Quick US Mint Updates

There are a number of recent news items related to the US Mint that I wanted to briefly cover. These deal with two upcoming coin launch ceremonies, the 2011 Mint Set, and designs for the 2012 America the Beautiful Quarters.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Dollar

The US Mint announced details for the coin launch ceremony for the 2010 Abraham Lincoln Presidential Dollar. The ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 18, 2010 at 10:00 AM ET. The location will be President Lincoln's Cottage on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, DC.

This ceremony may see more interest than typical due to the excitement about the release of the new Lincoln Dollar.

The ceremony will take place on the same day as the official circulation release date. As opposed to America the Beautiful Quarters, unmixed quantities of newly released Presidential Dollars have been more readily available at banks. Depository institutions are provided with time frames during which they can order boxes of $1,000 or bags of $2,000 of the most recently released Presidential Dollar.

The special ordering period for the Lincoln Presidential Dollar is October 28 to December 2. Collectors may want to inquire with some banks now to see if they will be ordering the coins, or even to request that they order a specific quantity of the coins.

Mount Hood National Forest Quarter

The launch ceremony for the Mount Hood National Forest Quarter will be held on November 17, 2010 at 10:30 AM PT. The location will be the World Forestry Center, 4033 SW Canyon Road, Portland, Oregon.

The ceremony will take place two days after the official circulation release date on November 15.

This will represent the fifth release of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program and the final release for this year. Coins from this series have been more challenging to find through the channels of circulation, although some collectors have experienced success.

The US Mint will offer premium priced two roll sets and 100-coin bags of the quarters starting on November 15, 2010 at 12:00 Noon ET.

2011 United States Mint Set

CoinWorld has recently reported that the US Mint will stop using the satin finish for the annual Uncirculated Coin Set, also referred to by collectors as the Mint Set.

The satin finish has been used for the 2005 to 2010 Mint Sets, creating two distinct versions for Philadelphia and Denver Mint coins for these years. Each year, standard circulation strike coins were produced for circulation channels and numismatic bags and rolls, while satin finish coins were produced for the annual uncirculated coin set and some other collector products.

Reasons cited for the change were customer feedback and efforts to extend die life.

2012 America the Beautiful Quarters

The CFA and CCAC recently reviewed design candidates for the 2012 America the Beautiful Quarters.

The five coins released that year will feature El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico, Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, Acadia National Park in Maine, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii, and Denali National Park in Alaska.

Les Peters covered the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee meeting for Coin Update News. Check out the article on the 2012 America the Beautiful Quarters for images of the design candidates and the comments and recommendations provided by the CCAC.