GETTYSBURG, Pa. - United States Mint Deputy Director Andrew Brunhart today unveiled designs for the 2009 Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar during the annual Dedication Day Ceremony at Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  The unveiling took place on the 145th anniversary of the dedication of Soldiers’ National Cemetery, where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address in 1863.  Renowned historical documentary director Ken Burns, Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania Vice President Ronald L. Hankey and Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC) Co-Chairman Harold Holzer also participated in the ceremony.

WASHINGTON - The United States Mint is moving its products to a new fulfillment center and will use the opportunity to clear its shelves and offer several coins, coin sets, bags and rolls for the last time to customers.  Additionally, the United States Mint is discontinuing several products that will be offered for the last time.  Sales of these products begin Saturday, November 15, 2008, at 12:01 a.m. (ET).  Many of these products will never be available again from the United States Mint.  The sale will end at 5 p.m. (ET) on December 19, 2008.

WASHINGTON - Who was the first President born in the United States?  The answer may surprise you.  It was Martin Van Buren, and on November 13, 2008, the United States Mint will release into circulation a Presidential $1 Coin in his honor.

WASHINGTON - Presidential $1 Coins struck in honor of Martin Van Buren will go on sale November 13, 2008, at noon Eastern Time.  Dubbed “The Red Fox of Kinderhook” for his red hair, political acumen and birthplace in New York, Martin Van Buren is the eighth President honored in the multi-year program.  Produced at the United States Mint facilities in Denver and Philadelphia, the Presidential $1 Coins are intended for use in routine financial transactions.

WASHINGTON - The United States Mint closes the book on one of the most successful coin programs in U.S. history on November 3, 2008, when the final commemorative quarter-dollar coin in the 50 State Quarters® Program, honoring Hawaii, is released into circulation.  At noon Eastern Time the same day, customers can begin ordering coin options featuring the Hawaii quarter-dollar that include a two-roll set priced at $32.95, and 100- and 1,000-coin bags priced at $32.95 and $309.95, respectively.

Both platinum series of coins were pulled from the Mint’s online shelves in early August with the expectation they would return after price reductions were made to better match platinum’s free fall.

After more than two months of waiting, collectors can now purchase the coins at a discount, albeit with the understanding that there are still substantial premiums to consider when comparing coin prices to platinum’s latest slide — it closed yesterday on Nymex at under $900 an ounce, and is falling further in early morning trading. The current level is a far, far cry from its record high of $2,252 per ounce earlier in the year.

Read article: 2008 American Eagle Platinum Coins Back on Sale at US Mint

Washington - Enrich your holiday season with collectible platinum and gold coins from the United States Mint 2008 Gift Catalog, scheduled for release on October 27, 2008.  The catalog includes a sneak preview of one of the most eagerly anticipated United States Mint products in recent years - the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin.  This next gem in the United States Mint’s treasure chest, which will be offered for sale beginning in January 2009, is a re-creation of celebrated sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ original 1907 design.

WASHINGTON - Time is running out to order Bald Eagle Commemorative Coins.  The United States Mint announced today that it will stop sales of the coins struck to celebrate the recovery of our national emblem, the American Bald Eagle, on Dec. 12, 2008, at 5 p.m. (ET).  Surcharges collected from the sale of these coins are authorized to be paid to the American Eagle Foundation of Tennessee to further its work.

Bald Eagle Commemorative Coin options still available include proof and uncirculated versions of a gold coin with a denomination of $5, a silver dollar coin and a half-dollar clad coin.  A Coin and Medal Set, featuring an uncirculated Bald Eagle Silver Dollar and a bronze Bald Eagle Medal from the National Wildlife Refuge System Centennial Medal Series, also is available.  Individual coin options include a Certificate of Authenticity.

The Bald Eagle Proof Silver Dollar Coin also will be available in the 2008 United States Mint American Legacy Collection®, one of the star attractions in the United States Mint’s Gift Catalog scheduled for release in late October.

The maximum mintage for all Bald Eagle Commemorative Coin options, including sets, is limited to 100,000 $5 gold coins, 500,000 silver dollar coins and 750,000 clad half-dollars.  There is no order limit on these options.

Itemized pricing information for the Bald Eagle Commemorative Coins is as follows:

To make the Bald Eagle Commemorative Coin options part of your coin collection, visit the United States Mint’s secure Web site at www.usmint.gov, or call the toll-free number, 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).  Hearing- and speech-impaired customers with TTY equipment may place their orders by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468) from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET), Monday through Friday.

Customers paying by credit card should ensure that their information remains current to avoid order processing delays.  Orders made with credit cards that expire before the products are shipped will be cancelled.  After an order has been placed, customers may update credit card information at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).

To view images of the Bald Eagle Commemorative Coins, go to
http://www.usmint.gov/pressroom/index.cfm?action=photo#2008BaldEagle

“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 U.S. Mint said in a memorandum.

“The U.S. Mint has worked diligently to attempt to meet demand, however, blank supplies are very limited and it is necessary for the U.S. Mint to focus remaining bullion production primarily on American Eagle Gold one-ounce and Silver one-ounce coins,” the Mint said.

Read article: U.S. Mint Halts Production of Two American Eagle Gold Coins

WASHINGTON - The United States Mint today released the four new portraits that will appear on the obverse (heads side) of Presidential $1 Coins in 2009.  The coins honor former Presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor.

“We hope Americans not only appreciate the aesthetic qualities of the Presidential $1 Coins, but also remember each President’s legacy every time they use the coins in their daily transactions,” said United States Mint Director Ed Moy.  “Presidential $1 Coins are convenient to use, save the taxpayers money, and are durable and last for decades.”

Beginning with the William Henry Harrison Presidential $1 Coin next year, “In God We Trust” will appear on the obverse of all Presidential $1 Coins.  As a result, the edge lettering of the 2009 Presidential $1 Coins will be slightly different from that of 2007 and 2008.  Where currently there are single dots (delimiters) between the inscriptions, in 2009 there will be three stars between “E Pluribus Unum” and the mint mark and 10 stars between the year of minting and “E Pluribus Unum.”

The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 directed the United States Mint to inscribe the year of minting or issuance, and the national mottos “E Pluribus Unum” and “In God We Trust” on the edge of the Presidential $1 Coin.  In 2008, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which included a provision directing the Secretary of the Treasury to move the inscription “In God We Trust” from the edge of the Presidential $1 Coin to the obverse (heads side) or reverse (tails side) of the coin.

Designs for the 2009 Presidential $1 Coins are based on official White House portraits, intaglio prints and medal designs.  The first Presidential $1 Coin of 2009, struck in honor of our ninth President, William Henry Harrison, bears an image sculpted and designed by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Joseph Menna.  The second Presidential $1 Coin of 2009, honoring John Tyler, our Nation’s 10th President, bears an image designed and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill.  The third coin, honoring the 11th President, James K. Polk, features an obverse portrait designed by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program Master Designer Susan Gamble and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles Vickers.  The fourth coin, honoring Zachary Taylor, our 12th President, features an obverse portrait by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart.   The reverse design on all Presidential $1 Coins features a rendition of the Statue of Liberty, designed and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart.

Launched in 2007, the Presidential $1 Coin Program features a series of designs honoring four Presidents annually, with a new coin issued approximately every three months.  Since the inception of the multi-year program, the United States Mint has minted more than 1.4 billion new $1 coins.