The United States Mint has now sold out of every product option for the circulating quality 2012 Native American Dollars. The theme for the coin was “Trade Routes in the 17th Century” and the design depicted a Native American and horse in profile with three horses running in the background to represent the historical spread of the horse.

Sales of circulating quality 25-coin rolls, 250-coin boxes, and 500-coin boxes originally began on April 26, 2012. A little under three weeks later on May 14, 2012, sales of 100-coin bags began. Each option was available containing coins from either the Philadelphia or Denver Mints, carrying the “P” or “D” mint mark.

All eight of the product options have sold out, with the 25-coin rolls the last to go. The most recent sales figures are shown below, along with a tally of the total number of coins distributed through the products.

Of the total 3,506,175 coins distributed, there were 1,763,350 coins from the Philadelphia Mint and 1,742,825 coins from the Denver Mint. The US Mint’s reported circulating coin production figures actually show a total of 5.88 million of the coins struck. I have no explanation for the difference between the number struck and the number distributed.

Whatever the mintage level may be, it is significantly lower compared to previous issues of the series. The 2009 coin featuring the three sisters method of planting had a combined mintage of 74.9 million. This was followed by a combined mintage of 80.78 million for the 2010 Great Law of Peace design and 77.56 million for the 2011 Wampanoag Treaty design.

The higher mintages for these years were attributable to the US Mint’s Direct Ship Program, which used to allow business and consumers to order the coins at face value with no charge for shipping. The program was responsible for distributing several hundred million $1 coins, including the bulk of the mintage for Native American Dollars. The program was altered on a few occasions after reports of abuses and quietly canceled in early 2012. The end of the program closely followed the Treasury Department decision to cease production of Presidential $1 Coins for circulation.

For 2012, the only outlet for the circulating quality Native American Dollars was through numismatic bags and rolls.

Other News

The weekly numismatic product sales report is now published on Coin Update News. This report contains the opening figures for the 2013-P White Mountain National Forest Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins, which seem to have benefited from the lower pricing.

Based on the available data, it is likely that there will be another price decrease for the United States Mint’s numismatic gold products. Prices for these products are based on a gird and may be adjusted as frequently as weekly based on changes in the weekly average London Fix prices of the metal.

The average weekly price for gold is currently within the $1,350 to $1,399.99 range. This is one tier lower than the range of $1,400 to $1,499.99 which is used to establish current prices.

In the most likely scenario, as long as the Wednesday PM London Fix price is below $1,400, then a price decrease should take place. Prices would be decreased proportionally by $50 for each ounce of gold content. Price changes are usually implemented around mid-morning Wednesday.

Current numismatic gold products include the 2012 First Spouse Gold Coins, 2013 commemorative gold coins, and 2013 Proof Gold Eagles.

The lower tier would also serve to establish the price for the 2013 Proof American Gold Buffalo coin, which is scheduled for release on May 23. If the lower pricing tier goes into effect, the price of the offering would be $1,740.

Tomorrow, April 22, 2013 at 12:00 Noon ET, the United States Mint will begin sales of circulating quality 2013 Native American Dollars in an array of rolls, bags, and boxes. Since 2009, the series has featured an annually rotating reverse design to highlight the contributions and accomplishments of Native Americans.

This year’s design commemorates the Delaware Treaty of 1778, which was the first written treaty between the new United States and a Native American tribe. The treaty provided the United States with passage through the Delaware Tribe’s land to attack the British at Detroit. It also recognized the Delwares as a sovereign nation and provided the option of joining with other tribes in the Ohio region to form a state.

The reverse design of the coin features a depiction of a turkey, howling wolf, and turtle, all symbols of the clans of the Delaware Tribe. Thirteen stars appear in a semi-circle to represent the Colonies. Inscriptions include “United States of America”, “$1″, and “Treaty with the Delawares 1778″. This was designed by Susan Gamble and engraved by Phebe Hemphill.

On the obverse is the Glenna Goodacre portrait of Sacagawea and child, used for the previous Sacagawea Dollar series. Inscriptions include “Liberty” and “In God We Trust”. The motto “E Pluribus Unum”, the date, and mint mark appear on the edge of the coin.

The US Mint will offer rolls, bags, and boxes of circulating quality 2013 Native American Dollars in an array of options. The 25-coin rolls are priced at $32.95, the 100-coin bags are $111.95, the 250-coin boxes are $275.95, and the 500-coin boxes are $550.95. Each option is available containing coins from either the Denver or Philadelphia Mint. A standard shipping and handling fee of $4.95 applies to all orders. An addition charge of $7.95 for each 500-coin box is also imposed.

Last year, sales of the the Presidential Dollars far exceeded sales of the Native American Dollars. Across circulating quality options, each of the first three 2012 Presidential Dollars have sold more than twice the number of coins than the 2012 Native American Dollar. Both series are now only produced for numismatic distribution and are not released for circulation.

