President Obama on Thursday signed the Girl Scout Commemorative Coin Act into law, authorizing the Untied States Mint to strike up to 350,000 silver dollar coins to honor the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA).

The coins will be minted and sold in 2013, marking the end of Girl Scouts’ yearlong centennial celebration and kicking off a new century of leadership and service to girls.

The bill, H.R. 621, was introduced by Rep. Jack Kingston and easily passed by a voice vote on Oct. 13. Sen. Susan Collins sponsored a companion bill, S. 451. Instead of moving that forward, the Senate simply passed the House version on Oct. 19 by Unanimous Consent.

President Obama signed the bill at 3:15 p.m. ET during a ceremony at the White House that included Connie L. Lindsey, GSUSA National Board Chair, Laurie Westley, Senior Vice President, Public Policy, Advocacy & the Research Institute, and girls from the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital.

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Twenty years ago in 1989 the Austrian State Mint passed from the Treasury into the ownership of the central bank. The mint was given the freedom to produce and sell products in accordance with the demands of the modern numismatic and investment markets. One of the very first innovations introduced by the new CEO, Paul Berger, was the production of a gold bullion coin for investment purposes: the Vienna Philharmonic.

On 16th October this year a limited quantity of 6,027 Vienna Philharmonic coins, each weighing 20 ounces of fine gold, will go on sale in Europe, America and Japan.

20 ounces to commemorate 20 years!

Why the odd number? The mint decided to offer 2009 coins (the date of the 20th anniversary) in its three major markets: in Europe, in America and in Japan. Investors still remember the 15 giant coins (each of 1,000 ounces) that celebrated the fifteenth anniversary in 2004, and that entered the Guinness Book of Records as the then largest gold coin in the world. All 15 giant coins were snapped up within days, and the excitement surrounding this special issue of a 20 ounce coin promises a similar market reaction.

The new 20 ounce coin has a diameter of 74 mm and a thickness of 8.3 mm and is housed in a prestigious wooden and red velvet case. Pre-orders for this unique anniversary gold coin have already started pouring into the mint in Vienna. It promises to be a major success as indeed the past 20 years of the Austrian bullion programme have been.

The Vienna Philharmonic Story

The decision in 1989 to issue a gold bullion coin in the two weights of 1 ounce and ¼ ounce was greeted with indulgent smiles. Austria, a small central European country since the destruction of her empire in 1918 and without any gold mining industry to support, was entering the bullion market, long dominated by the Krugerrand and that time divided between the USA, Canada and Western Australia.

Berger and his team decided that music was the ideal theme for their new coin. Austria was internationally renowned for its music, but they decided against the portrayal of one of the many great composers like Mozart, Haydn or Strauss. That would make the coin appear like a commemorative edition for collectors. Instead they chose a living and world-famous musical institution: the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. To their delight the members of the orchestra enthusiastically endorse this choice, freely grant the use of their name. The engraver, Thomas Pesendorfer, designed a collection of instruments to represent the orchestra itself and for the other side of the coin he took the great pipe organ of the Golden Hall in Vienna where the orchestra plays at home. It is seen on television around the world every year on 1st January during the New Year’s Day Concert.

The new Austrian coin was launched in Vienna on 10th October and was an immediate success. The demand in the home market was nothing less than ferocious. In two and a half months 419,000 ounces were sold, achieving with one blow an 18% world market share for the entire year 1989! It rapidly established itself as a serious participant in the international gold market. In 1992 and again in 1995, 1996 and 2000 the Vienna Philharmonic was ranked by the World Gold Council as the top selling gold bullion coin worldwide. In 2008 the Vienna Philharmonic continued to rank No. 1 in Europe and in Japan, and with a year’s market share of 25% it came in 3rd worldwide narrowly missing 2nd place. The “indulgent smiles” have long since disappeared.

A 1/10 ounce in 1991 and a ½ ounce coin in 1994 completed the traditional family of four sizes. In 2008 a silver 1 ounce Vienna Philharmonic was added to the investment range with resounding success.

Looking back on 20 years of continual growth and success, the Vienna Philharmonic has established itself firmly as one of the four great gold bullion coins offered on the international market of today. This one-time issue of a limited number of 20 ounce gold coins is but a fitting tribute to a 20 year long success story that shows no signs of letting up in the near future.

Related posts:

1. Last of the Austrian Mint’s “Vienna Jugendstil” Series
2. Austrian Mint Issues 5 Euro Silver Coin Honoring Great Conductor
3. Gold touches 27-year high of $746.30 an ounce; silver surges nearly 3%

Net profit for the period declined to less than half the amount recorded for the same period a year earlier

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(San Antonio, TX) – CoinCollectingNews.org was originally designed as a quick hub where interested parties could learn about the latest coin news from leading sources. While this feature continues as the site’s trademark, Coin Collecting News recently expanded to offer brand new resources and more than 150 pages of quality information relevant to the hobby of coin collecting.

"I started Coin Collecting News about 18 months back in the hopes of creating an open, sharing environment for both collectors and writers," said Mike Unser, founder and president of CoinNews Media Group LLC, which owns CoinCollectingNews.org.

"While we patted ourselves on the back with how well the site was performing, it became clear that we weren’t doing enough. Our readers began telling us that they wanted more information about the coin world and how it relates to them — not just daily aggregated news."

