The reverse design for the 2012 Koala Silver Proof Coin features an inner panel with the depiction of a koala in a gum tree in pure Australian Opal. The outer panel depicts Eucalypt leaves and blossoms, the new moon, and a star group known as the Southern Cross, which is only visible in the southern hemisphere. The reverse includes the inscriptions "Koala" and "2012 1 oz 999 silver", as well as the Perth Mint's "P" mint mark.

The obverse of the coin features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II placed within a circular pattern. The inscriptions include "Elizabeth II", "Australia", and the legal tender denomination "1 Dollar".

Each coin contains one troy ounce of silver content. The diameter of each coin is 36.60 mm and the thickness is 4.50 mm. There is a limited mintage of 8,000 pieces, with a current limit of one per customer.

A special display case has been created for the series, with a light that turns on as it is opened. This is intended to represent the moon shining down on the nocturnal animal. The case is packaged within an illustrated shipper with a numbered certificate of authenticity.

The Australian Opal series will include eight coins in total, released at a rate of two coins per year. The coins will feature different nocturnal Australian animals and all eight phases of the moon. The next release for 2012 will feature the wombat.

For further information and ordering, please visit the Perth Mint's product page.

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The reverse design of the latest release features the depiction of a majestic moose by Senior Mint Engraver William Woodruff. The moose is Canada's largest land mammal and rules the forests from Newfoundland to the Pacific Coast. Inscriptions include "Canada", "Fine Silver 1 oz Argent Pur", and "9999". The obverse design of the coin features the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II designed by portrait artist Susanna Blunt.

The 99.99% pure one ounce silver bullion coins carry a face value of $5. The Royal Canadian Mint's Ottawa facility will produce up to one million "Moose" silver bullion coins, which will soon be available through the Mint's network of bullion distributors.

Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint said, “The Mint’s Silver Wildlife bullion coin series has been a perennial success with investors and collectors world-wide and we are proud that the market’s enthusiastic response to these coins proves once more that the Royal Canadian Mint’s products are at the head of their class.”

Previous releases of the series have featured the timber wolf (2011), grizzly (2011), and cougar (2012). Two additional designs for the series will be released by early 2013.

Image provided courtesy of the Royal Canadian Mint.

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Commemorative coin programs are authorized by acts of Congress to celebrate and honor American peoples, places, events, or institutions. The authorizing legislation dictates the specific denominations to be issued, maximum mintage levels, design requirements, and period of issue. Legislation also typically requires that certain surcharges be added to the cost of each coin for later distribution to a recipient organization or project.

The United States Army Commemorative Coin Program included $5 gold coins, silver dollars, and clad composition half dollars. The surcharges included within the sales price s for the coins were $35 per gold coin, $10 per silver coin, and $5 per half dollar. Based on sales figures, the program generated estimated total surcharges of $3,055,735.00. The funds are directed to be paid to the Army Historical Foundation to help finance the National Museum of the United States Army.

The Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin program included $5 gold coins and silver dollars. The surcharges included within the sales prices of the coins were $35 per gold coin and $10 per silver dollar. Based on the sales figures, the program generated estimated total surcharges of $2,495,395. The funds are directed to be paid to the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation to help finance the educational, scholarship and outreach programs.

Under the requirements of United States Code Title 31, Section 5134(f), the surcharges may only be distributed provided that all numismatic program costs have been recovered. Additionally, the recipient organization must demonstrate that they have raised funds from private sources in an amount equal to or greater than the funds generated from commemorative coin surcharges. If the matching funds are not raised within two years of the conclusion of commemorative coin sales, then the surcharges are deposited in the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts.

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The Lewis and Clark Commemorative Coin Program was authorized to commemorate the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The authorizing legislation required the issuance of up to 500,000 silver dollars with designs emblematic of the famous expedition. The coins would carry an obverse design depicting Captains Lewis and Clark on a stream bank, planning another day of exploration. The reverse would features two feathers representing the Native American cultures touched by the Corps of Discovery and a rendition of the Jefferson Peace Medal presented to important leaders during the expedition. Seventeen stars represented the number of states in the Union when the expedition began.

