2009 Proof Platinum Eagle and Margaret Taylor First Spouse Gold On Sale Today

Today December 3, 2009 at 12:00 Noon ET, the United States Mint will begin sales of the 2009 Proof Platinum Eagle and the Margaret Taylor First Spouse Gold Coin. These will be two of the final major product releases for the US Mint this year.

2009 Proof Platinum Eagle

The last time I wrote about the 2009 Proof Platinum Eagle, the projected price of the coin was $1,692. Since the average London Fix price of platinum has moved into a higher range, the price of the coin will be $1,792.

The coins will be packaged differently than in prior years. Based on images posted on the US Mint's website, the one ounce proof coin will be placed in a tri-fold binder. One side will display the narrative "To Form a More Perfect Union" by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., which inspired the reverse design. The other side will have the certificate of authenticity and the coin specifications.

The 2009 Proof Platinum Eagle will be limited to 5 coins per household for at least the first week of sales. After this time, the US Mint will re-evaluate the limit and extend, adjust, or remove it. The maximum authorized mintage for the coin is set at 8,000 coins.

Prospects for the 2009 Proof Platinum Eagle seem mixed. It does represent the only platinum coin that will be issued by the United States Mint this year, which adds a unique aspect. The maximum mintage of 8,000 means that if the entire amount is sold, there would be three one ounce proof Platinum Eagles with lower mintages. This would limit the coins status within the broader series. The lowest mintage is the 2008 Proof Platinum Eagle at 4,769 coins.

Is a sell out possible? Back in 2007, the US Mint released the 10th Anniversary Platinum Eagle Set, which was initially priced at $1,949.95 with a maximum mintage of 30,000 sets. This product managed to sell 14,862 sets in the first week. However, this was hot on the heels of the secondary market success of the 20th Anniversary Gold and Silver Eagle Sets. More recently, the US Mint sold 19,468 of the one ounce 2009 Proof Gold Buffalo in the opening three days. However, the Gold Buffalo coins definitely have a wider collector base than the Platinum Eagles.

Personally, I am leaning towards a sell out for the 2009 Proof Platinum Eagle, but not an immediate one. Opening sales figures should provide a better indication of whether a sell out is possible and when it might occur. This information should be available by Tuesday and will be posted on Mint News Blog.

Margaret Taylor First Spouse Gold Coin

The Margaret Taylor First Spouse Gold Coin will be the final release of the year for the series and carry the highest initial offering price. The one half ounce proof coin will be priced at $754 and the one half ounce uncirculated coin will be priced at $741.

In September, the prior release of the series featuring Sarah Polk carried initial prices of $654. and $641. This will make the Margaret Taylor coins priced a full $100 higher.

The US Mint has placed an initial ordering limit of ten coins per option per household for the first week of sales. This limit will be re-evaluated and extended, adjusted, or removed. The maximum authorized mintage for the coin across both proof and uncirculated options is 40,000. Recently, First Spouse Gold Coins have been reaching around 30% of the maximum.

Due to the higher price of the coin and continuing attrition to the collector base of the series, some have suggested that the Margaret Taylor coin might eventually end up with one of the lowest mintages for the series. To make a counter argument, it's starting to seem that higher gold prices are actually starting to spur additional sales. In the prior weekly reporting period, the US Mint sold 661 First Spouse Gold Coins. This is double the number of coins sold four weeks ago and triple the number of coins sold six weeks ago. The coins were offered at prices $50 and $75 lower during those periods.

On a final note, to coincide with the release of the Margaret Taylor coin, the Van Buren's Liberty First Spouse Gold Coin will go off sale today. The last reported sales indicate 7,515 proof coins sold and 4,334 uncirculated coins sold.

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CONSIDER YOURSELVES WARNED:

THE THUGS HAD BETTER BE READY FOR A FIGHT!

THIS COULD BE THE STRAW TO BREAK THE CAMEL'S BACK

On Wednesday the Obama administration took its first major step in a plan to ban all firearms in the United States. The Obama administration intends to force gun control and a complete ban on all weapons for US citizens through the signing of international treaties with foreign nations.

