WASHINGTON – The United States Mint announced today that it will begin taking orders for the Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coins at 12:00 noon (ET) on January 10, 2007. We expect to begin shipping the coins by the end of January 2007.

Authorized by Public Law 108-289, the Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coins are limited to maximum mintages across all product options of 500,000 for the $1 silver coin and 100,000 for the $5 gold coin.

Surcharges from the sale of these commemorative coins are authorized to be paid to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, to support programs that promote the understanding of the legacies of Jamestown, and for other purposes.

In the Spring of 1607, three ships carrying over 100 settlers – the Virginia Company of London – made landfall in the New World. The Virginia Company was charged with establishing an English settlement in North America, and its employees were the first permanent English settlers in what would eventually become the United States. The continued survival at Jamestown of the settlers marked a major historical milestone in the exploration of North America.

The obverse design of the $5 gold coin, by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver John Mercanti, features Captain John Smith in conversation with an American Indian. The reverse design of the $5 gold coin, by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Master Designer Susan Gamble and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart, depicts the Jamestown Memorial Church. The gold obverse inscriptions are: “1607,” “Liberty,” “2007,” “In God We Trust,” and “Founding of Jamestown.” The gold reverse displays the inscriptions, “United States of America,” “$5,” “E Pluribus Unum,” and “Jamestown Memorial Church.”

The obverse design of the $1 silver coin, by former United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Donna Weaver and sculpted by Don Everhart, depicts three faces of diversity, representing the cultures that lived and worked together to ensure the success of the colony at Jamestown. The reverse design of the $1 silver coin, by United States Mint AIP Master Designer Susan Gamble and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles Vickers, shows the Susan Constant, the Godspeed and the Discovery, the three ships that carried the English settlers to the Virginia shoreline. The $1 silver coin obverse inscriptions are: “Liberty,” “In God We Trust,” “Founding Jamestown,” and “1607-2007.” The silver reverse displays the inscriptions, “United States of America,” “E Pluribus Unum” and “One Dollar.”

The United States Mint offers the Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coins in both proof and uncirculated conditions. The $5 gold coin has a mintage of up to 100,000, while the $1 silver coin has a mintage limit of up to 500,000.

The Proof $5 Gold Coin is available for the introductory price of $230, and the Uncirculated $5 Gold Coin for $220, through 5 p.m. (ET) February 12, 2007. Thereafter, the Proof $5 Gold Coin will be $255, and the Uncirculated $5 Gold Coin will be $245.

The Proof $1 Silver Coin is available for the introductory price of $35, and the Uncirculated Silver Dollar Coin for $33, through 5 p.m. (ET) February 12, 2007. Thereafter, the Proof $1 Silver Coin will be $39, and the Uncirculated $1 Silver Coin will be $35.

For images of the Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coins, please click here.

To ensure the broadest and most fair access to the Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coins, a limit of 100 units per household is in effect for each product option during the first thirty (30) days of the products’ release. At the end of the initial thirty-day period, and each thirty-day period thereafter, the United States Mint will re-evaluate this limit and either extend, adjust or remove it.

Customers can order the Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coins by using the United States Mint’s secure website, www.usmint.gov, or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468). A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order will be added to all domestic orders.