"With that in mind, we spent a significant amount of time adding content and resources that are sure to be useful to anyone interested in numismatics," Unser added. "We’ve been thrilled and thankful for the feedback we’ve received following each area rollout. The entire process, with the exception of the many late nights and weekends, has been positive for all of us at CoinNews Media Group."

The new areas Unser mentions are actually web site subsections that have been quietly appearing on Coin Collecting News since late August. Acceptance by the collecting community has been exceptional. Readership is up nearly 35 percent since Oct. 1, and collectors are spending extra time on site, visiting more pages.

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Read the rest of More Coins, Articles and Features Added to Coin Collecting News Web Site (305 words)

The introduction of Mick Davis’ Xstrata and Brian Gilbertson’s Pallinghurst would turn the platinum-mining business on its head, RBC Capital Market analyst Leon Esterhuizen predicted on Tuesday.

Esterhuizen said that, by their very nature, both Xstrata and Pallinghurst would redefine cost, which would put pressure on both Impala Platinum (Implats), where there is already board tension, and on Anglo Platinum (Angloplat), which was doing fairly well at reducing costs but had not shown the abilility to move as fast as Xstrata.

Davis, Esterhuizen said, was already shouting from the mountain top that Xstrata would be a big platinum player, "almost, come hell or high water", and there was every indication that Gilbertson would be building a million ounce business in the area north of the Pilanesberg, where Platmin also owned Magazynskraal.

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ASX-listed Reed Resources had signed an agreement with fellow listed Mineral Resources to develop the Mount Marion lithium project, in Western Australia, the company announced on Tuesday.

Under the terms of the agreement, Mineral Resources would deliver an operations-start notice by the end of June 2010, with operations starting by the end of December that year.

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Gold items created by Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali have gone on display in Paris to mark the 20th anniversary of his death.
The Espace Dali gallery’s Dali d’Or-Objets Montes (Dali Gold-Mounted Objects) exhibition runs until January 20th and consists of a series of gold coins and jewelled sculptures in the artist’s unique style.
The news feeds on this site are independently provided by Adfero Limited © and do not represent the views or opinions of the World Gold Council.

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One of the great benefits of investing in gold is that it typically functions as a safe haven for investors in times of economic turmoil. During the current economic instability, gold has risen to record high prices as one would expect. Some people will keep hold of their gold stocks until the peak of the instability then try to sell it off when gold prices reach their highest. But other people who struggle during tough times have another option: selling gold jewelry or other gold items to get cash to get through the hardships. You can easily sell gold bullion coins and bars to a bullion dealer, but how do you go about selling gold jewelry?

Selling your gold jewelry is not a difficult task. You can find various companies either online or around your area that will offer you cash for your gold items and make the process quite simple for you. The gold buyers are looking to get their hands on as much gold as possible, so they can profit from prices that will likely rise even higher over the longterm, and profit from some price spreads or transaction fees. But their businesses are usually legitimite and you will get a fair amount of cash for your gold.

A well-known example of such a company is Cash4Gold. They are a mail-in gold refinery, meaning that they will buy your gold items and melt them down. Cash4Gold is a good option for people who own old or broken gold jewelry or other items that are no longer attractive or desirable to wear. If you wish to sell newer and more attractive-looking gold jewerly, you will likely receive more money by selling your items to a local jeweler in your area, or to a pawn shop. That is because gold jewelry is sold at a premium price that can be much higher than the value of the item’s metal alone. The premium price covers things like quality of design and craftsmanship. But a refinery like Cash4Gold will simply melt down your items, so they don’t care if your items are resaleable or not. They will simply pay you a price based on the official spot price of your jewelry’s constituent metal (plus they will charge a transaction fee of some sort).

The things you should know about your gold before selling it are its karatage (which should be printed somewhere on the item, its weight in gold, and if possible also its resale value, so you can know whether to sell to a refinery or to a pawn shop or jeweler instead. Getting your item appraised by a reputable dealer might be a good idea. You should also be aware of the terms of your agreement with the buyer of your gold. If you have intentions to buy your item back, you should be sure to check how much time you have to do so, and the specific terms surrounding the buyback. When you are dealing with valuable items that might have special meaning to you, the last thing you want is any kind of disappointing surprise that deprives you of your cherished item.

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Touted by itself as the preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls, the Girl Scouts of the USA is about to get a commemorative coin issued in its honor if Congress gets its way.

The Girl Scouts USA Centennial Commemorative Coin Act authorizing the $1 silver coins was passed last week by the U.S. House of Representatives and it received approval this week by the Senate without amendment and by unanimous consent. It is now up to President Obama to sign it into law, which he is expected to do.

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Legislation seeking to recognize and celebrate the establishment of the Medal of Honor was approved in the U.S Senate Thursday by Unanimous Consent. The bill, H.R. 1209, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives back on May 14, 2009.

Following a procedural clearance step, the Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin Act of 2009 will make its way to President Obama who is expected to sign it into law. That will authorize the United States Mint to strike up to 500,000 $1 silver coins and 100,000 $5 gold coins in proof and uncirculated conditions in 2011.

H.R. 1209, which was introduced by Rep. Christopher Carney, calls for gold and silver coin designs to be "emblematic of the traditions, legacy, and heritage of the Medal of Honor, and the distinguished service of its recipients in the Nation’s history."

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Read the rest of Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin Act Passes Senate (173 words)