Friday, April 27, 2012

Girl Scouts Silver Dollar Designs

Posted by Mint News Blog | Filed Under: Coin Designs, Commemorative Coins

One of two commemorative coin programs approved for next year will celebrate the centennial of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America. The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee recently reviewed obverse and reverse design candidates prepared by the United States Mint and provided their recommendations.

The authorizing legislation for the program offers minimal criteria for the coin designs, stating only “The design of the coins minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the centennial of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America”. Required inscriptions include only the value of the coin, date, “Liberty”, “In God We Trust”, “United States of America”, and “E Pluribus Unum”.

The United States Mint provided elven different obverse design and ten different reverse design candidates. Going into the CCAC meeting, the Girl Scouts of the USA had expressed their preference for obverse design 8 and 9, and reverse design 3. These are shown below.

In their discussions some members of the CCAC spoke favorably about different obverse design candidates, but ultimately design 9, which had been supported by the GSUSA, received the most votes. For the reverse, support seemed to quickly coalesce around design candidate 6. This features the same logo as the design supported by the GSUSA, but in a more modern design that would utilize frosted and mirrored fields. The obverse and reverse designs recommended by the CCAC are shown below.

You can read in depth coverage of the CCAC discussions and see images of all of the design candidates in this Coin Update News article.

I do not believe that the Commission of Fine Arts has had a chance to review the design candidates yet. The final designs will be selected by the Secretary of the Treasury, taking into consideration the recommendations of the CFA, CCAC, and Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Designs for 2012 Infantry Soldier Silver Dollar

Posted by Mint News Blog | Filed Under: Coin Designs, Commemorative Coins

On October 27, the US  Mint announced the design selections for the 2012 Infantry Soldier Silver Dollar. The commemorative coin was authorized by Congress in 2008 to commemorate the legacy of the United States Army Infantry and the establishment of the National Infantry Museum and Solider Center.

The design requirements under the authorizing legislation call for the coins to be emblematic of the courage, price, sacrifice, sense of duty, and history of the United States Infantry.

The US Mint had initially provided 12 different obverse and 7 different reverse design candidates. The National Infantry Foundation, Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), and Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) were give the opportunity to review the designs and make recommendations. The final selections were made by the United States Treasury Secretary.

The design selected for the obverse features a modern infantry solider on rocky ground charging forward and beckoning troops to follow. This is intended to symbolize the “Follow Me” motto of the infantry. The obverse was designed by Joel Iskowitz and engraved by Michael Gaudioso.

This design selection matches the recommendation of the CFA, which favored the design “due to the strong and familiar pose of the infantry leader and the recognizable setting on a rocky base.”

The CCAC had recommended an alternative design depicting three Infantry soldiers courageously charging forward while engaged in battle. A measure was introduced and passed to recommend removal of the solider appearing near the right edge of the coin.

While several members of the CCAC had commented favorably on the design eventually selected by the Treasury Secretary, there had been some questions about the facial expression and hands of the soldier. One member also noted issues with the proportions and compared the solider image to a mannequin.

The design selected for the reverse features the crossed rifle insignia, the branch insignia for the Infantry. The reverse was designed by Ronald D. Sanders and engraved by Norman E. Nemeth.

Once again, the design selection matches the recommendation of the CFA, which cited the “simplicity and clarity” of the design. Initially, the denomination was expressed as “$1″ under the crossed rifles. The CFA had recommended spelling out the denomination as “One Dollar.” This recommendation was followed.

The CCAC recommended an alternate design featuring the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, which had garnered the most votes by a wide margin.

All of the 12 different obverse design candidates and 7 different reverse design candidates can be viewed within the CoinUpdate.com articles covering the CFA’s recommendations and the CCAC’s review and recommendations.

The 2012 Infantry Solider Silver Dollar is expected to be available for sale from the US Mint in February 2012. The coin will be available in proof or uncirculated versions, with a maximum mintage of 350,000 across both versions.

Gold and Platinum Numismatic Price Increases

It seems likely that tomorrow, the US Mint will increase the prices of certain gold and platinum numismatic products. After a rapid series of price increases and decreases, the prices for these products have been stable since October 12.

The US Mint determines prices for certain gold and platinum numismatic products based on the average weekly London fix prices of the metal. Price tiers are established at $50 increments for gold and $100 increments for platinum. The weekly period runs from Thursday AM to Wednesday AM, and an additional requirement calls for the Wednesday PM price to agree directionally with any change.

