democrats and Republicans, but passed under unanimous consent May 15. Referred to Senate Banking Committee May 19 after being Received from House) [H.R. 2894.]

• It authorizes 350,000 silver dollars in 2012 and instructs the secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins in commemoration of the bicentennial of the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner and the War of 1812. It requires a coin design emblematic of the War of 1812, particularly the battle for Fort McHenry that formed the basis for the “Star-Spangled Banner.”

Read the Full Article by Mr. Ganz Here