Lord Jim... Just For You

[RayThom]

The "Reagan Series" from the US MINT:

It's almost like real money.
http://catalog.usmint.gov/film-and-tele ... areer.html

[Big RR]

And if you buy now we'll give you the C Everett Coop Ashtray absolutely free. Enjoy grinding your cigarette in the face of the man who wanted to snuff them out for good.

[Lord Jim]

Well, now if anyone was having trouble deciding what to get me for my birthday...

[Bicycle Bill]

Too bad they couldn't have done the reverse of this medallion (I refuse to call it a coin as it is not legal tender) as a lenticular image, so that as you moved it side to side the image would have switched from Nancy Davis to Jane Wyman.

-"BB"-

[Joe Guy]

Ronnie's smile and chin on this coin doesn't look quite right to me. His chin should be narrower and the shape of his smile is wrong.

[Crackpot]

It does look like he suddenly smelled something unpleasant.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Looks liked he had a stroke or they cobbled two half images together

[Big RR]

But his hair is closer to the real, un-dyed, color--especially if it's available in silver.

[Burning Petard]

BB, the Ronnie Raygun edition is legal tender. One dollar American, just like the Goldie. The problem is that they have to be purchased directly from the mint, not available thru your local bank. The mint stopped the 'presidential' series for a while due to low demand. Then the bean counters at dot gov caught on that there were sufficient collectors who would play a premium to 'complete the collection' so they began stamping them out again. I am one of the suckers--bought two rolls of Harry Truman dollars. The first lady series I am not sure about. They have been making legal tender gold coins at West Point for a while now.

The big rip-off is the legal-tender-at twenty five cents 'quarters' from the mint that contain five ounces of pure silver, for those wanting to complete the quarter collection 'honoring' federal parks.

(((((snailgate)))))

[Big RR]

Five ounces? They must be giant quarters.

ETA: Sorry, BP; after reading your post again, I think you were referring to rolls of quarters--at 1/8 ounce each, a role of 40 would have 5 ounces. Makes a lot more sense.

[Burning Petard]

Nope. Big pure silver quarters. Bigger than any western belt buckle I have seen. And for just $149.00 + shipping and handling you can have one now

http://catalog.usmint.gov/cumberland-ga ... ns#start=1

(((((snailgate)))))

[Big RR]

It boggles the mind; the US mint is trying to compete with the Franklin Mint.

I've been buying proof sets for years, and recall when they and uncirculated coins were pretty much the only products the US Mint sold.

[Lord Jim]

With silver currently selling at $18.21 an ounce I don't need my calculator to figure out that would be a pretty lousy way to invest in silver...

If you want to invest in silver with silver coins this would be a much better choice:

https://invest.usgoldbureau.com/2016-1- ... fgodu_UBKw

[ex-khobar Andy]

Really they are terrible likenesses of both of them. Not an RWR or NR fan by any stretch of the imagination but I would have thought that any respectable artist could have got much closer.

[Bicycle Bill]

BB, the Ronnie Raygun edition is legal tender. One dollar American, just like the Goldie. The problem is that they have to be purchased directly from the mint, not available thru your local bank. The mint stopped the 'presidential' series for a while due to low demand. Then the bean counters at dot gov caught on that there were sufficient collectors who would play a premium to 'complete the collection' so they began stamping them out again. I am one of the suckers--bought two rolls of Harry Truman dollars. The first lady series I am not sure about. They have been making legal tender gold coins at West Point for a while now.

The big rip-off is the legal-tender-at twenty five cents 'quarters' from the mint that contain five ounces of pure silver, for those wanting to complete the quarter collection 'honoring' federal parks.

(((((snailgate)))))

BP, I know they've been making "bullion coins" like the silver eagle dollars for some time now.  But even though no one is going to use them as a dollar coin in circulation, they are clearly marked with their nominal value.  I see nothing like that on the Reagan (or Mrs. Reagan) coins — in fact, even on the usmint.gov website I can't even find a picture that shows the obverse (back) of either coin to see if there is anything there about they're being a legal dollar coin, but I'll take your word for it.

I think the difference here, though, is that the government halted the minting of the Presidential series coins and putting them in ordinary circulation, but left open the ability to create a "limited production" run for the remainder of the series and sell directly to the collectors and the dealers.  And they've been doing this for years now; I have a B/U commemorative set of the dollar and half-dollar coin created (at about $20 the set) in 1986 when they celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, as well as a special proof set of the three Bicentennial coins issued back in 1976.

As for a coin commemorating the First Lady (Nancy Reagan), I have mixed feelings about that.  Why her?  Are they going to go back to the beginning and issue a coin for each and every First Lady starting back with Martha Washington?  And what are they going to do when they run up against James Buchanan, who was America's only bachelor president to date?

-"BB"-

[Lord Jim]

Really they are terrible likenesses of both of them

That's true...

It looks like a high school drawing of Mr. Reagan and Mrs. Reagan...

Perhaps well intentioned, but poorly achieved...

[Burning Petard]

If you go to the real mint web site (not the US Mint dot com) you will find several categories. The gold disc with Nancy on it is in the Medals category--not bullion, not legal tender. The presidential one dollar series is a mess. As the mint declares its web site:

"Presidential $1 Coins
Presidential Dollar Coins feature larger, more dramatic artwork, as well as edge-incused inscriptions meant to revitalize the design of United States coins and return circulating coinage to its position as an object of aesthetic beauty.
The U.S. Mint launched the Presidential $1 Coin Program in 2007. The 10-year initiative includes one dollar coins featuring obverse designs honoring the Presidents in the order in which they served in office.

The U.S. Mint produces and issues four Presidential Dollar coins per year, each with a common reverse design featuring a striking rendition of the Statue of Liberty. The program was authorized by the Presidential $1 Dollar Coin Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-145).

Note: In December 2011, Secretary of the Treasury Timothy F. Geithner directed that the U.S. Mint suspend minting and issuing circulating Presidential One Dollar Coins. Regular circulating demand for the coins will be met through the Federal Reserve Bank’s existing inventory of circulating coins minted prior to 2012. The U.S. Mint will continue to offer several products that contain Presidential $1 Dollar Coins."

NB: "meant to revitalize the design of United States coins and return circulating coinage to its position as an object of aesthetic beauty."

Did not happen. Presidential dollar coins are out there in circulation. The reverse sides are all alike. Ronnie is the last one to be issued and is not yet available except in annual sets.

Later Edit: I correct myself. Yes "first spouse" gold coins are available, denominated at $10. Those gold and platinum things are way beyond my budget so I don't look there very often. But I did buy a Millard Fillmore bronze medal a while back.

(((((snailgate)))))

[Gob]