The coin bearing President Arthur' image is the twenty-first in the series of Presidential Dollar coins, and the first to be issued in 2012. Its obverse depicts Arthur, his time in office (1881-1885), order of the Presidency, and the motto "In God We Trust". The reverse shows the Statue of Liberty in the same design as been depicted on all Presidential dollars. The edge has the motto "E PLURIBUS UNUM", the year of issuance, and the mint mark.

The Chester A. Arthur Presidential Dollar will be released on February 16, 2012. This Presidential Dollar coin is the first to be issued under the Treasury Department’s suspension of production of the coin for circulation. The coins will be available from the U.S. Mint in the following products:

• in Presidential Dollar Rolls of 25 coins, bags of 100 coins, or in boxes of 250 or 500 coins from either the Philadelphia or Denver mints
• as part of the 2012 Presidential Dollar Proof Set
• as part of the 2012 Presidential $1 Uncirculated Set
• as part of the 2012 Presidential $1 Coin Five-Coin Set
• as part of the 2012 Uncirculated Mint Set
• as part of the 2012 Proof Set
• as part of the 2012 Silver Proof Set
• 2012 Presidential $1 Coin & First Spouse Medal Set
• 2012 Chester A. Arthur $1 coin cover

Visit www.usmint.gov for current prices and to order, as well as calling 800-USA-MINT (872-6468).

According to information found online, the US Mint will begin sales for the coins to authorized purchasers on January 3, 2012. The first chance the authorized purchasers will have to pick up the coins will be January 6, 2012. After that point, distribution to the general public can commence.

As has recently been the trend, many of the 2012 Silver Eagles will likely be sent en masse to coin grading services like PCGS and NGC. Coins which receive the top grade of MS70 sell to collectors for a premium. Some will also seek out the coins which are denoted as "First Strike" or "Early Releases" although the utility of such classifications is suspect.

American Silver Eagle bullion coins are frequently sold individually, by a roll of 20 coins, or in a green monster box containing 500 coins. The larger the quantity purchased, generally the lower the cost per coin.

During 2011, the US Mint sold around 40 million Silver Eagle bullion coins as the market price of the metal jumped from $30 per ounce to nearly $50 per ounce, and then fell to its current levels below $30. Will investor and collector demand prove resilient in the coming year?

Later in 2012, it is expected that the US Mint will offer numismatic versions of the American Silver Eagle, which have also been an annual favorite.

The bill specifies that not more than 400,000 $1 coins in commemoration of the centennial of the founding of the Lions Clubs International, each of which shall weigh 26.73 grams, have a diameter of one-and-one-half inches, and be made from the standard 90 percent silver / 10 percent copper alloy.

The bill also states that the design of the coins shall be emblematic of the centennial of the Lions Clubs International, and include a designation of the value of the coin, the year of its minting, 2017, and the inscriptions of the words "Liberty'', "In God We Trust'', "United States of America'', and "E Pluribus Unum''.

A surcharge of $10 per coin will be added to the final price, which will be paid to the Lions Clubs International Foundation to assist in furthering its programs for the blind and visually impaired in the United States and abroad, investing in adaptive technologies for the disabled and investing in youth and those affected by a major disaster.

The bill was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, where it will be voted on, and if passed there, be sent to the full House for approval. A comparable bill will need to be introduced in the Senate, and if both bills pass their respective chambers, after which it would be presented to the President for signature into law.

Sales of the individual coins and four coin set began on April 21, 2011. This was many months earlier than the prior year coins, which were offered very late in the year in October. There were no household limits imposed, although there were production limits for each different ordering option. Some of these limits represented increases from the prior year.

In the opening days of sales, customer orders were about half the levels experienced for the 2010 Proof Gold Eagles. This was to be expected since last year's coins were offered following a one year cancellation and lengthy delay during the year.

Through the current date, sales levels have reached almost 17,000 out of a maximum 30,000 individual one ounce coins, about 2,500 out of a maximum 15,000 one half ounce coins, a little under 4,000 out of a maximum 16,000 one quarter ounce coins, and 9,300 of a maximum 30,000 for the one tenth ounce coins. The expensive four coin set has sold 7,431 units out of the maximum 40,000.

Quick sell outs seem to be clearly off the table, although this has not typically been the case for Proof Gold Eagles. Only for a few years when product limits were kept intentionally low were sell outs achieved.

As remarked frequently on this site, the broader series has experienced a general decline in mintage levels for each subsequent release. This has been briefly interrupted by some releases, which promised an upswing, but the next release would invariably hit another fresh low.