The average market price of gold for the period (excluding the Wednesday AM price) is within the $1,700 to $1,749.99 range. In the most likely scenario, as long as the Wednesday PM is $1,700 or greater, then product prices will be increased proportionally by $50 for each ounce of gold content. Gold products which would have their prices increased include the 2011 Proof Gold Eagles, 2011-W Uncirculated Gold Eagle, 2011 Proof Gold Buffalo, First Spouse Gold Coins, and 2011 commemorative gold coins.

The average market price for platinum (excluding Wednesday AM price) is within the $1,550 to $1,649.99 range. As long as the Wednesday PM fix price is $1,550 or above, then the price of the 2011 Proof Platinum Eagle will be increased from $1,792 to $1,892.

Price changes are usually made effective around mid-morning Wednesday.

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Monday, June 6, 2011

2012 United States Infantry Silver Dollar Design Candidates

Posted by Mint News Blog | Filed Under: Coin Designs

The Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee recently reviewed design candidates for the 2012 Infantry Silver Dollars. These coins will be issued next year to commemorate the legacy of the United States Army Infantry and the establishment of the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center.

The program includes silver dollars with a maximum mintage of 350,000 coins, across proof and uncirculated versions. Coins may be issued during the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2012. A surcharge of $10 per coin shall be paid to the National Infantry Foundation for the purpose of establishing an endowment to support the maintenance of the Museum and Soldier Center following its completion.

According to the authorizing legislation, the designs “shall be emblematic of the courage, pride, sacrifice, sense of duty, and history of the United States Infantry.” The final designs will be selected by the Secretary of the Treasury following consultation with the National Infantry Foundation, Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), and review by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC).

There were a relatively large number of design candidates provided by the United States Mint, with twelve different alternatives for the obverse and seven different for the reverse. The CFA and CCAC each made different recommendations.

The CFA recommended the designs shown below:

The CCAC recommended this alternate obverse and reverse:

The National Infantry Foundation had expressed preferences for obverse designs #3 (recommended by CFA) and #6 (shown below) and reverse designs #1 (recommended by CCAC), #3 (shown below), and #7 (recommended by CFA).

The various reviews haven’t produced much of a consensus. The recent design selections by the Secretary of the Treasury have tended to agree with at least someone’s recommendations, so it seems likely that the final designs will be taken from the field of six alternatives above.

All nineteen different design candidates can be seen in this Coin Update News article. At a later date, the site will have more in depth coverage of the CCAC’s discussions.

Other Upcoming Commemorative Coins and Medals

The other commemorative coin program authorized for 2012 will mark the bicentennial of the writing of the Star -Spangled Banner with silver dollars and $5 gold coins. Candidate designs for this program have not yet been released.

The programs for 2013 will commemorate the centennial of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America and the United States Army 5-Star Generals.

So far, one program has been authorized for 2014. This will mark the semi centennial of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Before any of these releases, there will be commemorative silver medals issued for the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001. The CFA and CCAC were in near agreement about the designs for the medals, although the final selection has not yet been officially announced. The medals are expected to be available ahead of the anniversary date.

56 Comments
Friday, March 4, 2011

September 11th Silver Medal Designs

Posted by Mint News Blog | Filed Under: Coin Designs

Later this year, the United States Mint will issue silver medals in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the establishment of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center.

Originally, there had been proposals for commemorative coins, but after two programs were already authorized for 2011, another bill was introduced seeking National Medals. This bill was passed by the House of Representatives and Senate and signed by the President on August 6, 2010 to become Public Law 111-221.

Each September 11th Medal will contain one ounce of silver. The maximum authorized mintage is set at 2 million. A recommendation is included that one half of the medals should be struck at West Point and one half at Philadelphia. The law states that the design “shall be emblematic of the courage, sacrifice, and strength of those individuals who perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the bravery of those who risked their lives to save others that day, and the endurance, resilience, and hope of those who survived.”

The Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) recently reviewed the 10 obverse design candidates and 16 reverse design candidates provided by the United States Mint.
Both the CFA and the CCAC recommended the obverse design shown above. The figure of Liberty holds a Lamp of Remembrance. Two shapes in the background represent the Twin Towers and inscriptions read “Always Remember” and “2001-2011″.

