Welcome to the winter 2009 issue of Making Cents, the online newsletter that tells you what's new and striking at the United States Mint. Be sure to check back every 3 months for a new issue.
Time Machine Visits the ‘70s
The 1970s was a special time for many reasons, not least of which is the nation’s 200th anniversary. Businesses and government agencies joined in the celebration. And how did the United States Mint participate?
Join Plinky and Peter on their quest to find out! Two decades before the 50 State Quarters® Program, see what changes were made to some circulating coins.
This episode of Time Machine itself is special because it’s the twelfth adventure. The American Bicentennial fills the last of the slots in the Time Continuum. Will there ever be another new episode? Well, anything is possible. Meanwhile, come by and visit the 1970s in the Time Machine! It’s dynamite!
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Paint with a Palette of Pixel
There’s a new fun thing to do on the Games page at H.I.P. Pocket Change! You can paint pictures of the new quarters from the District of Columbia and US Territories Quarters Program…and there’s nothing to spill!
Painters Studio is the place to show your true colors. All six of the 2009 quarter designs are there: Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and of course the District of Columbia.
Your tools include not only a paint bucket, but also a pencil, a narrow brush, and a wide brush so you can get different effects from the large palette of colors. If you have a color printer, you can even print your artistic creation! Click on Painters Studio for hours of coloring fun!
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New Coins for 2009
The year 2009 is a big one for new circulating coins from the United States Mint! Keep an eye out for special pennies, quarters, and dollars in your change. And if you want to know the story behind the new designs, you can find it right here at H.I.P. Pocket Change!
Four new Presidential $1 Coins will appear during this year. The first honors ninth president William Henry Harrison, who kicks off the third year of the Presidential $1 Coin Program. Read about all four coins on the Presidential $1 Coin pages.
The fifth $1 coin of 2009 introduces the new Native American $1 Coin Program on the back of the Sacagawea Golden Dollar. Read about this year’s design at the Native American $1 Coin Program page.
Six new quarters make up the new District of Columbia and US Territories Quarters Program. These designs are covered on the pages set up for this program in our “The Coins Are Coming” section.
Finally, in honor of the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, four new designs will appear on the back of the one-cent coin. These are covered on the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Coin Program page.
Besides circulating coins, there will also be the four First Spouse coins to accompany the Presidential $1 Coins. Also planned: Two new commemorative coins. You’ll find them on the Commemorative Coins page.
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Quarter of the Quarter: District of Columbia
To cover the District of Columbia and US Territories Quarters Program, Making Cents is continuing the “Quarter of the Quarter” feature that began with the 50 State Quarters® Program, which ended in 2008. The new and separate District of Columbia and US Territories Quarters Program consists of six quarters, all to be released during 2009, about two months apart.
The first in this series is the District of Columbia quarter. There, smiling out from his new cupronickel setting, is composer/arranger/pianist/band leader Duke Ellington. This native of Washington, DC, became world-famous for his jazz pieces and songs like “Take the A Train,” “Satin Doll,” and “Mood Indigo.”
You can read more about this quarter on the 2009 Quarters page. And Flip gives a neat little history of the District when he presents this quarter as January’s Coin of the Month!
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Winter 2009 Crossword
We hope you've enjoyed this issue of Making Cents! Click to see and print out the crossword puzzle. Most of the words in the puzzle are used in this issue, so you should already have a clue!
Check your answers with the answer key.
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