Recently, the coins featuring Abraham Lincoln experienced a big increase, and the next coins featuring Andrew Johnson struck another fresh low.

Ulysses S. Grant marks another blip upwards at 76.02 million coins across the Philadelphia and Denver Mint facilities. This exceeds the mintage of 72.66 million for Andrew Johnson.

The higher numbers could be the result of Grant's greater level of popularity. Since is better known to Americans, the US Mint may have planned higher production in anticipation of higher coin orders from the Federal Reserve Banks.

For the next release featuring Rutherford B. Hayes, the general downtrend may resume.

The issue has had a dedicated following due to the use of the popular design. The obverse and reverse are taken from James Earle Fraser's Buffalo Nickel, representing the Type 1 variety issued in 1913. The broader series continued until 1938, when it was replaced with the Jefferson Nickel.

Each 2011 Proof Gold Buffalo contains one troy ounce of .9999 fine ( 24 karat) gold. This was the first offering of the United States Mint to be struck in this level of purity. The popular American Gold Eagle is struck in a purity of 22 karat of .9167.

As the price of gold has risen, the proof Gold Buffalo has become more expensive. Each coin is priced at $1,760. Many collectors will wish that fractional weight versions of the coin were available to provide a lower pricing point. The US Mint did make fractional versions in 2008, but discontinued the offering after only one year.

This one of many coins this year that I will "wait and see". The price of various offerings that I collect has been increasing, leaving less room for series that I have occasionally collected.

Meanwhile, the US Mint has started distributing the 2011-dated ATB Silver Bullion Coins. These have significantly higher mintages than the 2010-dated issues.

The issues featuring Gettysburg National Military Park and Glacier National park were released early this year, with an initial quantity of 126,700 coins per design available. This week, the US Mint began sales of the Olympic National Park coin, also with an initial mintage of 126,700.

At almost four times the mintages of the prior year issue, this would seem to secure the place of the 2010 America the Beautiful Silver Eagles as potential keys. The US Mint seems to be making an effort to produce future issues in bullion quantities to avoid the issues experienced in 2010. Precious metals investors seem to be willing to purchase all the silver they can get, especially with the American Silver Eagle one ounce coins still subject to rationing.

The coins are struck on burnished blanks, but carry a finish similar to the bullion version of the coin. The "W" mint mark also appear on the obverse, in contrast to the bullion coins which carry no mint mark. Finally, the coins are sold directly by the US Mint at a higher premium, while the bullion versions are distributed through authorized purchasers at prices more closely following the intrinsic value of the coins.

This will be an interesting issue to watch. After two years of absence, it may have fallen off the radar for many collectors. Also, the previously released proof versions have always experienced greater popularity. As higher precious metals prices stretch collector budgets, they may have to choose only one version of the coin to collect.

It seems possible that this might be the lowest mintage Gold Eagle in the history of the series. Recent sales figure show 1,825 coins sold to date. The lowest mintage for an issue of the Gold Eagles series is the 2008-W $10 Uncirculated Gold Eagle at 8,883.

The separate quarters set is priced at $14.95. It might be useful if someone was only interesting in collecting the proof quarters each year and had absolutely no interest in the other coins issued. However, for most people, I think the full 2011 Proof Set, containing 14 coins and priced at $31.95 presents a much better option.

The US Mint changed the packaging style for the 2011 America the Beautiful Quarters Proof Set. This comes in the second year of the program, making last year's set look decidedly different with a flag theme, compared to this year's primarily black colored theme.

In a few weeks, the US Mint will also be issuing a separate quarters set containing coins struck in a composition of 90% silver.

Both of these products, I will be passing on. If the US Mint wants to make sets with the same coins repackaged, they should provide something else as an enticement. Perhaps an illustrated folder with history and information on each of the parks?

The Gold Buffalo coins feature a classic design and are struck in 24 karat gold. This has proven to be a popular combination. The design is from James Earle Fraser's Buffalo Nickel, which was produced for circulation from 1913 to 1938. On the obverse is a portrait of a Native American chief, while on the reverse is an American Bison.

The 2011 Gold Buffalo features the same design as when the series was originally introduced in 2006. It's interesting to note that the authorizing legislation allows for design changes to either the obverse or reverse after the first year of issue. Thankfully, the US Mint has not exercised this option.

For collectors, the US Mint will release a proof version of the coin later this year. Based on the current price of gold, the collector coins would be priced at $1,710 each. The final price will be based on the average price of gold closer to the release date.

With gold recently reaching a fresh all time high, will the popularity of this series continue? Or will some start to get priced out of the market?