March 2nd, 2010
The United States Mint has just posted the final production figures for the Millard Fillmore Presidential Dollar. This is the first Presidential Dollar coin to be released for the year 2010 and the thirteenth release of the series overall.
The Philadelphia Mint produced 37,520,000 coins and the Denver Mint produced 36,960,000. This makes a total mintage of 74,480,000 across both facilities.
Comparing these figures to prior Presidential Dollar mintages shows that Millard Fillmore has the lowest overall mintage, coming in below the 78,260,000 mintage for the Zachary Taylor Dollar. The lowest mintage for an individual circulation strike issue still rests with the 2009-D Zachary Taylor Dollar at 36,680,000.
It seems likely that the trend for lower Presidential Dollar mintages will continue this year... at least until the release of the Abraham Lincoln Dollar in December.
February 26th, 2010
The US Mint began sales of the first commemorative coin program of the year on February 25, 2010. The coins are issued to honor the service of disabled veterans who survived the ordeals of war and made enormous personal sacrifices to defend the principles of democracy.
The 2010 American Veterans Disabled for Life Silver Dollars are issued in proof and uncirculaed versions, both produced at the West Point Mint. There is a maximum authorized mintage of 350,000 coins across both options.
The obverse of the coin features the legs and boots of verans, with one visibly on crutches. An inscription on a ribbon above reads "They Stood Up for Us". The reverse of the coin features a wreath oak branches with a forget me not flower at the base. A central inscriptions reads "Take This Moment to Honor Our Disabled Defenders of Freedom".
While I will purchase a pair of these coins for my collection, I would have liked to see a different obverse design. A similar legs and shoes theme was recently used on the Little Rock Silver Dollar just three years ago.
February 23rd, 2010
The US Mint released the thirteenth Presidential Dollar in the series featuring Millard Fillmore on February 18, 2010. The release was accompanied by two separate launch ceremonies held in Moravia, NY (the official US Mint launch ceremony) and Buffalo, NY (a special event at city hall attended by a US Mint rep). See this amusing article in the Wall Street Journal.
Following the format of the series, the Millard Fillmore Presidential Dollar features his portrait on the obverse, with inscriptions indicating his name, order of the Presidency, and years of the term. The reverse of the coin features a rendition of the Statue of Liberty that has been used in common for each coin of the series.
On the same day as the release, the US Mint began sales of 25-coin rolls from either the Philadelphia or Denver Mint. These rolls are priced at $35.95 each.
February 17th, 2010
Although there have been reports of the 2010 Lincoln Cents already appearing in circulation about a month ago, the US Mint held a launch ceremony to introduce the new "Preservation of the Union" design on February 11, 2010.
The event took place in Springfield, Illinois at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Dollar Museum. Reports indicate that the attendance at the ceremony was not near the levels achieved for some of the 2009 Lincoln Cent launch ceremonies, but there still seemed to be a degree of excitement.
US Mint Director Edmund Moy explained the significance of the new Union Shield Cents design. The thirteen vertical stripes represent the original thirteen states. These are joined together below a horizontal bar representing the federal government.
The ceremony was followed by a coin exchange, where people could trade currency for rolls of the new coins at face value. There were 20,000 rolls available at the exchange. Many collectors have these stamped and post marked with a unique cancellation to commemorate the launch ceremony.
February 15th, 2010
Last week on February 11, 2010, the US Mint began selling the 2010 Presidential Dollar Proof Set. This set represents the first availability of this year's Presidential Dollar coins including the Abraham Lincoln Dollar.
The sets contain four proof coins featuring Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Abraham Lincoln. The reverse design of each coin features the Statue of Liberty. Each coin still features edge lettering with "E Pluribus Unum" and the date and mint mark. The motto "In God We Trust", which appeared on the edge from 2007 to 2008, is now on the obverse.
The sets are priced at $15.95 each. It's usually a much better deal to wait for the full 2010 Proof Set, which contains all of the proof issues for the year, but I decided to order the separate Presidential Dollar Set. I want to get a look at these early this year!
