President Barack Obama signed today the Girl Scouts of the USA Commemorative Coin Act authorizing the minting of 350,000 silver dollar coins in honor of Girl Scouts and the achievements of the 50 million women across the nation whose lives have been influenced by Girl Scouting.
“This is a wonderful honor for Girl Scouts,” said Kathy Cloninger, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of the USA. “Congress only allows the minting of two coins a year and this is such a fitting way to honor our Movement and the million of girls and women whose lives Girl Scouting has touched. We are grateful to the President, the House and the Senate for their support.”
The bill in the House of Representatives (H.R. 621), sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), easily passed by a voice vote and with more than 300 cosponsors on October 15. A companion Senate bill (S. 451), sponsored by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), also passed unanimously on October 19.
President Obama signed the bill at a ceremony at the White House that included Connie L. Lindsey, GSUSA National Board Chair, Laurie Westley, Senior Vice President, Public Policy, Advocacy & the Research Institute, and girls from the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital. [click to continue…]
Demand for collector coins mostly declined compared to the prior week's figures, the latest US Mint sales stats reveal.
2009 UHR Double Eagles pulled back severely, with new weekly sales increasing by just 562. Higher gold prices and, therefore, the higher UHR coin price has not been favorable, as the numbers are the second lowest since the coins went on sale Jan. 22. Demand for First Spouse Gold Coins was down as well. The Sarah Polk proof coin showed the biggest gain, but only with an increase of 79.
Bullion coin sales are solid this month. Silver Eagles have already marked their best October ever, despite sales slowing slightly over the past seven days. As for 2009 Buffalo Gold Coins, in two weeks 114,000 have been purchased. The 2009 Buffalo Gold Proof Coin was released today. Sales figures will begin to appear for the first time in next week's report. [click to continue…]
The United States Mint has sold 110,500 one-ounce American Buffalo $50 Gold Bullion Coins since they were released on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009.
To place that in perspective, in less than two weeks bullion dealers have purchased 64.2 percent of the total (172,000) that was sold in all of 2008.
There appeared to a touch of dry spell in sales for several days. The US Mint generally updates bullion figures daily, but the Gold Buffalos remained at 86,000 from ...
Full Article: Bullion Gold Buffalo Coins Pass Early Milestone - CoinNews
I received an e-newsletter that mentioned inflation and coin prices. Many people believe there is a connection. There really isn’t a direct connection, but to explain can seem more like a word game.
Most coin prices depend on average collector incomes and the willingness of these collectors to spend that income on certain coins. Both factors fluctuate or change and inflation plays a role in what people are paid, but the link is not direct ...
Full Article: Inflation poor guide to future coin values - Buzz with Dave Harper
With a sell-through rate of 90% by lot and 88% by dollar value, and almost 3300 bidders, Heritage Auctions’ Oct. 23-24 Dallas Signature® U.S. Coin Auction soared to $8.7 million total. All prices include a 15% Buyer’s Premium.
The impressive tally is a good sign for the coin market and provides strong momentum as the numismatic world prepares for the January FUN auctions, long a solid indicator of the overall strength of the business and a benchmark by which to judge the coming year.
"We saw some very strong prices in some unexpected areas," said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage Auctions. "The rare coin market seems to be almost fully recovered in many areas, and perhaps even headed for record price levels next year."
A stunning 1879 Flowing Hair stella struck in gold, Judd-1635, Pollock-1833, PR65 NGC was the top lot of the Heritage Auctions event, with a price realized of $161,000 ...
Full Article: Heritage Auctions Realizes $8.7M in Dallas - CoinNews
On Sept. 5 Janine Murphy, CEO of the Royal Australian Mint, died following a long illness.
Mrs. Murphy enjoyed a distinguished career in the Australian Commonwealth Treasury commencing in 1976. Her principle concern was with micro-economic reform, in particular the deregulation of the financial system and taxation policy ...
Full Article: Australian Mint CEO Dies - NumisMaster
The date run of half eagles produced at the San Francisco mint from 1858 through 1864 includes some of the rarest and most overlooked gold issues ever manufactured at any of the various branch mints. These were issues that had limited production runs and which were eagerly absorbed into commerce by the booming local and regional economies.
I recently had the good fortune of handling one of just two known 1859-S half eagles in Uncirculated (an NGC MS61) and now that I am no longer actively marketing the coin, I thought it would be interesting to take a more in-depth look at this issue and ...
Full Article: The 1859-S Half Eagle - RareGoldCoins.com
President Obama Honors the First African-American Elected to the U.S. Senate by Popular Vote
WASHINGTON - President Obama today presented former U.S. Senator Edward William Brooke III with the Congressional Gold Medal for his unprecedented and enduring service to the Nation. The ceremony was held in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
Edward William Brooke III with the Congressional Gold Medal (Bronze Duplicate) - Click to Enlarge
The Congressional Gold Medal, designed and struck by the United States Mint, honors Senator Brooke's pioneering accomplishments in public service. Senator Brooke broke new ground at a time when few African-Americans held state or Federal office.
He was the first African-American elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, serving with distinction for two terms, from January 3, 1967, to January 3, 1979. During his first term, Brooke was appointed to the President's Commission on Civil Disorders, where his work on discrimination in housing served as the basis for the 1968 Civil Rights Act.
Brooke began his career in public service as chairman of the Boston Finance Commission, where he established an outstanding record of confronting and eliminating graft and corruption. [click to continue…]
The Austrian mint, the world’s largest marketer of pure gold coins, plans to slash output by 32 percent next year from a record, forecasting the end of the financial crisis will weaken investor demand.
Muenze Oesterreich AG aims to cut production of Philharmonic gold coins to 650,000 ounces in 2010 from an estimated 950,000 ounces this year, mint President Kurt Meyer said ...
Full Article: Gold Coin Output to Drop by 32% on Demand, Austrian Mint Says - Bloomberg.com
