The highly anticipated Ultra-High Relief (UHR) Saint-Gaudens will go on sale on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 12:00 noon ET. The price is expected to be $1,189.00 (assuming gold stays between $800 and $850 per ounce. At the time of this writing, gold is at $816.70.) The United States Mint's new bullion pricing charts show what the UHR will cost at various gold spot prices, with the lowest possible price being $889.00.

The U.S. Mint has issued a statement regarding its new pricing policy for coins made out of gold and platinum bullion. I rarely publish press releases in my blog, but this one is so important to our marketplace, and of such interest to my readers, that I am presenting it in its entirety:

United States Mint Changes Strategy for Pricing Precious Metals Numismatic Products

Washington – The United States Mint announced today it is Read more...

I had a great time at the FUN coin show in Orlando, Florida this past weekend. What struck me right away was how friendly the bourse (sales floor) seemed to be! At most coin shows, you have all of these old men standing guard behind their tables, staring you down lest you try to snatch something our of their locked cases while they're blinking, but I didn't get this feeling at FUN at all! I think it was a combination of a much higher population of women, both behind the the tables and among the attendees, plus a generally warmer ambiance that might just be good ol' Southern hospitality. Whatever it was, I saw a larger number of smiling dealers than normal, and strangers greeting each other in the aisles just saying "hello". (Ever see that in Chicago?)

Most dealers said they had a good show, especially early in the weekend (the show opened Thursday.) Retail sales were weaker than in the past few years, but dealer-to-dealer and wholesale transactions were strong although prices for common-to-semi-key material were a little weaker. Demand for keys and rarities was very strong, as always, but even those prices are depressed as much as 30%.

Dealers were very wary of the Chinese-made counterfeit coins that showed up Read more...

If you're anywhere within a couple of hundred miles of Orlando, Florida late this week, make it a point to stop by the Orange County Convention Center to check out the FUN Coin Show. FUN stands for Florida United Numismatists, which is one of the largest and most well-organized coin clubs in America. Since 1955, they have sponsored an annual winter coin convention in Florida, and that show has grown to one of the largest in the nation. This year's show, which opens to the public on Thursday (Jan. 7), will feature a bourse floor with more 600 coin dealers setting up shop. An estimated 15,000 visitors will pass through the doors during the four days of the convention.

Like most large coin shows, the FUN Show will have a large competitive exhibit area, where collectors will be showing off the best of their collections while vying for recognition from the judges.

Numerous educational presentations will be given, including the one that I will be giving with Coin World editor Beth Deisher about the Chinese counterfeiting problem. Our talk is on Friday at 2:30 pm in Room 220C. Plan to arrive early if you want a seat because word has it that this topic will be very popular. I'll be presenting an update on the Chinese threat, and attendees will learn concrete steps that they can take to protect themselves before buying a bad coin, and how they can verify the coins that they have purchased online or elsewhere.

Other key presentations include:

+  A panel moderated by well-known author Scott Travers, where PCGS founder David Hall, Fox Business Network Read more...

The U.S. Mint has a busy year planned for coin collectors in 2009! We will have a record number of new U.S. coins going into circulation this year, including the four new Lincoln Cent designs, four Presidential Dollars, the newly-redesigned Sacagawea Dollar (Agriculture) reverse, and six Territory Quarters. This is in addition to the standard nickels, dimes, and half dollars the Mint produces. The 2009 Uncirculated Mint Set will contain a whopping 36 coins!

As if all of the new circulating coins weren't enough to keep the Mint (and coin collectors) busy, we'll also have two new commemorative coins, the Lincoln Silver Dollar, and the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar. And who can forget the long-awaited and very exciting 2009 Ultra-High Relief Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle? That one's coming fast, if it stays on schedule - it's due to be released on Jan. 22. With all the problems the Mint had getting gold and silver coin blanks last year, a delay on this coin wouldn't be a surprise.

With such a busy coin product pipeline, the Mint hasn't wasted any time turning on the spigot. On Jan. 2, the Agriculture Sacagawea Dollar went on sale through the Direct Ship Program. The Direct Ship Program has been an astounding Read more...