The Coin Collecting Den

WASHINGTON – The United States Mint today announced the new design that Americans will see on the reverse (tails side) of Native American $1 Coins next year.  The design, based on the theme “Government – The Great Tree of Peace,” depicts the Hiawatha Belt with five arrows bound together, with the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, $1, Haudenosaunee and Great Law of Peace.  The United States Mint will commence issuing these coins in January 2010, and they will be available throughout 2010.

The Hiawatha Belt is a visual record of the creation of the Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy, with five symbols representing the five original Nations.  The central figure on the belt, the Great White Pine, represents the Onondaga Nation with the four square symbols representing the Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga and Seneca Nations.  The bundle of arrows symbolizes strength in unity for the Iroquois Confederacy.  The design is by Artistic Infusion Program Master Designer Thomas Cleveland.

Featured on the obverse (heads side) of the 2010 Native American $1 Coin is the familiar “Sacagawea” design by sculptor Glenna Goodacre, first produced in 2000.  Inscriptions on the obverse are LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST.  Like the Presidential $1 Coins, the Native American $1 Coins are minted in the distinctive golden color with the year, mint mark and E PLURIBUS UNUM edge-lettered on the rim.

The Mint has released production figures for circulating coins through November 2009. Total production for the month was only 76.06 million coins, a decrease of nearly 80% from October and the lowest production in years.

These figures include the final mintages for the Zachary Taylor Presidential Dollar and the Northern Mariana Islands quarter. Only Lincoln cents, Presidential Dollars, and NMI quarters were produced during November. Cents and dollars were produced at the Philadelphia Mint, while the Denver Mint produced cents and quarters.

The table below shows coin production for both November and year to date.

November 2009 US Mint Coin Production Figures

Three denominations (Lincoln cents, Presidential dollars, quarters) featured multiple reverse designs that rotated over the course of the year. The table below breaks down the total production figures for the year by reverse design. Of note: It has not yet been confirmed if production of the Lincoln cent Presidency design has ended, so the table only lists totals for the first three Lincoln cent designs. By subtracting the totals for these first three designs from the totals through November given above, possible mintages for the Presidency Cent come in at 198.00 million Denver Mint coins and 129.60 million Philadelphia Mint coins, assuming no further production in December. These totals are substantially less than the first three designs.

The Zachary Taylor Presidential Dollar, the last of the four presidential dollars released for 2009, will go on sale at the Mint at noon Eastern time on Thursday, November 19. Rolls of 25 coins will be available from both the Philadelphia and Denver Mints. Rolls will be priced at $35.95 each, with no quantity restrictions.

The Mint will be releasing the fourth and final Lincoln Bicentennial penny on Thursday, November 12. The design commemorates Lincoln’s presidency in Washington, D.C.

Two roll sets will be available at 12:00pm on November 12 for $8.95. The set includes one 50 coin roll from the Philadelphia Mint with no mint mark, and one roll from the Denver Mint with the “D” mint mark. Orders are limited to five per household.

The Presidency design is the fourth and final of the Lincoln Bicentennial series, with the previous designs commemorating Lincoln’s birth and early childhood in Kentucky, formative years in Indiana, and professional life in Illinois.

Yesterday the Mint announced sales of 19,468 American Buffalo Gold Proof coins through November 1, nearly equaling the entire 2008 production of 19,591 in one week of sales. No limits are in place for production or orders of the Buffalo coin, so it seems likely 2009 could surpass the 58,998 sales in 2007 for second highest mintage since the 246,267 coins sold in 2006, the first year they were offered.

The Mint also announced the 2009 US Virgin Islands First Day Coin Cover will be available for purchase Tuesday, November 10. The US Virgin Islands quarter is the last in the series of D.C. and the 5 US territories released this year. The First Day Cover will be limited to 20,000 units.

The 2009 American Buffalo Gold Proof coin went on sale yesterday, October 29. Based on the average price of gold for the period being $1,050.28, the coins were priced at $1,360 each, with no order limits or announced mintage limit. The current spot price of gold is $1,037.50, which could mean a price drop of $50 is in the future for this coin. No sales figures will be out for at least a few days, but since the Mint’s site didn’t crash the way it did with the launch of the Lincoln Chronicles set, it’s safe to say the demand has been more moderate. This may be due to the previously mentioned possibility of a price drop if the price of gold stays below $1,050 per ounce. It may also be due to the lack of a mintage limit, which could mean enough coins will be produced to fill the market demand and reduce the value of the coin in the secondary market. Time will tell!

The Mint announced today that the 24-karat American Buffalo Proof gold coin will begin sales on Thursday, October 29 at 12:00 pm Eastern Standard time. If gold remains between $1,050 and $1,099.99 per ounce, the coins will be priced at $1,360 each. There is no order limit and no announced mintage limit, apparently the Mint is not suffering any shortage of 24-karat blanks, in contrast to the 22-karat blanks used for the American Eagle coins. Demand seems likely to be high for this coin! This could mean the production figures for this coin will be relatively high, which in turn could limit the secondary market value compared to last year’s more limited mintage.

On a related note, the Mint has already sold 86,000 American Buffalo bullion coins as of today (10-22-09) since they went on sale October 15. That is a very robust figure, particularly in comparison to 2008, when 172,000 coins were sold in the entire year. This is a definite indication of strong demand that seems likely to include the proof coins as well.

Well, after crashing the Mint’s web site when sales started Thursday, as of Friday evening, the Mint is showing that they have received at least 50,000 orders for the Lincoln Chronicles set. Anyone still interested in ordering can still get in on the wait list and hope others cancel, or check out the already busy ebay scene!

Today at 12:00pm Eastern, the US Mint will release the eagerly awaited Lincoln Coin & Chronicles set. The set includes:

• One 2009 Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Proof Silver Dollar
• Four proof 95% copper cents featuring the four different 2009 reverse designs
• Reproduction photograph of Abraham Lincoln
• Reproduction of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln’s handwriting
• Certificate of Authenticity

All in a leather-like tri-fold case with a slip cover. Production of the set is limited to 50,000 pieces, representing the last 50,000 Lincoln silver dollars out of the otherwise sold-out total production of 500,000. The price will be $55.95 and sales will be limited to one per household for the first 30 days of availability, though it seems unlikely this won’t sell out well before that point.