Below are the designs for the 2009 Presidential Dollars in the order of release:

William Henry Harrison Presidential Dollar

John Tyler Presidential Dollar

James K. Polk Presidential Dollar

Zachary Taylor Presidential Dollar

According to the memo, most fractional Gold and Platinum Eagle options and American Buffalo coins have been halted for the remainder of 2008 or will be halted after current supplies of blanks are exhausted. The US Mint will concentrate on producing one ounce Silver Eagles and one ounce Gold Eagles.

The memo is included below:

October 6, 2008

MEMORANDUM TO ALL AMERICAN EAGLE AND AMERICAN BUFFALO AUTHORIZED PURCHASERS

SUBJECT: 2008-Dated Bullion Products

Due to the extreme fluctuating market conditions for 2008, as well as current market conditions, gold and silver demand is unprecedented and the demand for platinum is unusually high.

The United States Mint has worked diligently to attempt to meet demand, however, blank supplies are very limited and it is necessary for the United States Mint to focus remaining bullion production primarily on American Eagle Gold One Ounce and Silver One Ounce Coins.

For the remainder of 2008 bullion inventory, the following will apply:

American Eagle Gold Bullion Coins

One Ounce Coins will remain on allocation each week. Allocation amounts are based on available quality blanks each week.

One Half Ounce Coins: Inventory was depleted last week. No more coins will be produced for 2008.

One Quarter Ounce Coins: Inventory was depleted last week. No more coins will be produced for 2008.

One Tenth Ounce Coins: Inventory was depleted last week. More coins will be produced based on current blank supplies, however, once that remaining inventory is depleted, no more coins will be produced for 2008. You will be notified when these are available for sale.

American Buffalo One Ounce Bullion Coins

Inventory was depleted and sales were suspended in late September. More coins will be produced based on current blank supplies, however, once that remaining inventory is depleted, no more coins will be produced for 2008. You will be notified when these are available for sale.

American Eagle Silver Once Ounce Bullion Coins

American Eagle Silver One Ounce Coins will remain on allocation each week. Allocation amounts are based on available quality blanks each week.

American Eagle Platinum Bullion Coins

All denominations were depleted last week. More coins will be produced based on current blank supplies, however, once that remaining inventory is depleted, no more coins will be produced for 2008. You will be notified when these are available for sale.

We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Mint News Blog provides some perspective on what this might mean for the US Mint’s so-called collectible versions of the bullion coins such as the Uncirculated coins bearing the “W” mint mark and the Proof coins. Read the full post  US Mint Halts Gold & Platinum Eagle Production.

Political bloggers seized on the new coins as an example of Obama’s “hubris and self-absorption.” Many took offense at the apparent presumptuousness of the motto, which declared him President before the election. A few others drew paralleld to Julius Caeasar, who was the first Roman emporer to put his image on coins.

Let’s investigate or at least examine another point of view. First of all, this is not the first time Obama has appeared on a coin. Back in May 2008, a Las Vegas firm produced a one ounce silver medallion bearing the image of Obama. The coins are still offered for sale at $100 each.

Secondly, living political figures on privately minted coins seem to be relatively common.  George W. Bush appears on several privately minted coins. Other presidential candidates have been featured on coins such as Bob Dole and this gem for John Kerry. On the John Kerry coin, note the motto, “44th President of the United States.”

Third, even though the initial article states that some Democrats endorsed the idea, there is no reason to believe that Obama personally had any hand in the creation of the coins.  I have not seen anything that confirms whether Obama explicitly or implicity approved or even acknowledged the minting of the coins.

Next year, Abraham Lincoln’s Bicentennial will be celebrated with four different reverse designs for the penny that has borne his images for the past 100 years. The first new coin will enter circulation on February 12, 2009.

Each design is meant to represent a different period of Lincoln’s life.

2009 Lincoln Cent Design - Birth and Early Childhood in Kentucky

2009 Lincoln Cent Design -  Formative Years in Indiana

2009 Lincoln Cent Design - Professional Life in Illinois

2009 Lincoln Cent Design - Presidency in Washington, D.C.

It’s a question a lot of people seem to want to figure out lately. Earlier this month, the Home Shopping Network offered a small number of these coins for $79.95. They reportedly sold out in 30 minutes creating a lot of excitement. This post will summarize some of the information available on the coins.

