Welcome back to Something About Coins! The U.S. Mint cancelled the release ceremony for the 2011 Native American dollar coin on January 12, due to snow. The 2011 Proof Set, however, launched today on the Mint's web site. A rub and sniff coin, the 2011 Cook Islands $5 Scent of Australia Eucalyptus Silver Coin began selling last week. Enjoy!
Unveiling of Native American coin postponed, patriotledger.com
The unveiling of the latest Native American coin scheduled for Wednesday at Plimoth Plantation has been postponed because of predictions of a snowstorm, said Mashpee Wampanoag spokeswoman Brooke Scannell. The coin depicts the Wampanoag Treaty of 1621, a pact between the Wampanoag tribe and European settlers who landed in Plymouth County. The Wampanoag were instrumental in ensuring the settlers' survival by helping them adapt to their new surroundings. Beginning in 2009, the United States Mint began minting and issuing $1 coins featuring designs ... Click for coin article
How would you fix 5-ounce silver coin program?, blog.numismaticnews.net/buzz
With all of the recent experience of people trapped at airports, the U.S. Mint is taking no chances and has cancelled tomorrow's introduction ceremony for the 2011 Native American dollar in Plymouth, Mass. I don't blame them. The Mint says it will reschedule. Perhaps it could hold a virtual ceremony online instead? This probably cannot happen because of the short notice and the online logistical preparation involved, but someday I expect this kind of thing will be routine. Online contact is no substitute for being out and around among real people, but it is a great substitute ... Click for coin article
US Mint 2011 Proof Set Released, CoinNews.net
The United States Mint today, January 11, 2011, at noon ET released the 2011 Proof Set for a price of $31.95. It is the first time in more than a decade that a major annual product has been available so early in the year. The January release was announced in September, and is a part of the US Mint plan to launch core products earlier in the year. The annual clad proof set is the most popular US Mint numismatic product and it features more than one coin. This year's set, as in last year's issue, features a total of 14 proof coins ... Click for coin article
Innovative "Scent of Australia - Eucalyptus" Silver Coin Released, eurocollections.blogspot.com
Released today by issuing authority of the Cook Islands, this exciting new silver coin is the first of it's kind to capture the "bush scent" of Australia. Synonymous with the imagery of the rugged Australian outback, the Eucalyptus, or Gum tree, is as iconic with the land down under as Kangaroos and Crocodile Dundee - and now the intrinsic scent of the bush has been captured on a beautifully designed silver coin! This eye-catching silver coin has been created using state-of-the-art minting technology, to not only enhance the coin with vibrant colour, but also with the added innovation ... Click for coin article
Early silver struck to illegal fineness, NumismaticNews.net
The early silver coinage of the United States has long fascinated collectors. When numismatics became a national pastime in the late 1850s there was strong competition for a number of the early silver coins, in particular the 1794 silver dollar. For this very special coin the demand by advanced collectors has continued until this very day. The basic Mint law was passed by Congress in April 1792 but it stipulated bonds of $10,000 each for the chief coiner and assayer, and neither of these officers could find sureties for this amount. (The precious metals could not be handled until ... Click for coin article
Short-Lived Coin Was First to Use "In God We Trust", NumisMaster.com
The Civil War led to the bronze two-cent piece and its most famous feature—the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST." The denomination didn't last very long. The motto did. Mint Director Robert Patterson proposed a two-cent piece as early as 1836. But it was years before the idea took hold. It came up again in December 1863. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase, Mint Director James Pollock recommended a bronze two-cent piece. A bill authorizing the coin was passed on April 22, 1864. The same act that authorized the bronze cent provided for a bronze ... Click for coin article
Thanks for reading!