The United States Mint on Thursday, December 30, 2010, placed the Abraham Lincoln Presidential $1 Coin Cover on sale at a price of $15.95.
The 37,000 limited-edition product is the fourth and final 2010 release in the American Presidency $1 Coin Cover Series and the sixteenth since the covers were introduced for the Presidents in 2007. The covers were priced $1 less prior to 2010 when they also had a higher authorized production of 40,000 — although the Abraham Lincoln Coin Cover level of 37,000 is 5,000 more than previous 2010 issues owing to the expected higher demand.
Each coin cover features two Abraham Lincoln Presidential dollars. One coin is from the US Mint’s Denver facility and the other is from Philadelphia. Both are from the first day of production which was August 2, 2010, for the Denver $1 and August 3, 2010, for the Philadelphia $1.
The dollar coins are framed within a display card featuring a portrait of the President.
The card also includes a 44-cent Flag postage stamp with a postmark of November 18, 2010, Springfield, IL. That is the date the dollars were released into circulation and also when the US Mint began offering them in $25 rolls.
The obverse or heads side of the $1, designed and sculpted by Don Everhart, features a portrait of Lincoln and the inscriptions "ABRAHAM LINCOLN," "IN GOD WE TRUST," "16TH PRESIDENT" and "1861-1865."
Abraham Lincoln: 16th President, 16th in Presidential $1 Coin Series
The following is a brief biography of Lincoln, as provided by the U.S. Mint through its website.
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. President, was born February 12, 1809, near Hodgenville, Ky., into a poor frontier family. A self-taught lawyer, he also served in the Illinois legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1858, while campaigning for a seat in the U.S. Senate, Lincoln engaged incumbent Stephen A. Douglas in a series of debates over slavery. Though he lost the election, Lincoln’s eloquence won him national attention, and in 1860, he received the Republican Presidential nomination. Lincoln became President of the United States in 1861 as the Nation descended into the Civil War.
While he was President, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves living in the Confederacy. Although the Confederate States ignored the proclamation, it allowed Union soldiers to free slaves they found in the South and recruit them into their army. By the time the Civil War ended, one out of eight members of the Union Army was black.
On November 19, 1863, he delivered his famous Gettysburg Address. His example of assuming sole authority during a time of war was followed by later Presidents, including Woodrow Wilson in World War I and Franklin Roosevelt in World War II. While the Civil War and efforts to abolish slavery dominated his presidency, Lincoln also signed into law the Homestead Act, which made it possible for poor people to buy land provided they agreed to settle and work there for at least five years. This law began the settlement of the American West.
On April 14, 1865—only a few weeks into his second administration and just as the Civil War was ending—Lincoln was shot by Southern sympathizer John Wilkes Booth, and died the next morning in Washington, D.C.
As mentioned, the Abraham Lincoln $1 is the 16th coin released in the series honoring U.S. Presidents. As the fourth for the year, it follows the James Buchanan coin that was released into circulation on August 19, 2010. The next dollar coin features Andrew Johnson and is expected out on February 23, 2011.
The first four Presidential Dollars issued in 2007 had the image of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The next four $1 coins released in 2008 honored James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. The 2009 coins depicted William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk and John Tyler. The first 2010 $1 coin honored Millard Fillmore while the second featured Franklin Pierce.
To date, the Buchanan dollars are the scarcest in the series, with just over 73.3 million minted. Mintages for the Lincoln coins rose sharply as compared to all but one 2009 and 2010 issues. They stand at a combined 97.02 million.
Order Coin Cover from US Mint
Orders may be placed through the Following President Abraham Lincoln:
United States Mint Product page
A $4.95 shipping and handling charge will be added. No household order limits are in place.
The covers may also be purchased through the Mint’s toll-free number, 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Hearing and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468).
Rolls of the dollars are available directly from the US Mint as well. They are available through special Mint-wrapped $25 rolls containing either Denver or Philadelphia minted strikes for a price of $35.95, plus shipping and handling.
