daringtofly

For those just joining the discussion, please recall that the US Mint very publicly announced a pilot program to begin distributing $1 coins as change at Disney World last year. The US Mint has also been promoting awareness and signing agreements with major retailers including massive pushing of "green" initiatives touting the environmental friendliness of the $1 coins. They are serious about this!

Assuming these programs were successful, the US Mint will have much less need in the near term to satisfy individual orders, or to subsidize the shipping and CCARD fees necessary for the Direct Ship program. I believe there is a Congressional mandate on producing and distributing the $1 coins but *not* specifically the Direct Ship program. While it will likely continue, please be aware that inventory may be low as the Mint prepares to execute retailer agreements, etc.

PLEASE, some other members look through these and post highlights for the class I am out of time at the moment but know some of you are very interested in the goings-on at the Mint. If they can look at our communications, we can look at theirs (maybe we should mirror these in case the links go down?):

US Mint internal reports on $1 Coin Program - "Gold is Green. And the New Presidential $1 Coin is real change" (see doc #1 "manifesto")

- DOC | $1 Coin Robust Circulation Program Pilot Plan JUN 19, 2009
- DOC | $1 Coin Program Final Report FEB 13, 2009
- PPT | Office of $1 Coin Programs - Proposed FY09 National Rollout Approach JAN 15, 2009
- DOC | Pilot Post-Test Awareness and Usage Survey (Gallup) DEC 2008
- PPT | $1 Coin Pilot Program + Collaborative Retail Relationships JUNE 17, 2008
- DOC | Presidential $1 Coin Users Group Forum Executive Summary NOV 13, 2007
- PDF | Presidential Coin Act of 2005

All of this can be ammunition in your communications with US Mint personnel as we need to convince them that we are trying to help them achieve the goals of the $1 Coin Program team!