Last week, the United States Mint updated its product schedule available at its online store. Like the schedule unveiled this past December, the newest update only contains several products and their anticipated release dates.
This differs from some Scheduled Products Listings of the past such as the one unveiled in December of 2010. That Schedule included most of the products that were to be issued in 2011 along with the dates they were scheduled for.
The Discover Australia 2012 Silver Five-Coin Set has been released by the Perth Mint of Australia. Showcased on the reverse of the strikes are five unique colorized designs depicting both the picturesque landscape of the country and some of the unique creatures that can be found there.
Included among the creatures featured in the set are the Green & Gold Bell Frog, the Red Kangaroo, the Kookaburra, the Goanna and the Whale Shark. The Perth Mint is issuing these 99.9% pure silver coins individually and as part of the five-coin set.
The Perth Mint of Australia has released the 2012 Australian Olympic Team Three-Coin Set to commemorate Australia's pending participation in the London 2012 Olympic Games. Included in the set are three unique coins with one struck from 10g of 99.99% pure gold, one struck from 1/2 ounce of 99.9% pure silver and one struck from aluminum bronze.
The 2012 Australian Olympic Team Three-Coin Set is available for AUS $1,495.00 directly from the Perth Mint. The single 10g Gold Proof Coin is available separately for AUS $1,390.00. [click to continue…]
The United States Mint today, February 16, 2012, began selling the 2012 Infantry Soldier Silver Dollars. These commemorative coins are issued by the US Mint to recognize the legacy of the U. S. Army Infantry and the establishment of the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center in Columbus, Georgia.
Each Infantry Soldier Silver Dollar is struck from 90% silver and features obverse and reverse imagery emblematic of the Infantry Soldier. The coins will be struck to a maximum mintage of just 350,000 to proof and uncirculated conditions, both of which are available now. [click to continue…]
A new series of strikes has debuted from the Perth Mint of Australia with the release of the 2012 Opal Series Koala Silver Proof Coin. This coin showcases a Koala detailed on an inner panel of pure Australian opal.
The Australian Opal series is scheduled to contain a total of eight new strikes with this Koala Coin being the first of two issued in 2012. Additional strikes will be released also at a rate of two per year.
All of the strikes of the series will showcase a different nocturnal Australian animal featured in the opal. Each design will also reflect the moon at one of its different eight phases along with the Southern Cross constellation and native flora.
Likely the koala was chosen as the debut strike of the series owing to its status as perhaps the most loved and iconic creature of Australia. The koala lives solely on a diet of eucalyptus (gum) leaves and spends almost its entire life up in the branches of the trees. It can sleep for up to 18 hours a day and feeds at night.
The 2012 Opal Series Koala Silver Proof Coin is struck from one ounce of 99.9% pure silver to proof quality. Each 36.60mm coin is struck as legal tender of Australia under the Australian Currency Act of 1965 and features a legal tender face value of AUS $1.
Shown on the reverse is the Aleysha Howarth design of a koala on an inner panel of Australian opal. Surrounding the opal design on the outer panel are Eucalypt leaves and blossoms along with a new moon and the Southern Cross. Inscriptions of "KOALA" and "2012 1 OZ 999 SILVER" may also be found in the reverse.
As legal tender of Australia, a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is shown on the obverse. The portrait is by Ian Rank-Broadley. Obverse inscriptions include "ELIZABETH II," "AUSTRALIA" and "1 DOLLAR."
The Perth Mint will release no more than 8,000 of these coins. Each will ship with a numbered certificate of authenticity and a presentation display case inside an illustrated shipper. The case is unique and new from the Perth in that it features a light that turns on when opened representing the moon shining down.
The 2012 Opal Series Koala Silver Proof Coins are available now for AUS $129. They may be found by using the affiliate link:
Perth Mint of Australia
Additional Australian coins are also available on the 2012 Australian Coins page of World Mint Coins.
The 2011 Chickasaw Silver Uncirculated Coin was released by the United States Mint today, February 9, 2012. This release marks the last 2011-dated strike to be issued by the US Mint as part of the America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin series.
Shown on the reverse of the Chickasaw Silver Uncirculated Coin is a design emblematic of Chickasaw National Recreation Area located in the state of Oklahoma. The coins are currently available directly from the Mint for $204.95, plus the Mint's standard shipping and handling charge of $4.95 per order.
The USS Constitution 1 Oz Silver Proof Coin was released by the Perth Mint of Australia today, February 7, 2012. The 99.9% pure silver coin features a reverse design emblematic of the USS Constitution, a wooden-hulled, three-masted, heavy frigate of the United States Navy.
Each Constitution Silver Proof Coin is struck as the fourth release of the Perth's Ships That Changed the World Series. This will feature a total of five coins when completed and has been extremely popular with collectors. [click to continue…]
The Royal Canadian Mint has released the third strike in what has become one of its most popular series - the "Exchange $20 for $20" program. The $20 Pure Silver Polar Bear Commemorative Coin continues that series and like its predecessors is struck from 99.99% pure silver and is sold for an amount equal to its face value of $20.
Shown on the reverse of the coin is a design by Emily S. Damstra which depicts the iconic polar bear swimming in water. The head of the creature is just above the surface. To the right are the initials of "ED" for the designer while the inscription of "$20 DOLLARS" and "ARGENT PUR FINE SILVER 9999" are to the left. Below is the inscription of "CANADA." [click to continue…]
The Royal Canadian Mint has issued a new silver dollar emblematic of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. The War of 1812 Bicentennial Proof Silver Dollar is the first collector coin issued by the Mint this year.
Each coin is struck from 99.99% pure silver and features a maximum mintage of 40,000. The proof coin will also be released as part of two proof sets issued by the Mint. In addition, a War of 1812 Bicentennial Uncirculated Silver Dollar is also available with a maximum mintage of 25,000. [click to continue…]
The United States Mint indicated that new products would be released in 2012 in association with the commemorative coins planned for the year. In addition, the price points of those products as well as the individual coins are now known.
Special commemorative coin packaging or multi-coin sets associated with commemorative strikes have not been issued by the US Mint since 2009 such as the 2009 Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set. However, that is going to change with the pending 2012 Commemorative Coin releases. [click to continue…]