By signing international treaties on gun control, the Obama administration can use the US State Department to bypass the normal legislative process in Congress. Once the US Government signs these international treaties, all US citizens will be subject to those gun laws created by foreign governments.

These are laws that have been developed and promoted by organizations such as the United Nations and individuals such as George Soros and Michael Bloomberg. The laws are designed and intended to lead to the complete ban and confiscation of all firearms.

The Obama administration is attempting to use tactics and methods of gun control that will inflict major damage to our 2nd Amendment before US citizens even understand what has happened. Obama can appear before the public and tell them that he does not intend to pursue any legislation (in the United States) that will lead to new gun control laws, while cloaked in secrecy, his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton is committing the US to international treaties and foreign gun control laws. Does that mean Obama is telling the truth?

What it means is that there will be no publicized gun control debates in the media or votes in Congress. We will wake up one morning and find that the United States has signed a treaty that prohibits firearm and ammunition manufacturers from selling to the public. We will wake up another morning and find that the US has signed a treaty that prohibits any transfer of firearm ownership. And then, we will wake up yet another morning and find that the US has signed a treaty that requires US citizens to deliver any firearm they own to the local government collection and destruction center or face imprisonment.

This is not a joke nor a false warning. As sure as government health care will be forced on us by the Obama administration through whatever means they can find, so will gun control...Read the Article!

The Full Article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE59E0Q920091015

U.S. reverses stance on treaty to regulate arms trade.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States reversed policy on Wednesday and said it would back launching talks on a treaty to regulate arms sales as long as the talks operated by consensus, a stance critics said gave every nation a veto.

The decision, announced in a statement released by the U.S. State Department, overturns the position of former President George W. Bush's administration, which had opposed such a treaty on the grounds that national controls were better than UN's.

Please get the word out to others who may be concerned about the direction in which Obama and his Appointees are leading this nation..

"You should not examine legislation in the light of the benefits it will convey if properly administered, but in the light of the wrongs it would do and the harm it would cause if improperly administered." Lyndon Johnson, 36th President of the U.S.

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Congressman Asks for 2009 Proof Gold and Silver Eagles

On October 6, 2009, the United States Mint made the announcement that collectible 2009 Proof Gold and Silver Eagles would not be offered. Collectors expressed an outpouring of disappointment which has not gone unnoticed.
Note on the image above: This was posted on the US Mint's website prior to announcement of the cancellation of the 2009 Proof Silver Eagles.

On November 18, Michigan Congressman Gary Peters sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to all 434 other congressmen and congresswomen asking for their support in requesting that the US Mint reverse their decision to cancel the coins. He also sent a letter to US Mint Director Edmund Moy urging that dies and packaging already prepared for the coins is not destroyed.

Rep. Gary Peters stated that his letters were prompted by a local resident who brought the US Mint's actions to his attention. He noted the program's considerable and loyal following and the fact that the program makes money for the Treasury. He specifically addressed the US Mint's legal requirement to produce bullion coins "in quantities sufficient to meet public demand" by stating that he did not believe this must preclude coining proof silver and gold American Eagles.

Since the number of 2009 Proof Gold and Silver Eagles might be limited, he suggested that the US Mint produce as many as possible before year end and then create a lottery system limiting coins to one per individual.

The US Mint had actually expressed their distaste for such an idea. In an article published by Coin World, a Mint representative had stated "even if the United States Mint had produced a small quantity of American Eagle silver proof coins, that quantity would be far from sufficient to meet the demand of all collectors who desire continuity and, accordingly, would be a detriment to many of them." On the other hand, the US Mint did not view the gap in production years as a detriment.

Rep. Peters has encouraged collectors to contact their member of Congress in an article which appeared as a Guest Commentary in Coin World and a Viewpoint article in Numismatic News. You can read the full article here.

