The Dec. 3, 2009 edition of Coin Chat Radio leads off with Bob Van Ryzin’s "What’s In the News". Topic of the day is U.S. Rep. Gary Peters’ attempt to persuade the US Mint to strike 2009 American Eagle Proof Gold and Silver coins, which the Mint had previously announced would be canceled for this year.
Peters wrote US Mint Director Ed Moy as well as fellow House members seeking to re-instate the 2009 proof coins which have been minted since 1986.
With the recent release of the Northern Mariana Islands Quarter, Editorial Director Debbie Bradley takes a few moments to discuss the history of the islands with author and editor Arlyn Sieber.
"The Northern Mariana Islands are located in Oceania in the Northern Pacific," responds author Arlyn Sieber when asked to explain their location. "They’re about 3,800 miles west of Hawaii and about 1,500 miles south of Tokyo. The territory, officially known as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, consists of 14 islands and the three largest are Saipan, Rota and Tinian."
A brief political history of the islands is discussed including former ownership by Spain, Germany, Japan and then the United States, which took control by force during World War II.
Talk turns to the Northern Mariana Islands quarter design as well as some of the design candidates that were not chosen.
"There were three designs that were officially considered by the Mint," states Sieber when asked about the Northern Marian Islands quarter design. "One of them was a World War II design. These designs are looked at by the Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizen’s Coinage Advisory Committee, and both of them really weren’t very enthusiastic" about it.
"In contrast to that, the other two designs showed things that are related to the territories culture and natural resources. Both of them were similar in content but they varied a little bit in the execution."
Online Editor Lisa Bellavin then has a "Freshly Minted" segment with holiday coins. Discussed issues include the Five Gold Rings and Christmas Angel with Six Geese-a-Laying coins from the Pobjoy Mint. Bellavin also discusses the Holiday Toy Train from the Royal Canadian Mint.
Closing out the program is Publisher Scott Tappa with a piece about how the motto "In God We Trust" came to be on U.S. coinage. According to Tappa, the motto first appeared on a 2-cent coin in 1864, and in 1865 Congress granted the Mint Director permission to place the motto on all U.S. coins at his discretion.
More and more coins were to include the motto until the early 1900’s, when famed designer Augustus St. Gaudens and President Theodore Roosevelt chose to omit it from the coins St. Gaudens created. Public outcry over the omission resulted in the motto being replaced and a law requiring it on all future coins.
To listen to this episode of Coin Chat Radio, go to the Web site at www.coinchatradio.com. Previous episodes may also be found there.
For articles relating to the topics discussed, also read:
- Rep. Peters Seeks 2009 Proof Gold and Silver Eagles
- Viewpoint: Legislator Urges Mint to Coin Proof Eagles
- Northern Mariana Islands Quarter Design Selected
- Northern Mariana Islands Quarter
The US Mint has been untrue to a loyal base of consumer. The AGE and ASE program are just as important as there responsibility to produce bullion coinage to demand as required by legislation. There is an irresponsibility in their actions to deny a loyal customer the right to continue a collection of coins that are also under legislation suppose to have an undisturbed design change twenty five year run. Well 2010 will be the final year so I wonder what they have planned for what could be the end of the series.