Nevada quarter sales give way to Nebraska

Sheepishly, I come before you seeking absolution and forgiveness this week.
A reader alerted me to a problem with the 2006 platinum American Eagle proof figures that had escaped my eye for a few weeks and I?m just getting around to correcting it now.

See, you?ve got two columns of numbers there: one is sales and the other is supposed to be the product limit. Well, instead of the product limit for each category, I had the maximum mintage number listed.

It was an honest mistake, but one that shouldn?t have been made. I salute your vigilance readers.

Now, on to happier thoughts. Initial sales figures for the Nebraska state quarter are in and they are listed in the boxes. To make room for them, I removed the Nevada quarter numbers.

The Mint hasn?t issued final sales numbers for the Nevada quarter yet. What we have listed here is a last-known tally for the Nevada. Its horses have ridden off into the sunset, however. Now, it?s time to welcome the Nebraska, with its pioneer covered wagon and Chimney Rock design.

The launch ceremony for the Nebraska quarter took place in Lincoln, Neb., on April 7, five days before this column was written.

A coin collectors forum was held the day before the launch. There will be more on that in the May 2 issue of Numismatic News, but I figured I?d chime in on a couple of items that came up.

Just figured you?d want to know that all of you buyers of Mint products are doing your part to keep the government?s coffers filled. Acting Mint Director David Lebryk informed those who attended the forum that the Mint contributed $775 million to the Treasury General Fund in 2005.

There was also a lengthy discussion regarding the Presidential $1 coins due out in 2007. Eventually, the conversation touched on the Golden dollar. Lebryk was asked how many were left in inventory and Lebryk estimated there were 350 million to 500 million.

Some complained that it was hard to obtain Golden dollars and Lebryk replied that he hoped they?d see more of them in circulation, thanks to the Presidential $1 legislation. So keep your fingers crossed. Otherwise, you can order 250-coin bags and 25-count rolls of 2006 Golden dollars from the Mint. The most up-to-date sales figures for the 2006 Golden dollar are included in the boxes below.

One interesting statement that was made by Lebryk concerning the dollar coin was that vending machine companies were thrilled about the prospect of people using them in their machines. Why? Because they figure they will have a lower rejection rate than dollar bills.

Getting back to the boxes, I included the updated bullion sales for April and removed the March figures to make room. The last March figures we received were dated March 31 and were included in the April 18 edition of Numismatic News.

I would guess they?re pretty close to what the actual last count was.

As for April, so far sales have been pretty slow, but that just may be due to the Mint?s reporting procedures. In seven days, only 3,000 one-ounce gold coins were sold, along with 200,000 one-ounce silver pieces. And that was it.
If you have any questions, please e-mail me at peter.lindblad@fwpubs.com.