The CFA made a recommendation that the circle around the flame should be removed since it is “an unnecessary and distracting feature.” They also recommended removing the shapes in the background since the medal commemorates events at multiple locations.
The CFA recommended the reverse design pictured above. The eagle is intended to symbolize the strength of the survivors and all Americans while the background depicts falling water, reminiscent of the waterfalls at the Memorial. The quote “No Day Shall Erase Your From the Memory of Time” is from Virgil’s Aeneid.

The CCAC recommended an alternative candidate that features the same basic design but includes the words “Honor” and “Hope” rather than the quote.

Final design selections will be made by the Secretary of the Treasury.

The US Mint has previously indicated that they intend to release the medals close to the anniversary date. The authorizing legislation allows the medals to be struck until December 31, 2012. There is no sales ending date indicated.

The price of each medal will include a $10 surcharge payable to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center to support operations and maintenance following its completion.

For images of all obverse and reverse design candidates for the September 11th Silver Medals, as well as specific coverage of the CCAC’s discussions, please read today’s article on Coin Update News.

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Thursday, February 3, 2011

2011 First Spouse Gold Coins

Posted by Mint News Blog | Filed Under: Coin Designs, First Spouse Gold Coins

The United States Mint has announced the design selections for the 2011 First Spouse Gold Coins. The coins will feature Eliza Johnson, Julia Grant, Lucy Hayes, and Lucretia Garfield, the wives of the 17th to 20th Presidents.

These designs are announced somewhat later than usual, perhaps as a result of a longer design candidate review phase. When the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) had reviewed the designs for the 2011 First Spouse Coins and 2012 Presidential Dollars, they only supported two out of the 55 candidates provided by the United States Mint.

They had voiced concerns that many of the obverse portraits seemed to be copies of portraits done by other artists. Of even greater concern were the glaring historical innacurracies present on some of the reverse design candidates, such as a scene which contained a sewing machine years before its invention.

As a result of the meeting, the CCAC formed a subcommittee on design excellence. Their task was to produce a visual definition of design excellence and develop specific recommendations for addressing the design quality for future coins. (The recommendations included in this report will be discussed in a future Coin Update article.)

The United States Mint also responded by providing newly prepared design candidates for two of the 2011 First Spouse Gold Coins. These were discussed by the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and the CCAC at meetings held in late November.

Due to a delay in obtaining information, articles covering theCCAC’s discussion and recommendations for the follow up design candidates were just published today. You can read the separate articles covering Eliza Johnson and Lucy Hayes coins.

The final design selections which were made by the Secretary of the Treasury, after weighing the input of the CCAC, CFA, and United States Mint, are shown below.


The Eliza Johnson First Spouse Gold Coin features her portrait on the obverse and a scene from the children’s ball held for President Andrew Johnson’s 60th birthday. Three children are shown dancing, with a fiddler in the background. The obverse was designed by Joel Iskowitz, and the reverse was designed by Gary Whitley.

The CFA had supported the chosen obverse, while the CCAC had selected a different portrait. For the reverse, the final selection matched the CCAC’s recommendation, while the CFA had chosen an alternate scene from the children’s ball which included the First Lady.


The 2011 Julia Grant First Spouse Gold Coin features her portrait on the obverse, designed by Donna Weaver. The reverse of the coin features a scene of Julia Dent and Ulysses S. Grant riding on horseback at her family’s plantation. This was designed by Richard Masters.

The CFA had supported the chosen obverse design, but was not satisfied with any of the reverse design candidates and made no recommendation. The CCAC did not make a recommendation for any of the provided obverse or reverse designs at their first meeting. In this case, the US Mint did not provide a second batch of candidates for the November meeting.


The Lucy Hayes First Spouse Gold Coin includes the First Lady’s portrait on the obverse and a scene of the first White House Easter Egg Roll on the reverse. The obverse is designed by Susan Gamble, while the reverse is designed by Barbara Fox.

Both the CCAC and CFA had recommended the selected obverse and reverse designs. The reverse design was one of those included within the second batch of candidates reviewed in November.


The 2011 Lucretia Garfield First Spouse Gold Coin will be the last release of the series for the year. Her portrait appears on the obverse, designed by Barbara Fox, with a scene of her painting on the reverse, designed by Michael Gaudioso.

Both the CFA and CCAC had recommended a different obverse design, although both had supported the selected reverse design. The CFA did make a recommendation that the reverse design should be simplified by removing some background elements. The US Mint did act on this recommendation by eliminating the windows, drapery, and furniture that were originally present in the design.

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