2009 Proof Gold Buffalo Coin Delayed

Update: Latest information on 2009 Proof Gold Buffalo.

The US Mint added a new notification to the product catalog page for the American Buffalo Gold Coins. This joins similar notifications that had previously been posted for the 2009 Gold Eagle and 2009 Silver Eagle product pages.

The notification is as follows:

Production of United States Mint 2009 American Buffalo Gold Proof Coins has been delayed because of the limited availability of 24-karat gold blanks. The 2009 American Buffalo one-ounce Gold Proof Coin is scheduled to go on sale in the second half of the 2009 calendar year after an acceptable inventory of 24-karat gold blanks can be acquired. The release date, once established, will be posted to the 2009 Scheduled Products Listing.

As a result of the numismatic product portfolio analysis conducted last fall, beginning in 2009, American Buffalo Gold Proof fractional coins and the four-coin set are no longer available. Additionally, the United States Mint will no longer offer American Buffalo Gold Uncirculated Coins.

The notification doesn't provide much in the way of new information. The delay had been presumed following the similar announcements for the collectible Gold and Silver Eagle coins. Additionally, the US Mint has not even produced the regular bullion version of the American Gold Buffalo for 2009.

The discontinuation of all but one option for the collectible Gold Buffalo coins had been announced previously, late last year. In 2008, the US Mint had offered a total of twelve products which incorporated the Gold Buffalo. This included 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz individual coins in uncirculated or proof, 4 coin sets in uncirculated or proof, the 2008 American Buffalo Celebration Coin, and the 08-08-08 Double Prosperity Set. For 2009, the single coin to be offered will be the 1 oz Proof 2009 Gold Buffalo.

Even though the availability of 24-karat gold blanks is limited, the US Mint has been able to obtain a relatively large number to use for other products. The 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coins are struck on special sized and specially prepared 24-karat gold blanks. To date, the US Mint has sold over 62,000 of the coins. The 2009 First Spouse Gold Coins are stuck on one-half ounce size 24-karat gold blanks. The US Mint has sold over 6,000 of the first coin released honoring Anna Harrison.

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The THING Under My Bed

THE "THING" UNDER MY BED

Dear God,
I realize that You are very busy, what with keeping the universe running smoothly and putting up with bone heads here on earth, but I do have a rather sticky problem with something vile hiding under my bed. Now, I must be honest and tell You that I haven't actually seen anything under my bed, but that is because I have not had the courage to actually peek under there, however, I know that something foul and despicable has made itself at home in the space between the floor and my box spring and it is having a detrimental effect on my efforts to get a good nights sleep.

As the God and Creator of the universe, I humbly ask You to please look into this matter at your earliest convenience.

Thank You for your kind consideration in this matter and for your many blessings.

Your loving and devoted servant,

"Abouna"


Dear Heavenly Father,
I am beseeching You a second time concerning the "Thing" lurking beneath my bed. I know You are busy, but since You are the Creator of the universe, I feel that this problem falls under your direct jurisdiction, and I must demand that You look into this matter post haste, because not only am I unable to get a decent nights sleep, but I am also unable to access my favorite pair of shoes which are stored beneath my bed, due to the "Thing" that has taken up residence there.

Respectfully, Your humble servant,
"Abouna"

My Dearest "Abouna";
Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I have not been neglectful of your concerns regarding a potential vile creature lurking beneath your bed. Please note that while you were out and about, I made a careful inspection of your sleeping quarters, paying special attention to the area beneath your bed, and other then an abundance of "dust bunnies", one sock and an empty Hershey bar wrapper, along with the above mentioned shoes, I saw no evidence of any vile creatures, monsters or demons. But just to be on the safe side, I did have one of my archangels give it a blessing with my special formula "Demon-Be-Gone" spray.

This should resolve your problem.

Your Heavenly Father


Dear Heavenly Father;
Thank you for your kind response and attention to what appears to be an annoying and persistent problem involving a monster lurking in the area beneath my bed. Its proximity to my sleeping area is most uncomfortable and is not conducive to a good nights sleep.

I have to regretfully inform You that your "Demon-Be-Gone" spray failed to have its desired effect and I am still plagued by nightmares due to the "Thing" which continues to inhabit the area under my bed. Also, as much as I hate to mention it, when I awoke this morning, after a particularly frightening dream, I noticed a rather large wet area on my sheets that had a distinctive odor of urine, which means that the nightmare scared the p%#s out of me.

Please advise if you can provide a better solution to this monster problem.

