4 Popular Coins from the US Gold Mint

As reported by CoinNews.net on April 15, 2011, the US gold mint has provided a list of 2011 Proof Gold Eagle mintages, product limits, potential prices and the release date for all the 22-karat Gold Eagle coins. These 2011 Proof Gold Eagle products consist of four different sized gold coins and a set that includes them all. The US Mint will release the coins for sale at 12:00 noon ET on April 21, 2011.

The first coin in the 2011 Proof Gold Eagle series is of one ounce gold content whose mintage limit is set at 70,000 units. The second is ½ oz of gold with mintage limit of 55,000. The third and fourth is ¼ oz and 1/10 oz with 56,000 and 70,000 mintage limit respectively. Product prices have not been officially listed and will not be made public until April 20. At the time, the price to buy gold coins will be calculated based on the prevailing cost of gold in the London market.

Unlike the previous Gold Eagle versions, these Gold Eagle collector coins are produced in proof quality. As the US mint describes, "American Eagle Gold Proof Coins are struck multiple times and feature a frosted foreground and mirror-like background, giving them a special cameo effect. Each coin is sealed in a protective capsule and mounted in a handsome, satin-lined velvet presentation case accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity."

For further delight of serious gold investors, the 2011 Uncirculated Gold Eagle is scheduled to launch on May 5, 2011. This uncirculated version was not issued in 2010 and so it is the prime attraction for investors this year.

Popular Coins from the US Gold Mint

Here are a couple of popular coins issued by the mint every year:

1. America the Beautiful Quarters: In 2010, the US gold mint began to issue 56 quarter-dollar coins featuring designs depicting national parks and other national sites. The present year of 2011 marks the second year of this program and issues the next 5 quarters depicting the following national sites:

• Gettysburg National Military Park, PA
• Glacier National Park, MT
• Olympic National Park, WA
• Vicksburg National Military Park, MS
• Chickasaw National Recreation Area, OK

This program provides an opportunity to those who are interested in purchasing the coins directly from the US Mint. Customers may buy the coins from the mint at their mentioned face value in bulk bags.

2. The Presidential $1 Coins: In order to honor the Nation’s Presidents, the US mint planned to issue $1 circulating coins featuring their images. The mint issues four Presidential $1 Coins each year, with Presidents Johnson, Grant, Hayes, and Garfield being honored in 2011. Where the obverse of these coins will depict the portrait of the respective president, each coin’s reverse depicts a common design featuring the Statue of Liberty.

3. First Spouse Gold Coins: The 2011 First Spouse Gold Coins feature Eliza Johnson, Julia Grant, Lucy Hayes and Lucretia Garfield. The obverses of these coins feature portraits of the first presidential spouses, their names, the order and years of their term as first spouse, the mintage year, the motto ‘IN GOD WE TRUST’ and the caption ‘LIBERTY’. Each coin has a unique reverse depicting respective spouse’s life and work. In addition to this depiction, the denomination ‘$10′, gold content ‘1/2 OZ’ and purity ‘.9999 FINE GOLD’ is also inscribed on the reverse of these coins.

4. Native American $1 Coins: Under the Native American $1 Coin Act (Public Law 110-82), the United States Mint began minting and issuing $1 coins in 2009 to celebrate the important contributions made by Indian tribes and individual Native Americans to the history of the United States.

Since its origin in 1972, the US Gold Mint has come a long way. It has developed as a reliable store for numismatic gold coins as well as an agency to produce currency in honor of certain national events.