There is still technically a requirement that the number of Native American Dollars minted and issued each year shall be not less than 20% of the total number of $1 coins minted and issued during the year. However, the US Mint has failed to meet this requirement for at least two years with seemingly no repercussions. The US Mint has requested legislation to remove this requirement.

Earlier this week, the Congressional Gold Medal was presented to Professor Muhammad Yunus to recognize his contributions to the fight against global poverty and his effort to promote economic and social change. He is credited with developing the concepts of microcredit and microfinance, through which very small loans were extended to  entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans. He received the Nobel Peace Price in 2006.

The obverse of the medal features a portrait of Professor Yunus with the traditional Bengali jamdani fabric design, intended to represent his optimistic and cheerful demeanor. Inscriptions include “Professor Muhammad Yunus” and “Act of Congress 2010″. The obverse was designed by Donna Weaver and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill.

The reverse depicts a lotus in open in full bloom, rising above the water and carry a depiction of the globe in its petals. This is intended to symbolize Yunus’ dream to end world poverty. The inscription reads “Banker to the Poor” and in Bengali “Let us send poverty to the museum”. The reverse was designed by Richard Masters and sculpted by Jim Licaretz.

These designs were selected from 12 original obverse design candidates and 8 different reverse design candidates, which can be seen here.

The United States Mint is offering bronze reproductions of the Congressional Gold Medal. The 3-inch bronze medal is priced at $39.95 and the 1.5-inch bronze medal is priced at $6.95.

Other bronze reproductions of Congressional Gold Medals recently offered by the US Mint have included those honoring Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Arnold Palmer, Constantino Brumidi, and the Montford Point Marines.

Late Update: The US Mint has reduced the price for the upcoming 2013 American Eagle West Point Two-Coin Silver Set to $139.95. When details were first released, the price was $149.95.

In response to an inquiry, the United States Mint has confirmed that the 2012 First Spouse Bronze Medals will not be offered for sale individually, although they will be available within other products.

From 2007 to 2011, the US Mint offered individual 1 and 5/16 inch bronze medals to coincide with the release of each gold coin. Each medal featured the same basic design as the gold coin, with some inscriptions removed. The bronze medals seemed popular in early years as an affordable way to collect the First Spouse series.

No reason was provided for the discontinuation of the offering of the individual bronze medals, however as noted they will be available within other products.

The 2012 Presidential $1 Coin & First Spouse Medal sets for each Presidency will contain the bronze medals. These products are priced at $9.95 each, with the Chester Arthur/Alice Paul set already available. Release dates are not yet known for subsequent sets.

The US Mint will also offer a 2012 First Spouse Bronze Four Medal Set at a future date. This set will contain the four different medals issued for the year within a single set. Based on a publication within the Federal Register from earlier this year, the four medal sets will be priced at $16.95.

Side Note:

Due to Hurricane Sandy, I have been without power and internet for the past few days. Services have still not been restored, but I will attempt to work from various locations to continue coverage for Mint News Blog and Coin Update.

On World Mint News I covered the latest product releases from the Perth Mint. On Coin Update News, I have just published the weekly US Mint numismatic product sales report.

The United States Mint recently provided thirteen different candidates for the 2013 Native American Dollar reverse design to the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) for review. The CFA and CCAC each recommended a different design alternative, so I thought it would be interesting to provide Mint News Blog readers to vote on their preferred design.

The Native American $1 Coin Program was launched in 2009 and has featured a different reverse design for each year intended to recognize the contributions and accomplishments of Native Americans. The obverse design has featured the portrait of Sacagawea and child used for the previous Sacagawea Dollar series from 2000 to 2008.

The theme for the 2013 reverse design is the signing of the first treaty with the Delaware Tribe in 1778. This was the first written treaty between the new United States and a Native American tribe. It provided the United States passage through the Delaware Tribe’s land to attack the British at Detroit. The treaty also recognized the Delwares as a sovereign nation and provided the option of joining with other tribes in the Ohio region to form a state.

Design candidates included multiple alternatives incorporating a paper treaty and quill pens, a cloth pattern worn by the Delaware tribe, and animal symbols of the clans of the Delaware tribe.

All of the design candidates as well as the comments offered by the CFA and CCAC can be found here and here.

The CFA’s recommendation is shown above at left. This is a cloth pattern worn by the Delaware tribe with the pattern intended to symbolically suggest forward movement after the signing of the treaty. The CCAC’s recommendation is shown above at right. This design includes a turkey, wolf, and turtle to represent the clans of the Delaware Tribe. Thirteen stars are also incorporated into the design.

The final design selection will be made by the Secretary of the Treasury after weighing the input and recommendations of the CFA and CCAC, as well as the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate, the Congressional Native American Caucus of the House of Representatives, and the National Congress of American Indians.

Readers can vote on the design they would most like to see on the 2013 Native American Dollar in the poll below. I have narrowed the selections to six alternatives, but left an option to indicate preference for one of the remaining designs not pictured.

Note to email subscribers: I believe you will need to visit MintNewsBlog.com to place your vote.