Washington - The second special numismatic product in the United States Mint Celebration Series will be available for purchase beginning noon Eastern Time on August 1, 2008.  The 8-8-08 Double Prosperity Set, priced at $1228.88, features one 24-karat American Buffalo One-Half Ounce Gold Uncirculated Coin and one 22-karat American Eagle One-Half Ounce Gold Uncirculated Coin.

The United States Mint Celebration Series, launched in February 2008, is a new initiative to explore the feasibility of introducing various numismatic coin products that are packaged and positioned to celebrate special gift-giving occasions and celebratory events. 

The number "8" is traditionally associated with prosperity in Asian cultures.  The triple "8" date is highly significant as it occurs only once every 100 years.

The American Buffalo One-Half Ounce Gold Uncirculated Coin is one of the newly released fractional weight options in the expanded American Buffalo Coin Program.  The coin bears the classic portrait of a Native American in profile on the obverse and the magnificent American Buffalo, or bison, on the reverse.  Noted American sculptor James Earle Fraser, a student of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, originally prepared both images for the redesigned five-cent coin (nickel) released in 1913.

The American Eagle One-Half Ounce Gold Uncirculated Coin displays Augustus Saint-Gaudens' enduring full-length figure of Liberty with flowing hair, holding a torch in her right hand and an olive branch in her left.  The coin's reverse, by Miley Busiek, bears the endearing image of a male eagle clutching an olive branch while soaring above a nest containing a female eagle and her hatchlings.

Both coins in the 8-8-08 Double Prosperity Set are legal tender with a nominal face value designation of $25.  But their gold metal content and artistry make them worth far more.  Inscriptions on the coins include the "W" mint mark for the United States Mint at West Point, the date, the fineness and the weight.  The coins are packaged in an attractive hardwood box with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by United States Mint Director Ed Moy.

Customers may order the 8-8-08 Double Prosperity Set at the United States Mint's secure Web site at www.usmint.gov.  Orders also may be placed at the toll-free number, 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).  Please add $4.95 shipping and handling fee to all domestic orders.  There is no set product limit for the 8-8-08 Double Prosperity Set.

Note:  To ensure that all members of the public have fair and equal access to United States Mint products, any order placed prior to the official on-sale date and time (August 1, 2008, at 12:00 noon ET) shall not be deemed accepted by the United States Mint and will not be honored.

Contact Carla Coolman for a Chinese language version of this press release.