Sincerely,

"Abouna"

Dear "Abouna";
I sincerely apologize for your continuing problem of a monster lurking beneath your bed. I really do not understand how the "Demon-Be-Gone" spray failed to work. However, since you are important to me, I have complied with your request for further action, and if you notice, I have installed a brand new state of the art monster alert detector. It looks very similar to an ordinary nite-lite. It has a "praying hands" motif, which I thought was a nice touch. This will most certainly solve your on-going monster problem.

Thank you again for bringing this matter to my attention.

God

Dear Sir;
Once again, thank You for your timely response. Your quick actions have been duly noted. However, I must regretfully inform you, that the so-called monster alert detector which you so kindly installed has failed to meet its intended purpose, as I still sense activity under my bed, but I remain to scared to look.

Please correct this situation or may I suggest that you hire some one with more experience at eradicating monsters lurking under beds.

Fearfully,

Bishop Gregori


Bishop Gregori,
I convey my sincerest apologies for your on-going "Thing", monster or whatever under your bed. I had no idea that my state of the art monster detector would be such an abject and dismal failure. I had personally tested it years ago in the bedrooms of your sons when they were little and it worked perfectly. However, I have gone ahead and laid some invisible monster traps underneath your bed, which should most certainly deter and prevent any further occupation by demons or monsters in the space beneath your bed. I have done this even though I have discerned no evidence, physical or spiritual of any monsters beneath your bed.

Sincerely,
God


Sir;
"Invisible monster traps" Do you take me for a fool? The situation has gone from bad to worse, as the monster keeps thumping the underside of my mattress every time I begin to doze off. This situation has become so dire because I am unable to get any sleep at all. I am beginning to question your ability as a creator, but I will allow you one more opportunity to provide a resolution to this on-going problem. If you are unable to handle such a little situation as monsters under beds, I shall be forced to turn Buddhist.

Regretfully,
Gregori


Gregori,
I can assure you that I have solved your damn annoying problem once and for all regarding suspected monsters, demons, ogres, and any other demonic creatures residing under your stinking bed. You can go to sleep, safe in the knowledge that tonight and all future nights, there will be no monsters lurking beneath your box spring, lying in wait, plotting and scheming your untimely demise.

How can I be so certain of this, you ask? Because, this morning, while you were out walking Munchkin, who, might I add, has more sense then you, I sawed the damn legs off your bed. Now please be so kind as to not bother me with such ridiculousness again. THERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS AS MONSTERS UNDER PEOPLE'S BEDS! NOW GO TO SLEEP!

Yours Truly,
GOD



OH Yea?

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Rail Splitter Penny Two Roll Set Sales

News has been popping up around the internet that sales of the 2009 Rail Splitter Penny Two Roll Sets have already exceeded 200,000.

The corollary to this news is that the US Mint is apparently issuing many more two roll sets for this release than they did for the first. The "Log Cabin" Two Roll Sets had sold out after 96,000 sets were sold over the course of two weeks. I have not been able to obtain any confirmation of exactly how many "Rail Splitter" Sets will be available.

The implication of these developments seems to be that the US Mint realized that they have been badly underestimating the demand for their Rolls and Bags offerings and are adjusting the number of units available to much higher levels. While this is good news for some, it may be disappointing for others. Since the US Mint is apparently allotting different numbers of units for similar products, it would be nice if they let collectors know exactly how many will be available instead of keeping everyone guessing.

The continuing availability of the "Rail Splitter" or Formative Years 2009 Lincoln Cent will likely have the impact of keeping secondary market prices at bay. For the first release, prices had reached manic levels even for unmarked generic rolls since initially there were few dependable sources for obtaining the coins.

At the Lincoln City, Indiana launch ceremony, the US Mint also took steps which had the impact of creating a broader distribution and preventing hoarding and profiteering. This included lowering the exchange limit to only six rolls per person and preventing buying and selling of coins within the park. At the first launch ceremony, some individuals had been able to obtain full 50 roll boxes from the coin exchange, since there were many rolls remaining at the end of the ceremony.

While these developments may create some renewed interest for the Birthplace Cents, particularly the US Mint issued two roll sets, the market for 2009 Lincoln Cents seems to be changing. In many ways, it seems like the US Mint is trying to deflate the Penny Bubble.

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Do You Need to Pray at Work?

DO YOU NEED TO PRAY AT WORK?

How to tell if you need to pray at work

AMEN!