I am not sure what the chances of success are for this request. Nearly two months have passed since the initial announcement and less than one month remains before the end of the year. The status of the dies previously created to mint the 2009 Proof Gold and Silver Eagles is also in question. Following the announcement of the cancellation, the US Mint released statements indicating that the dies would be destroyed. Has this already taken place?

Even if the attempt to produce 2009 Proof Gold and Silver Eagles is not successful, at least the letters sent by Rep. Gary Peters will bring broader attention to the actions of the United States Mint and this year's failure to produce these coins for collectors.

New Coingrader Capsule: Counterfeit Coins and Third Party Coin Grading

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Antler Banter: Volume 5

Antler Banter returns this week and finds the Moose making all sorts of noise in terms of player moves, news, and games. The Moose worked their way through the state of Illinois, meeting up with the Rockford IceHogs, the Peoria Rivermen, and the Chicago Wolves before returning to the friendly confines of MTS Centre to face the Rochester Americans for two nights. With all of the stuff going on, we've packed this edition of Antler Banter full, so let's get started. As always, for all of your Manitoba Moose news and information, don't forget to check out the Moose website. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. On to the Hardcore Hockey!

Wednesday in Rockford

This game was a defensive battle from the start as both teams felt each other out in their first meeting of the season in front of 3522 fans at the Rockford MetroCenter. Cory Schneider started in net for the Moose while Alec Richards drew the netminding assignment for the IceHogs.

Not much happened in the first as both teams played cautiously. Defenseman Geoff Waugh squared off with Bryan Bickell, fresh off his recent call-up with the Blackhawks, at the 8:09 mark of the first period, but that was the only real excitement in a rather careful opening stanza for both teams.

The second period saw the IceHogs open the scoring at the 13:42 mark. Brian Connelly's point shot was kicked out by Cory Schneider, but Kyle Greentree was standing in perfect position to whack the rebound home, giving Rockford the 1-0 lead. Both teams went into their defensive shells for the remainder of the period, however, and Rockford carried the one-goal advantage into the second intermission.

Bryan Bickell's double-minor for high-sticking at the 4:49 mark of the third period gave Manitoba four minutes of extra attacker time, and they put it to good use. On a disputed offside call, Matt Pettinger skated into the IceHogs zone and wired a wrist shot from the top of the faceoff circle past Richards for his third goal of the season. Pettinger's powerplay goal tied the score for the visitors at 8:01 of the third period, and the recently-assigned Dan Sexton recorded his first AHL point with the Moose as he assisted on Pettinger's goal.

At the 11:43 mark, a turnover in the Rockford zone led to another Manitoba goal. Dan Sexton intercepted an errant pass by Richards behind the net and fed a wide-open Matt Pettinger in the slot for the easy empty-net goal as Richards couldn't recover. Pettinger's fourth goal of the season gave the visitors a 2-1 lead. Despite Rockford mounting some incredible pressure near the end of the game, Manitoba hung on to win the game by that 2-1 score. In game where they were outshot 40-21, Manitoba has Cory Schneider to thank for preserving these two points. Manitoba improves to 12-9-3-0 with the victory.

The big note in this game was the loss of defenseman Nolan Baumgartner. Baumgartner blocked a shot with his hand, and broke his pinky finger. The prevailing chatter is that he'll need a wire inserted into his finger to align it, and he may miss up to six weeks of action. More on this below.

Friday in Peoria

The Rivermen and Moose tangled for the first time this season on November 27, and 3882 fans got to see Cory Schneider battle Hannu Toivonen at the Carver Arena. Again, there was a lot of defensive posturing in this game as neither team wanted to give an inch to their opponents.

Tommy Maxwell and Peoria's Anthony Peluso decided to give the fans some excitement after a rather dreary 17 minutes of play. Maxwell and Peluso dropped the gloves to earn five minutes each after Peluso had already been singled out for interference. The Moose could not solve Toivonen on the powerplay, however, and both teams went into the intermission with a scoreless draw.

