Just in case you are not signed up to receive the US Mint’s monthly emails or you haven’t looked at the US Mint’s web site recently, here’s the Mint’s brief review of their latest products and upcoming releases:
Rolls of the James Buchanan $1 Coins are now available. Each roll is priced at $35.95 and contains 25 circulating quality $1 coins from either the United States Mint at Philadelphia or Denver. The obverse (heads side) features the likeness of James Buchanan, while the reverse (tails) design—common to all Presidential $1 Coins—features the iconic Statue of Liberty, the coin’s face value and the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The inscriptions 2010, E PLURIBUS UNUM and the mint of origin are incused on the coin’s edge.
Ouch…numismatists wish they would go back to a reeded or plain edge and restrict the printing to the obverse or reverse side of the coins. In the proof and uncirculated sets, at best, the edges are difficult to view in their protective covering. In rolls, the edges cannot be seen at all unless encased in clear plastic. The worst, however, happens to the coins in circulation. They lose their edge printing quickly.
Next on the US Mint’s recent releases:
The 2010 United States Mint Silver Proof Sets are now available. This year’s set features 14 coins, including the quarters, dime and half-dollar struck in 90 percent silver. The coins are sealed in protective lenses to showcase and preserve their brilliant and exceptional finish. These sets are priced at $56.95 each.
The proof sets’ value initially lies in the beauty of the mirror-like finish on the coins and the care taken by the Mint in their handling and packaging of the sets. But, have you noticed the value of silver recently? It’s rising.
In those 14 coins, five quarters ($1.25), one dime ($0.10) and one half dollar ($0.50) for a total of $1.85 include 1.34 troy ounces of silver. Silver closed today at $19.36 which makes the silver in the proof set equal to roughly $26 – not quite half the cost of the proof set, but close.
In addition to their recent releases, the Mint’s schedule for the upcoming months shows:
| 09/02/2010 | 2010 First Spouse Series One-Half Ounce Gold Coin – Buchanan’s Liberty |
| 09/02/2010 | Buchanan’s Liberty Bronze Medal 1 5/16″ |
| 09/20/2010 | 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters® Bags and Two-Roll Sets – Grand Canyon (AZ) |
| 09/23/2010 | 2010 United States Mint Presidential $1 Coin & First Spouse Medal Set™ – James Buchanan |
| 09/30/2010 | 2010 James Buchanan $1 Coin Cover |
| 11/15/2010 | 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters® Bags and Two-Roll Sets – Mount Hood (OR) |
| 11/18/2010 | 2010 Abraham Lincoln Presidential $1 Coin Rolls |
The Mint’s busy with their products and releases. Plus, their Fiscal Year ends soon. It will be interesting to see what products they’ve increased and decreased year over year from 2009 to 2010 (Fiscal Years).