All right, it isn’t actually a bake sale, but it might as well be. On May 15, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5872, an act “To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the centennial of the Boy Scouts of America, and for other purposes.” The other purposes? The sale of the coins by the Secretary of the Treasury, with a surcharge on each coin sold to “be paid to the National Boy Scouts of America Foundation.” In other words, this is a congressionally mandated fundraiser for the Boy Scouts.

With the act allowing for up to 350,000 of this coin to be issued and fixing the surcharge at $10 per coin, the Boy Scouts could receive as much as $3.5 million from their sale. Never before, in the long history of U.S. government-issued commemorative coins, has this benefit been granted to an organization that promotes religion or discriminates based on religion.

What is a Commemorative Coin and How Does the Program Work?

A 1996 U.S. Mint report titled “Commemorative Coins Could Be More Profitable,” described the issuance of commemorative coins as follows: “Every commemorative coin program is authorized by an act of Congress. Congress authorizes commemorative coins primarily as a means of honoring certain events and individuals and raising funds for the coins’ sponsors. On occasion, the proceeds from commemorative coin sales are applied to the national debt. Commemorative coins are legal tender but are purchased and retained by collectors, rather than used as a circulating medium of exchange.”

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by Scott Craven – The Arizona Republic

Arizonans should be accustomed to waiting. We had to wait years for such things as professional sports teams, Ikea and light rail.

And now, with the U.S. Mint’s 50 State Quarters program in its 10th year, we’re finally getting ours, all because of the original wait – for statehood. On Friday, the 48th state’s design became the 48th state quarter as the Grand Canyon and saguaro began their minting run in Denver.

But we’re going to have to wait a little bit longer because the coins aren’t likely to show up in tills around the Valley for another two weeks or so, according to Michael White, a U.S. Mint spokesman.

After two years of planning and thousands of people putting in their 2 cents’ worth on what the quarter should look like, the first of the planned 500 million quarters rolled off the Denver Mint’s press as Gov. Janet Napolitano looked on.

The state-quarters program, which the Mint calls its most popular coin-collecting program, began Jan. 1, 1999, with the release of Delaware’s quarter. Delaware, as every elementary-school student knows, was the first U.S. state.

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The final design in the three-year American Eagle Platinum Proof series celebrating the three branches of U.S. government, debuted this month. Last week, the U.S. Mint began taking orders for the coins that honor the judiciary branch. The latest coins are stately, with a historic feel. All American Eagle Platinum Proof Coins contain 99.95 percent platinum.

Struck in four sizes to fit coin collector’s budgets, this year’s coin emblazon on the reverse the image of Lady Justice with her scales suspended from a finger of her right hand, and a sword in the left. On the background is the bald eagle-an American symbol of courage and freedom-watching over the Lady with its wings spread wide. The unique feature of the series is that these are the only U.S. bullion coins that change reverse designs every year.

United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program Master Designer Joel Iskowitz sculpted the coin’s reverse. The engraving was done by Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles Vickers. The obverse-designed and engraved by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver John Mercanti remains unchanged and bears the now familiar image of Lady Liberty, symbolizing vigilance and faithfulness to duty.

The coins were minted at United States Mint at West Point, and they bear the “W” mintmark indicating their origin. Each coin is shipped from the Mint housed in a plastic capsule. The US Mint’s price of its platinum coins this year shot up about 40 percent compared to last year, even though the mintage limit remains the same.

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