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The Myth of Marijuana Potency

Intro

I've been keeping up with marijuana news more and more and something has gotten to me. It seems that the government has decided to rehash another long dead lie about marijuana in an effort to scare people into their way of thinking. The big lie is that marijuana is now more potent than it was 40-50 years ago. This is an old lie, debunked time and time again. The people that fall for it, the citizen drug warrior whose too stupid to know any better, makes it worse by extrapolating various absurdities from government-sanctioned drug DEAlers.

One of the great liars is the former drug czar, John P. Walters. Here he is lying about marijuana's potency via TheFreshScent.

The Great Marijuana Lie

One of the greatest lies, and my personal favorite, happens to be that marijuana growers are somehow genetically engineering some kind of super weed to explain why it's more potent. First of all, genetic engineering as a science is still very much in its infancy. To apply it to marijuana cultivation would be very costly and I doubt your local grower has that kind of money and the Mexican drug cartels are far from interested in delivering more potent marijuana. If they cared at all, Mexican cultivated marijuana wouldn't be some of the weakest marijuana available after hemp.

Do you really think "El Diablo" wants to drop his fortune trying to genetically modify marijuana when he could easily use it to buy another yacht, hotel, bank, federali, or military person? If you're one of these citizen drug warriors, you're probably stupid enough to believe that one. I wouldn't be surprised.

The reason people come up with these outrageous lies is because:

1. the naive don't know who to get the truth from and
2. they have to figure out some way to justify the lies.

Well, that's what I am here for.. to tell the truth about marijuana potency. Marijuana is NOT any more potent today than it was back in the 1960's. Allow me to repeat that...

MARIJUANA IS NOT ANY MORE POTENT TODAY THAN IT WAS BACK IN THE 1960's.

Fish Analogy: Explaining different potencies

People have to first understand that there are different kinds of marijuana out there. It's like the different types of fish. Fish have developed these traits over the last few million years long before genetic testing was so much as a glimmer in anyone's eye due to their environment. Just as environment can produce all kinds of cool, weird, beautiful, big, and small fish species, the earth's differing environments have produced different kinds of marijuana plants from small to tall to bushy to lanky with light green to purple colors. The potency ranges from less than 0.5% (hemp) to upwards of 20% (skunk). It's simply been this way for thousands of years. No one has done anything different to marijuana other than search and grow the best kinds.

As a grower, of course, I am going to look for strains that have the highest potency. It's no different than a home owner choosing which type of flowers, shrubs, and small trees he or she wants in their backyard. You want the best, so you look for the best. If you can have the most beautiful garden with a large variety of plants, what would you do?

Lacing the Truth

Although the government is blatantly lying about the potency of marijuana at every turn, there are some nefarious types out there. They do modify marijuana after it's already grown and harvested. These people will spray marijuana with chemicals that are harmful, if not fatal.

However, this can be compared to the lack of regulation that existed in the meat packing industry. Unregulated, you'd find all kinds of substances in your canned food from metal shavings to rats. It took the creation of the Food & Drug Administration to clean up the meat packing industry.

So, what are we to expect when it comes to a wholly unregulated marijuana industry? In the UK, people are spraying marijuana with some kind of silica to increase weight. In the US, almost everything is used to lace marijuana from roach spray to formeldahyde. If we want to protect ourselves, we're going to have regulate the marijuana industry to eliminate violent drug cartels as well as limit the danger that is inherent to a black market system.

Last Word

Unfortunately, the US government continues to leave the marijuana industry unregulated and dangerous. This is why I advocate growing your own marijuana. You can control the quality as well as keep money out of the hands of violent drug cartels. Unfortunately, growing your own marijuana, no matter how much it actually helps save lives, is a crime where men like Eddy Lepp and Charlie Lynch go to jail for providing good, clean, quality-controlled marijuana to various patients.

8 decades later and the best this government can do is continue lying about marijuana instead of controlling it.

Good job, America.

One More Thing

While the government is claiming that marijuana is reaching some kind of dangerous potency, pharmaceutical companies have created a synthetic (fake) 100% THC pill called marinol. And, it can't get any more potent than 100% pure. As long as marijuana remains illegal, drugs like marinol can be created so that pharmaceutical companies can make as much money from prohibition as possible.

If marijuana doesn't have any medical value then why would a pharmaceutical company develop synthetic marijuana in pill form? The sad and pitiful part is that it doesn't even work because it's too strong. Patients on marinol report of incapacitation for days at a time and terrible hallucinations. On top of that, marinol does not contain any of the helpful substances like Cannabinoids (CBDs) and Cannabinols (CBNs) which specifically help relieve nausea, alleviate pain, and relax you. Natural THC degrades into those CBDs and CBNs. How is unnatural, synthetic THC in pill form going to degrade into CBDs and CBNs? It won't which is why it does not, will not, and can not work.

