WASHINGTON – Today, Native American Heritage Day, the United States Mint is releasing the designs for the new 2009 Native American $1 Coin. Public Law 110-82 directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue the new $1 coin to recognize Native Americans for their contributions to the history and development of our Nation. The new coin, slated to be released into circulation in January 2009, will circulate along with the United States Mint’s Presidential $1 Coins.

“We are proud to produce the Native American $1 Coin,” said United States Mint Director Ed Moy. “When Americans use this coin, we hope they reflect on the tremendous contributions Native Americans have made, and continue to make, to our Nation.”

Like the Presidential $1 Coins, the Native American $1 Coins will be minted in the distinctive gold-colored alloy. The coin’s obverse (heads side) will feature the Golden Dollar’s striking image of Sacagawea-the young Shoshone woman who accompanied Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their historic expedition-by sculptor Glenna Goodacre. Inscriptions on the obverse are LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST. The year, mint mark and E PLURIBUS UNUM are incused on the coin’s edge.

The reverse (tails side) of the Native American $1 Coin will bear a new design each year. The featured design for 2009, by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Norman E. Nemeth, is based on an agricultural theme, a significant part of Native American culture. This design depicts a Native American woman planting seeds in a field of corn, beans and squash, representing the Three Sisters method of planting. Inscriptions on the reverse are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and $1.

Throughout the Presidential $1 Coin Program, the Native American $1 Coins will be issued in chronological order, to the greatest extent possible, of the events or persons featured. The Secretary of the Treasury approves the designs after consulting with the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, the Congressional Native American Caucus of the House of Representatives, the National Congress of American Indians, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, and the Commission of Fine Arts.

The total quantity of Presidential $1 Coins and Native American $1 Coins minted and issued into circulation by the United States Mint will be sufficient to meet the Nation’s needs. As required by law, at least 20 percent of all $1 coins minted and issued in any year will be Native American $1 Coins.

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WASHINGTON – The United States Mint began accepting orders for Martin Van Buren’s Liberty First Spouse Gold Coin at noon Eastern Time on November 25, 2008. The 24-karat gold collectible coin is available in a proof version priced at $549.95 and an uncirculated version priced at $524.95.

WEST POINT, N.Y. -The United States Mint at West Point invited officials from numismatic organizations and reporters to witness the historic first production strike of the highly anticipated 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin today.  The new 24-karat (.9999 pure) gold coin is a modern version of what many call the most beautiful gold piece ever created-Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ 1907 Double Eagle.  The United States Mint will begin taking orders for the new collectible gold coin early next year.

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.

The United States Mint surprised collectors Friday with the return of both proof and uncirculated 2008 American Eagle Platinum coins carrying the “W” mintmark. And even better, the new prices are substantially lower than those from 2007 or in mid 2008.

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.