The coins were produced by the Denver Mint. An aluminum ring was placed around a regular Presidential Dollar. The ring has an inscription of the Presidential Oath, “Preserve, Protect and Defend the Constitution of the United States.” The coins were supposedly limited to only 1,000 per President and were produced for the first six Presidential Dollars.

Online reports state that the coins were originally available at the Denver Mint Gift Shop. They were not available from the US Mint’s Online Catalog or at the Philadelphia Mint.

The Home Shopping Network sold coins which had been encapsulated and graded by ANACS. The coin was also put in a special custom oak presentation box.

While the quick sell out at HSN clearly shows some initial popularity for the coins, in the longer term the prospects are not as clear. The coins are basically regular Presidential Dollars encased with an aluminum ring. The fact that they were produced by the Denver Mint and only in a limited quantity adds an interesting aspect, but I suspect the novelty of the idea may soon wear off. These coins may go the way of Colorized State Quarters.

Learn more about Presidential Dollars.

The bill which would authorize the program was first introduced in the House of Representatives on June 4, 2008. Another version of the bill was recently introduced in the Senate.

If the bill becomes law, quarters with reverse designs to honor the National Parks of the United States, the District of Columbia, and US Territories would be issued at a rate of 5 designs per year for a duration of 11 years. The program may optionally be extended for another cycle, creating the potential for 22 years of National Park Quarters.

The first National Park Quarters would be issued starting in 2010 after the conclusion of the 50 State Quarters program and the additional year for quarters honoring D.C. and the U.S. Territories.

Part of Blog Catalog.

The unveiling took place at the 2008 National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind. US Mint Director Edmund Moy did the honors.

The United States Mint is proud to present the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar coin design. I am looking forward to presenting the design for this unprecedented coin, and I am pleased that the United States Mint is playing a role in the cause of bringing literacy to all blind and visually impaired Americans.

The reverse design of the coin is notable since it is the first US coin to include readable Braille characters. It includes the Braille letters “BRL” which is short for “Braille.” Prior US coins have featured Braille characters, but they have been too small to be considered readable. These include the Alabama State Quarter and the 1995 and 1996 Paralympic Silver Dollars.

A prototype of the Braille Commemorative Coin reverse design is included below.

First up, the Star Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Coin.   This coin would be issued in 2012 to commemorate the War of 1812 and the writing of the Star Spangled Banner.  The legislative Act calls for production of up to 350,000 Silver Dollar coins.  Each coin will have a weight of 26.73 grams, diameter of 1.5 inches, and composition of 90% silver and 10% copper.

Surcharges from the coin would be paid to the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission.

The design will be representative of the War of 1812, specifically the Battle of Fort McHenry, which was the basis for our National Anthem, the Star Spangled banner.

Currently the coins have been passed by the House of Representatives.  In order to become law, the Act must be passed by the Senate and signed by the president.

This caused a bit of outcry, including a widely discussed Wall Street Journal article on the topic.  Also open letters to the US Mint Director and US Secretary of the Treasury from concerned organizations and individuals.

Last week, more problems came to light which will cause the current rationing of Silver Eagles to get even tighter.

The US Mint sent a memorandum to authorized purchasers informing them that the Mint’s supplier of silver blanks used in producing Silver Eagles would be reducing their shipments by more than half.  The Mint further indicated that they would stop using silver blanks for other purposes such as collectible coins.  This is clearly becoming a very serious issue impacting precious metals investors and coin collectors.

From trough to peak, platinum has moved from approximately $400 per ounce to $2,000 per ounce. This represents an increase of 400%. The last leg of the move was spurred by power problems for the South American miners of the metal.

During approximately the same time period, rhodium has moved from $400 per ounce to an incredible $9,400 per ounce. On a percentage basis, that represents an increase of 2,250%!

Rhodium has mostly industrial uses such as its use to make electrical contacts. Rhodium is extremely scare with a worldwide production of only 25 tons.

There don’t seem to be any easy ways for the average individual to have invested in rhodium, except for some custom coins which can sometime be found with rhodium alloys of plating.

Another metal from the platinum group, palladium is expected to be available in coin form from the US Mint in the coming years. So far, palladium has lagged behind rhodium and platinum in price appreciation. However, given the performance of its close cousins, I probably would not be averse to picking some up once it becomes available.