But, thanks to the US government, terminally ill patients who can actually use natural marijuana can't get their hands on it. Their only option is a pill that doesn't even work.

Once again, good job, America.

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2009 Proof Set

The US Mint has just posted the product page for the 2009 Proof Set. This provides collectors with a confirmed price and first glimpse of this year's annual proof set.

The 2009 Proof Set will contain a whopping eighteen different coins. This is an increase of four coins from the prior year. To accommodate the extra coins, the US Mint has added yet another lens (plastic case) for a total of four. The first lens contains the Lincoln Cents, the second contains the quarters, the third contains the Presidential Dollars, and the fourth contains the remaining coins.

The coins included in the set are as follows:

4 - 2009 S Proof Lincoln Cents - Birthplace, Formative Years, Professional Life, Presidency
1 - 2009 S Proof Jefferson Nickel
1 - 2009 S Proof Roosevelt Dime
6 - 2009 S Proof District of Columbia & U.S. Territories Quarters - District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands
1 - 2009 S Kennedy Half Dollar
4 - 2009 S Proof Presidential Dollars - William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor
1 - 2009 S Native American Dollar

The 2009 S Proof Lincoln Cents will be struck with the composition originally used for the first Lincoln Cents issued in 1909. The alloy consists of 95% copper, 3% zinc, and 2% tin. The US Mint has stated that this 95% copper (bronze) composition will be used for all 2009 Lincoln Cents included in annual sets as well as the upcoming 2009 Lincoln Coin & Chronicles Set.

The 2009 Proof Sets are priced at $29.95 and will go on sale June 1, 2009 at 12:00 Noon ET. No ordering limits are indicated on the product page posted on the US Mint's website. You can view the product page here. You can also check out the US Mint's subscription page, which indicates the composition of the Lincoln Cents. (The main product page does not include this information.) The subscription page is now showing information for the 2010 set.

There has definitely been a lot of anticipation for this year's proof set. The main driver has been the inclusion of the 95% copper Lincoln Cents. While the zinc 2009 Lincoln Cents struck for circulation will each have a mintage in the hundreds of millions, the copper versions produced for collectors will have mintages in the low millions.

An interesting side note, the US Mint has already released two separate sets which contain 2009 proof coins. These were the 2009 Presidential Dollar Proof Set containing the four Presidential Dollars and the 2009 District of Columbia & U.S. Territories Quarters Proof Set containing the six quarters. Each set was priced at $14.95. If you purchased them both, you would have received ten proof coins for a total price of $29.90. By waiting for the full 2009 Proof Set to be issued, you get the remaining eight coins for only 5 cents.

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John Tyler Presidential Dollar Rolls

The US Mint will offer John Tyler Presidential Dollar Rolls starting on May 21, 2009 at 12:00 Noon ET. This will mark the second Presidential Dollar coin release for 2009.

The offering will include 25-coin rolls from either the Philadelphia or Denver Mints. The rolls will be priced at $35.95 each and come in custom US Mint wrappers.

The previous William Henry Harrison Presidential Dollar Rolls sold out after attain sales of 30,000 Philadelphia rolls and 30,000 Denver rolls. The sell out was unexpected since Presidential Dollar Rolls and Bags are still available at the US Mint for all prior Presidential Dollar coins from Thomas Jefferson to Martin Van Buren. All of the rolls still available for sale have all sold more units than the 30,000 allocated for each WHH Roll.

The recent trend has been for unexpected sell outs to result in secondary market prices which quickly ratchet higher. The William Henry Harrison US Mint Rolls are no exception. Some Philadelphia Mint rolls have sold for over $300, and Denver rolls have sold for over $100. Here are the current eBay auctions.

Although the John Tyler Dollar has not yet been released into circulation, the US Mint has already posted the final production figures for the coin. As might be expected, the overall mintage represents another new low for the series. The overall mintage is 87,080,000 coins with production divided at an even 43,540,000 each for the Philadelphia and Denver Mints. The previous low was held by the William Henry Harrison Dollar with an overall mintage of 98,420,000 divided at 43,260,000 at the Philadelphia Mint and 55,160,000 at the Denver Mint.

There will be an official launch ceremony for the John Tyler Presidential Dollar today, May 19 11:00 AM at Sherwood Forest Platation in Charles City County, Virginia. The ceremony takes place two days before the official release of the coins into circulation. Children in attendance will receive a newly minted coin, however there will be no coin exchange after the ceremony.

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