The second period was much the same as the first: defensive shells with little offensive action in either end, only with less fights. Again, no scoring took place, and both Schneider and Toivonen held their respective forts. Rockford did have the edge in shots as they led 17-11 through two periods.

It only took 33 seconds for the Rivermen to open the scoring in the third, though. Nicholas Drazenovic scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season after he fired a wrister from the slot high on the blocker side past Schneider, and Peoria led 1-0. Just over ten minutes later, the Moose tied the game up. Matt Pettinger's long wrist shot deflected off Marty Murray and past Hannu Toivonen to knot the game at one goal apiece. Murray was credited with his sixth goal of the season, and Pettinger had his third point in two games since returning from Vancouver. Once again, defense took over, and these teams battled down to the final horn at a 1-1 tie.

It didn't take long for Peoria to get things going in overtime. On a scramble in front of the net, the puck got through Schneider and found its way towards the goal line. Steve Wagner banged home the loose puck just 36 seconds into the extra frame, giving the Peoria Rivermen a 2-1 overtime victory over the Moose. With the overtime loss, the Moose drop to 12-9-4-0 on the season.

Saturday in Chicago

The Moose had a 3-0 lead in the season series over the Wolves thus far, and looked to wrap up a season sweep in their fourth meeting with the Wolves. 6722 fans saw Daren Machesney square off with Drew MacIntyre at Allstate Arena in suburban Chicago.

It didn't take long for the scoring to start in this game as both teams came out flying. The Moose struck first - a mere 19 seconds into the game - as Mike Keane picked up a loose puck in the corner, and cycled it to Marco Rosa behind the net. Rosa spotted Mario Bliznak cruising into the slot, and Bliznak buried his fourth goal of the season under MacIntyre to give the visitors the lead.

Manitoba added to their lead on the powerplay at the 7:00 mark. With Wolves defenseman Grant Lewis in the penalty box on a delay-of-game call, Matt Pettinger continued his torrid scoring pace with another powerplay marker. I'm not sure why the Wolves forward would consider a cross-ice pass in his own zone from the half-boards, but the puck was fired across the ice, and poked away from Chris Chelios onto the stick of Matt Pettinger who was all alone in the slot. A nifty bit of puck juggling led Pettinger to backhand the puck between MacIntyre's legs as he went down for his fifth goal of the season, and the Moose were off and running with a 2-0 lead. Manitoba would take this two-goal advantage into the intermission.

10:46 into the second period saw Manitoba make it a three-goal lead. Off a broken play, Mario Bliznak picked Grant Lewis' pocket at the Chicago blueline, and walked in alone on MacIntyre. Bliznak went forehand-backhand and found some space between MacIntyre's pads for his second of the night and fifth of the season. With that goal, MacIntyre's night was over and Peter Mannino was summoned to the net by head coach Don Lever.

It didn't stop there for the Moose. On a defensive miscue, Wolves defenseman Jamie Hunt found himself all alone behind his net against three Moose forecheckers. Matt Pettinger knocked Hunt off the puck, and Marty Murray fed Dan Sexton out front. Sexton wired a bullet past Mannino for his first AHL goal of his career at the 15:38 mark of the second period. The fans in Chicago let the home team know that they weren't happy with their performance at that point. The Moose, playing more defensive at this point, carried a 4-0 lead into the second intermission.

The Wolves seemed to come out energized in the third period. Sergei Shirokov was sent off for tripping, and the Wolves finally broke Machesney's shutout. John Pohl fired a low slapshot from the circle at Machesney, and Joey Crabb redirected the puck past Machesney to the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season on the powerplay at the 4:16 mark. The Wolves powerplay struck again at 11:53 of the third period with Neil Petruic in the sin bin. Anthony Stewart's wrister from the faceoff circle eluded Machesney's blocker, and the Wolves inched closer as they sat on the wrong side of the 4-2 score on the scoreboard.

Despite being outshot 12-5 in the final frame, Daren Machesney held strong for the victory, and the Moose recorded the 4-2 win. With the victory, the Moose improve to 13-9-4-0 on the season.

