Poll Question: Should the U.S. Mint focus more on collector engagement, circulating coinage, historical themes, or something else entirely?

The mint's primary responsibility is to meet the nation's coinage needs. It should eliminate the production of the cent, half dollar, and dollar coins. It would suffice to just issue the dime and quarter for circulation, plus proofs for collectors, as well as bullion coins for investors and whatever commemoratives are mandated by Congress. The very limited editions of other coins that the mint produces to create instant rarities will have a long-term detrimental effect on the hobby, as collectors start to sell them, and there are not enough collectors to buy them. We also have to revert to one permanent design for the quarter. Since the beginning of the State Quarter program in 1999, there have been over 400 different quarters to collect. This will deter many collectors from beginning a set, and those who do complete such sets will see when they try to sell them that they can't get as much as they thought they would; they may give up on coin collecting altogether.

Louis Ludiciani, Cumberland, R.I.

I believe the U.S. Mint should focus on lowering its prices, as we have witnessed a tremendous price surge from the mint in the last 5-10 years. Personally, I have cut back on my purchases from them by about 50 percent. It also naturally slows my purchases of older circulated coins. So, it is not good at all for our hobby in general. 

Name and Address withheld

There are two things the Mint Director should focus on:

1.  Removing the dead presidents from our coinage. ALL of them!

2.  Restoring Constitutional money. The Mint's job is to weigh silver and gold, punch out specific weights of those metals, and stamp them to show that the U.S. government guarantees that this piece of metal is of a specific purity and weight. The Mint has not done its real job since 1964.

David Eagle, Prescott, Ariz.

Circulating coins need a major makeover. We used to have cool coins like Buffalo nickels and Indian heads cents and liberty, head nickels, and Mercury dimes, and now all we've got is a bunch of dead presidents, and the shield on the back of the penny is awful, ugly, ugly, ugly. Every coin in the U.S. arsenal needs a major overhaul, and we should be using dollar coins instead of dollar bills—the dollar isn’t worth that much anymore. It’s worth the same as a quarter was in the 1970s. They should also make a five-dollar coin and no more president-headed coins; the bald eagle should be on the 5-dollar coin obverse.

Name and Address withheld

The new mint director needs to focus on collector encouragement by creating beautiful coinage and reissuing past coins in limited quantities. Changing circulating coins, such as Andrew Jackson on the Half Dollar. Seated Liberty on the Dime. Teddy Roosevelt on the nickel and Adams on the penny.

Name and Address withheld

During the Fall of 1774, fifty-six delegates gathered in Philadelphia, comprising the first Continental Congress, which agreed on the Articles of Association. The American colony's most remembered action is the release of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Paragraph two resonates with most Americans: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are Created with undeniable Rights, among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Now, about 250 years later, a report has stated that a little over 80 percent of the U.S. population thinks this is the best country to live in. The report also stated that a little over 60 percent are proud to be Americans. These numbers beg asking the follow-up questions why are they so low? What other places are felt to be better?

What can be done to improve these figures? If it is education, then the U.S. Mint has come up with an idea that, if expanded, could turn into a brilliant idea. In 2017, 2018, and 2019, they struck large-size bullion coins depicting “Life,” “Liberty,” and “Happiness” respectively, honoring the Declaration of Independence.

The Mint continued the Liberty series honoring the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. The series depicts the cycle of life of oak trees from the seedling to a mature, mighty oak. In 2021, with “Freedom of Religion” (seedling); in 2022, “Freedom of Speech” (blossoms); in 2023, “Freedom of the Press” (bearing fruit); in 2024, “Right to Assemble” (leaves of different oaks) and 2025, “Right to Petition” (mature spreading oak).

These coins were struck in one ounce .9995 platinum, and the current price is about $1945.00 each. As such, there are probably less than one hundred people in South Dakota that are aware the coins exist and less than a dozen that have seen one.

Coinage has been used by governments to promulgate information to educate the masses for centuries, beginning in ancient times. Wouldn't it be awesome if these designs were to be issued on the quarters for the 250th anniversary of the United States? To make it a brilliant idea, ensure every student of appropriate age receives one of each coin through their school? The coins along with a copy of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, what great educational tools these historic documents would have for little to no cost to educational institutions.

The government cost to be absorbed by the money saved from the demise of the Lincoln cent, which would be about three cents times two billion, and the seigniorage from striking quarters, which is about ten cents for every quarter struck. Maybe even get a few deep pocket donors to pony up.

Robert Maisch, Address Withheld

Stop it already with the privy marks, congratulations sets, and remakes of old coins, and concentrate on your mandate to make circulating coins. Let any citizens buy directly from the mint, getting any product. Cut out the dozen preferred distribution networks. All you are doing is making these people wealthy. That’s a terrible assault on the taxpayers and collectors.

Thank You,

Tom Swickrath, Address withheld

I think all three categories are important to furthering the interest in numismatics.

Name and Address withheld