The Lewis and Clark Coinage and Currency Set went on sale May 12, 2004, the same day that individual coin sales also began. The product was limited to 50,000 sets and priced at $90. This product would include an array of coins, medals, stamps, documents, and a specimen note brought together to recall the story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The United States Mint coins included in the set were the two 2004 Jefferson Nickels issued under the Westward Journey series, with reverse designs featuring the Peace Medal and Keelboat, one 2004-D Sacagawea Dollar, and one uncirculated version of the 2004 Lewis and Clark Silver Dollar. Additionally, a silver plated bronze duplicate of the Jefferson Peace Medal was included.

Three stamps were included from the United States Postal Service. These 37-cent stamps featuring Lewis and Clark were designed by Michael Deas and issued by the USPS on May 14, 2004.

From the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, a replica Series 1901 $10 "Bison" United States Note was included in the set. The note included the portraits of Lewis and Clark to either side of an American Bison.

The set was completed with two informational booklets written by archivists from the National Archives and Records Administration about the expedition and the Louisiana Purchase.

Collectors responded to the Lewis and Clark Coinage and Currency Sets enthusiastically, with the US Mint reporting heavier than normal ordering activity on their website and at their telephone center. In order to provide the widest distribution possible, the US Mint announced that a limit of only ten sets per order would be imposed. Orders previously received in excess of the limit were adjusted. Within one week, the entire limited production of 50,000 sets was sold out.

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People born between the dates of January 13, 2012 and February 9, 2013 are said to be born in the Year of the Dragon. The dragon is the only mythological creature included within the Chinese zodiac. People born in dragon years are said to be confident, enterprising, independent, self-assured, brave and passionate.

The 2012 Year of the Dragon Silver Coin released for the World Money Fair features a black dragon with red detailing. The color black is regarded as highly spiritual and has a significance and connection to the element of water. The reverse inscriptions include the Chinese character for dragon and "Year of the Dragon".

The obverse of the coin features the Ian Rank Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the "2012" date, silver content, and legal tender face value.

The Perth Mint has previously released an assortment of Year of the Dragon gold and silver coins, including bullion versions in a range of different weights and numismatic versions including proof, gilded, gemstone, and colored editions. Previously released colored editions featured a red dragon and were limited to a mintage of 10,000 pieces, which quickly sold out.

The present release is limited to 5,000 and carries an order limit of one per customer. Each coin contains one ounce of 99.9% pure silver and comes in special coin show packaging with a numbered certificate of authenticity.

For further information and ordering, please visit the Perth Mint's product page.

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The Treasury Department recently implemented a suspension of production of Presidential Dollars for circulation. The move was announced by Vice President Biden and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner as part of the Administration’s Campaign to Cut Waste.

Federal Reserve Banks hold an estimated 1.4 billion dollar coins in surplus, and it was estimated that the amount would have grown to 2 billion if the Presidential Dollars had continued to be produced for circulation through the conclusion of the program in 2016. The Treasury Department indicated that the suspension would yield annual savings of $50 million over the next several years.

The group of Senators who introduced S. 2049 the Currency Optimization, Innovation, and National Savings Act (COINS Act), cited potential longer term savings from phasing out the $1 bill in favor of the $1 coin. Although the coins initially cost more to produce than bills, savings would be generated due the longer lifespan of the coins compared to bills. A recent GAO study was estimated that the savings would be $5.6 billion over 30 years.

A news release from the Senators noted that virtually every modern economy has made a similar transition to higher denomination coins. The release also stated that when the Canadian government switched the the $1 coin, the move generated savings at a rate ten times the initial projections.

The COINS Act introduced in the Senate is a companion bill to H.R. 2977 introduced in the House of Representatives on September 20, 2011. The House bill currently has 12 cosponsors and has been referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

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The United States Mint offers numismatic versions of the America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Coins, featuring a special finish created through a vapor blasting technique and the "P" mint mark. Mintages have been limited to 27,000 for the 2010-dated releases and 35,000 for the 2011-dated releases. Initially, the coins were priced at $279.95 each, but this was later reduced to $229.95 on October 7, 2011, and finally to $204.95 effective December 27, 2011. On the date of the last price decrease, the market price of silver was around $28 per ounce.

Despite an increase in the market price of silver by about $5 per ounce, the US Mint has continued sales at the lowest price level. More collectors seem to have taken notice of the fact. In the latest week, the US Mint sold 3,563 coins across the four available designs. This is up from 2,931 coins sold in the previous week.

The 2011-W Uncirculated Silver Eagle similarly had its price decreased effective December 27, 2011. Since that date, the one ounce coins with an uncirculated finish and the "W" mint mark have been priced at $45.95 each. In the latest week, collectors placed orders for 4,455 of the coins, up from 3,062 in the previous week.