Tuesday At Home With Rochester

The Moose welcomed the best team in the AHL to MTS Centre on Tuesday evening to start a two-game set. The Rochester Americans came into the game with a 17-3-1-0 record, and look to be a titan in the AHL this season. The Moose would need a nearly flawless game in order to defeat the high-flying Amerks. 6343 fans would head down to MTS Centre for a battle between the two North Division rivals.

To show you how good this Amerks team is, goaltender Alexander Salak didn't see his first biscuit until nearly six minutes into the opening period. However, this lack of intensity for the youngster may have paid off for the Moose as they opened the scoring at the 16:16 mark. Mike Keane's wrist shot found some room through Salak's five-hole for his seventh goal of the season, and a 1-0 Manitoba lead. However, Rochester's explosive offense responded 21 seconds later when Michal Repik potted a rebound past Cory Schneider off a Jeff Taffe shot for his eighth goal of the season. With the first period coming to a close, the two teams were deadlocked with a 1-1 score.

I'm not sure what was going through the minds of the Manitoba players in the second period, but the first eighteen minutes of the period were played extremely well. However, with Guillaume Desbiens being sent off for holding near the 17:00 mark, it should be elementary that giving the league's best offense a chance to play in odd-man situation will kill you. So with Desbiens already in the box for holding at 16:59, Travis Ramsey decided to join him after demonstrating how to trip an opponent at 17:10. Less than a minute later, Graham Mink scored his eighth of the season at 18:08 with a beautiful one-timer in the slot past Schneider on the five-on-three. The Amerks weren't done in this period, though. Jason Garrison's one-timed point shot with 61 seconds to play in the period found its way through the traffic in front of Cory Schneider. Garrison's third of the season made it a 3-1 advantage for the Amerks as 40 minutes were in the books.

Rochester's Evgeny Dadonov went inside-outside on Aaron Rome before firing home a laser of a wrist shot past Schneider at the 14:53 mark in the third period. Dadonov's third of the season capped off a marvelous defensive effort by the Americans in the third period, and the Amerks skated to the 4-1 victory over the Moose. With the loss, the Moose drop to 13-10-4-0 in the standings.

So Where Are We Exactly?

Well, at this point, the Moose sit tied for second-place in the North Division after 27 games. They have 30 points, and are equal with both the Hamilton Bulldogs and Abbotsford Heat in the standings. However, the Bulldogs have four games in hand on both the Moose and Heat, and the Heat have scored more goals thus far this season. Because of this, the Moose are technically in fourth-place in the North Division at this point. Every single point becomes crucially important for the Moose at this point, so they need to find ways of picking up every point that they possibly can.

Manitoba Moose Intensive Care Unit

What a difference a week makes.

• Nolan Baumgartner - broken pinky finger. The earliest he could return would be after Christmas.
• Michael Funk - concussion. No return date set at this time.
• Lawrence Nycholat - foot and shoulder problems. I'm guessing January 2010 at this point.
• Matt Pope - high ankle sprain. Looks like possibly Christmas.
• Pierre-Cedric Labrie - shoulder separation. Hopefully he's back for this weekend.
• Michael Grabner - ankle injury. According to his blog, he gets his cast off in about a week. He should be skating by the third week of December.
• Matt McCue - concussion. No return date set at this time.
  

Player Movement

We saw the additions of Erik Christensen, Dan Sexton, and Matt Pettinger last week. Pettinger had himself one heck of a week with the Moose, posting two goals and two assists in the four games. Sexton has a goal and a couple of assists to his name in his AHL debut. Christensen played well against the Bulldogs last week, but hasn't hit the scoresheet since.

With the loss of Baumgartner, the Canucks assigned Aaron Rome to the Moose on a conditioning stint. Rome should be able to eat up some of Baumgartner's minutes, and has a pretty good eye for the offensive side of the game. Rome has sat in the press box for most of the season with Vancouver thus far, so the jury is out in terms of how long it will take for him to round into game form.

The Canucks also returned Alex Bolduc to the Moose. Bolduc's gritty play will be counted on in the Moose lineup, and his penchant for heading into high-traffic areas is something the Moose could use. While Bolduc's shoulder injury should be fully healed, there may be some time before taking a hit on that shoulder will feel normal.

Moose Outlook

The Moose tangle with the division-leading Americans tonight, and really need to find a way to earn at least one point from the Amerks. After watching the Amerks last night, they skate like the wind, shoot bullets with their sticks, and really are "the team to beat" in the AHL right now.

This weekend has the Moose back in the American midwest as they travel to Peoria on Friday, head into Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Saturday, and finish off the three-games-in-three-nights roadtrip in Rockford, Illinois. Much like last weekend where I stated that the Moose needed to earn a minimum of four points on this weekend roadtrip, I will repeat the same mantra: the Moose need to earn a minimum of four points on this midwestern roadtrip. Anything less, especially after playing these teams just a week ago, would be considered a bad roadtrip.

The last thing I need to mention is that the Moose really don't need any additional players injured on this roadtrip. I'm knocking on wood right now that no other players find themselves unable to play after the three nights of hockey in a row.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Busy Tuesday

I have been running around like a madman all day while trying to get stuff in order. I have about a million and one things that are coming up, and I need to make sure they all get my undivided attention when they arrive. Today was supposed to be that day where things got organized, but I honestly feel like I'm further behind than where I started. Without saying it, there have been some serious stories in hockey that I should comment on, so I'll do that here. Let's get to it.

• I'm definitely the opposite of a fan when it comes to John Buccigross, but his recent work on ESPN deserves a huge amount of credit. Buccigross sat down with Brendan Burke, Brian Burke's son, and told the story about how the young man decided to tell his father and the hockey world that he was gay. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Brendan Bell, and the amount of courage that it took to reveal this side of him is greater than any hockey story. But now that both he and the story are out, can we move on? Brendan Bell is just like another other young man: hard-working, courageous, upstanding, and a hockey lover. Being gay doesn't change who he is or how much respect I have for him. Nor should it change you.
  
• You have to feel bad for Florida's Keith Ballard. Not only does Ilya Kovalchuk score a goal where Ballard had him virtually out of the play, but Ballard's temper tantrum costs the Panthers their goaltender, Tomas Vokoun, for the rest of the evening. As Sportsnet's Daren Millard was saying, the only other time this has happened is when Slovakian player Tomas Surovy whacks his goaltender, Jaroslav Halak, across the back of the head after the Czech Republic scored their eighth goal. I'm sure Ballard has taken enough teasing from his team at this point to last an entire career.
• Washington's Alexander Ovechkin has been told to sit for two games after being ejected for the second time within the last two weeks. Ovechkin had Carolina's Tim Gleason lined up, but Gleason moved and Ovechkin's adjustment caused a knee-on-knee collision that left Ovechkin worse for wear. Colin Campbell handed down the suspension today, but Ovechkin's time off might be better as he can give his sore knee time to rest. Either way, Alexander Ovechkin is now on Campbell's wall as a "first-time offender". That will only mean longer suspensions if he continues to play near or over the edge.
• Here's your obligatory Toronto Maple Leafs update: after a 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens tonight, the Leafs sit with 21 points in 26 games on a 7-12-7 record. By my count, they need 60 points to tie last season's total of 81, and 61 points to beat last season's total, corcing me to give away a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey to a lucky reader. If they continue at their current pace, they will end with 66 points in 82 games - far off what they need to achieve. I predicted a 64-point season for this Leafs squad, so I'm not far off. Lots of hockey to played still, though, and someone could still win that Leafs jersey!
• 31 days until the Winter Classic from Fenway Park. Are you getting pumped? I know I am. I love these games!
• The AHL will see an outdoor game this season as well! The Syracuse Crunch will host the Binghamton Senators on February 20, 2010 in the Mirabito Outdoor Classic at 1pm. While I'm not all that enthusiastic about the corporate name stamped on this game, this should be another great event for hockey this season!