Elsewhere in the sales report, the number of 2012 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Sets sold has quickly deflated. The product debuted two weeks ago with sales of 61,181. The following week sales registered at 8,048. For the current week, sales moved up by only 1,190.

The complete US Mint numismatic product sales report appears below. The figures are compiled through January 30, 2012. The first number column represents total sales through the reporting date, and the second number column represents the change in sales since the last report. Products with sales followed by an asterisk (*) are no longer available from the United States Mint. Currently available US Mint products can be found online at http://catalog.usmint.gov/

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The latest release features the image of a polar bear swimming with its head held just above the water. The artist for the reverse is Emily S. Damstra. Inscriptions include the face value of "20 Dollars", an indication of the precious metal purity "Argent Pur Fine Silver 9999", "Canada", and the "2012" date.

The obverse of the coin features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II designed by Susanna Blunt.

Each coin is struck in .9999 fine silver and has a weight of 7.96 grams (0.256 troy ounces) and a diameter of 27 mm. Based on a current market price of silver at $33.31, the coins have a metal value of $8.53 USD. The coins have a legal tender face value of $20.00 CAD, which converts to $19.92 USD.

The mintage of the 2012 Polar Bear $20 Commemorative Coin is limited to 250,000 pieces worldwide. There is an ordering limit of 3 coins per household.

The first sold out release within the Royal Canadian Mint's "Exchange $20 for $20" series included a reverse design featuring five maple leaves flowing upwards and into the distance to form a "C". The second release depicted a young person on a recreational canoe outing, with an early native paddler shown in the reflection of the water.

For additional information on the latest release, visit the Royal Canadian Mint website at http://mint.ca/

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A similar bill had been introduced in the House of Representatives on July 14, 2011. This previous bill has 296 cosponsors and passed in the House on October 26, 2011. It was received by the Senate, read twice, and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

The newly introduced bill S. 2036 National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act was introduced by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. It has four cosponsors and has also been referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

Both of the bills seek to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, up to 400,000 silver dollars, and up to 750,000 clad half dollars. The gold coins would have a composition of 90% gold and 10% alloy, diameter of 0.850 inches, and weight of 8.359 grams. The silver dollars would have a composition of 90% silver and 10% copper, diameter of 1.500 inches, and weight of 26.73 grams. The half dollars would have the same specifications as the clad half dollars previously struck for circulation.

The bills each have the interesting suggestion that the $5 gold coins and silver dollars should be produced so that the reverse of the coin is convex to closely resemble a baseball and the obverse is concave to provide a dramatic display of the design. The 2009 International Year of Astronomy coins issued by Monnaie de Paris were produced in this fashion.

The designs of the coins are broadly required to be emblematic of the game of baseball. A competition would be held to design the common obverse of the coins, with compensation of not less than $5,000 for the winner. The expert jury judging the competition would be chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury and three members each from the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and the Commission of Fine Arts. The common reverse design of the coins would depict a baseball similar to those used by Major League Baseball.

The Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coins may be issued during the one year period beginning January 1, 2015. They would be available in both proof and uncirculated qualities.

Surcharges added to the cost of each coin would be distributed to the National Baseball Hall of Fame to help finance its operations.

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The bill H.R. 3818 was introduced in January 24, 2012 by Rep. Rush Holt of New Jersey. He has previously introduced similar bills in the 108th, 109th, 110th, and 111th sessions of Congress. Each of these previous bills died in committee.

The specifics of the current bill call for up to 300,000 $5 gold coins, up to 1,000,000 silver dollars , and up to 2,000,000 clad half dollars to be produced with designs emblematic of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Each coin would be minted in uncirculated and proof qualities, with only one facility of the United States Mint used to strike any particular quality of the coins.

The bill specifies that the coins may be issued only during the one year period beginning on January 1, 2013. This time frame seems problematic since under current rules, only two commemorative coin programs may be approved per year. Congress has already authorized two programs for 2013 featuring the Girl Scouts of the United States of America and the United States Army Five Star Generals.

Other requirements of the bill include surcharges of $35 per gold coin, $10 per silver dollar, and $3 per half dollar to be added to the sales price of the coins. These surcharges would be distributed to the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 Battlefields Foundation for the preservation of historically significant battlefields and related historical sites.

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