Ok, that's all I have time for right now. Antler Banter is on deck for tomorrow, and we have a pile of things to go through there. Following that, we'll have the very first Teebz's Tech Club entry on Thursday. I'm quite excited about the software package I'll be showing you, and there could be another one before the end of December if things work out. Friday, The HBIC Gift Guide will be up, and there are a number of cool things you'll want to see if you're still hunting for that hockey fan on your shopping list.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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A Platinum Rogue in the Southwest

We were back on book tour today with stops in Arizona and New Mexico. I wanted Madame to put me on a corner with my itunes blaring so that I could sing along to "Take It Easy" by the Eagles as I would be standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. Madame told me that we would be in Tempe, Arizona. We also went to Roswell, New Mexico tonight! While Madame was signing, she gave me the role of UFO czar while I was hanging out on the bus. I didn't see anything though.

Madame wrote two Facebook posts today! She called out the LSM (Lamestream media) for their "story" about the fact that Madame sometimes has the need to fly on the book tour. Madame pulled out the sarcasm big time for this post. We even did something a little different in this post. We used an emoticon in the title! :) I love it when Madame uses her signature sarcasm. She did so on two instances in this post:

1)" What’s even funnier is that these same media outlets think it’s shocking that we stay in hotels. I guess they expected us to pitch a tent alongside the road. We love the great outdoors, but such an arrangement is hardly practical for a book tour. "

Madame, please don't even tease about that. I'm a city LOTUS. I'm not used to the outdoors!

2)" I’m truly humbled by the response to my book tour by everyday Americans, and if traveling by plane means that I can meet more of these wonderful people, I’ll travel by plane (or bus or train or canoe or dog sled or whatever it takes)."

I think that the LSM is just upset that the First Dude isn't driving Madame around on a snowmachine to get her between book stops. They might even be disappointed that she isn't traveling by helicopter so that she can do some aerial wolf hunting in between tour stops.

Madame also posted a note following the Great Opologizer's speech regarding his Afghan strategy. Madame was pretty diplomatic towards the guy, although she definitely wants to make victory the goal. The Great Opologizer doesn't like to use that word.

I must mention some other news from today. Madame went platinum. No, that doesn't mean that she's a blonde now. It does mean, though that Going Rogue has already sold over 1,000,000 copies! Wow! I feel so proud of Madame. I'm so glad that I got to be a part of that success.

We're off to Missouri for a book signing and Madame is giving a speech tomorrow. Good times are ahead!

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2009 First Spouse Bronze Five Medal Set

To coincide with the release of the Margaret Taylor First Spouse Gold Coin, the US Mint will also release the bronze medal version of the coin and a complete 2009 five medal set. The products will be available December 3, 2009 at 12:00 Noon ET.

The Margaret Taylor Bronze Medal features the design of the gold coin with some inscriptions removed. The 1 5/16-inch bronze medals will be priced at $3.50 each.

Individual medals have been available for each release of the First Spouse Gold Coin series. Of this year's offerings, only the Julia Tyler and Sarah Polk medals remain available. The Anna Harrison and Letitia Tyler medals have sold out of the individual options.
The 2009 First Spouse Bronze Five Medal Set will include each of the bronze medals released for this year's First Spouse Gold Coins. The five medal set is priced at $15.95. This is an increase of $3 over last year's offering price of $12.95, although last year's set included only four medals.

I have written before about the strong performance for some of the previous First Spouse Bronze Medals. Recent releases haven't experienced the same dramatic price increases as some of the 2007 releases, but the medals seem to remain popular with collectors.

The 2007 Four Medal Set has been selling for around $40 to $50 on the secondary market. The 2008 Four Medal Set has sold for around $20. This set received some attention earlier this year when a mule error was discovered pairing the Abigail Adams obverse with the Louisa Adams reverse. Sets containing the error once sold for more than $500 each.

Today on Coin Update News: US Mint Weekly Sales Report

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