**NEBRASKA QUARTER RECALLS FRONTIER SPIRIT**

![](media/image1.jpeg){width="1.4756944444444444in" height="1.5in"}

The second coin of 2006 in the United States Mint's popular 50 State
Quarters^®^ Program will be released to the public in a ceremony in
Lincoln on Friday, April 7, 2006.

Nebraska, nicknamed the \"Cornhusker State,\" was admitted into the
Union on March 1, 1867, becoming our Nation\'s 37th state. Nebraska\'s
quarter depicts an ox-drawn covered wagon carrying pioneers in the
foreground and Chimney Rock, the natural wonder that rises from the
valley of North Platte River, measuring 445 feet from base to tip. The
sun is in full view behind the wagon. The coin also bears the
inscriptions \"Nebraska,\" \"Chimney Rock\" and \"1867.\"

Free United States Mint lesson plans about the Nebraska quarter may be
downloaded at www.usmint.gov/kids. Prior to the launch, the United
States Mint hosted a Coin Collectors Forum in Lincoln, Nebraska,
featuring United States Mint Acting Director David Lebryk.

PRESIDENTIAL DOLLAR COIN SERIES BEING DEVELOPED

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.1375in" height="1.55in"} Do you know
which of our Presidents served his entire term as a bachelor? Or which
Commander in Chief was the first American citizen, being born after
independence was won?

These questions, and many more, will be answered starting in 2007 when
the United States Mint begins a new program by issuing a new series of
circulating \$1 coins.

Signed into law on December 22, 2005, the Presidential \$1 Coin Act
calls for the design, production and release of this new series of \$1
coins to honor the American Presidents in the order in which they
served. They will be released at a rate of four per year, beginning in
2007, and their specifications will be identical to those used for the
current Golden Dollar featuring Sacagawea.

The obverse of these one-dollar coins will feature newly created
portraits, while the reverse of all Presidential \$1 coins shall bear a
common design of the Statue of Liberty.

Artistic sources for the new Presidential coin images include official
White House portraits, intaglio prints originally executed by the Bureau
of Engraving and Printing and the United States Mint's Presidential
Medal Series.

**2006 UNITED STATES MINT PROOF SET^®^ AVAILABLE**

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="2.1319444444444446in"
height="1.5340277777777778in"}

One of the United States Mint's perennial favorites, the annual proof
set, went on sale March 22, 2006, and features 10 coins offered in
stunning proof condition.

Presented in two sturdy, clear plastic protective cases, this set
features all 10 circulating coins produced by the United States Mint in
2006. One case features the Lincoln cent, the "Return to Monticello"
Jefferson nickel, the Roosevelt dime, Kennedy half-dollar and Golden
Dollar featuring Sacagawea. The second case holds all five 2006-dated
coins issued in the 50 State Quarters^®^ Program, honoring Nevada,
Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota and South Dakota. In 2005 the United
States Mint sold roughly 2.3 million proof sets, and we expect this
year's set to be just as popular.

**AMERICAN BUFFALO GOLD PROOF COIN DEBUTS IN JUNE**

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="1.75in" height="1.6770833333333333in"}
Images first seen on one of America's most beloved circulating coins
will be returning on a limited-edition, 24-karat gold proof coin.

Originally designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser for the circulating
five-cent coin in 1913, both the American Indian portrait depicted on
the obverse, and the strong American bison on the reverse, helped define
our Nation's coinage in the first half of the 20^th^ Century.

This new coin will carry a face value of \$50 and will contain one ounce
of 24-karat, or .9999 fine, gold mined from natural deposits in the
United States or its territories. Beginning in June, 2006, these proof
coins will be sold directly to the public by the United States Mint.

An American Buffalo bullion coin will also be available through
authorized purchasers. To learn more about United States Mint investor
coins, please visit [www.usmint.gov](http://www.usmint.gov/) for
additional information.

**TIME MACHINE TRAVELS TO AMERICAN CIVIL WAR**

![](media/image5.jpeg){width="1.5833333333333333in"
height="1.3229166666666667in"} A new era was recently added to the
popular Time Machine feature on the United States Mint's H.I.P. Pocket
Change™ website, allowing online travelers the chance to visit Boston,
circa 1863. Accompanied by Peter the Mint Eagle, users of all ages join
a woman and her two children as they shop, learning a little bit about
the problems many businesses faced during the Civil War, when almost all
coinage became scarce as metals were needed in the war effort.

In addition to the animated adventure, visitors are also presented with
other interesting facts about the era, and each era includes exercises
for teachers to share with their students.

This new era is the sixth in a series of twelve that, when completed,
will span the entire 214-year history of the United States Mint, weaving
the significance of coinage into the fabric of our Nation's history.

**DENVER CELEBRATES CENTENNIAL**

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height="1.5409722222222222in"}

The United States Mint at Denver commemorated 100 years of minting coins
for the American people in a centennial celebration February 1st, 100
years from the day that the Denver Mint struck its first coins using
three coining presses.

Acting Director David Lebryk was on hand to lead the celebration with
Plant Manager Tim Riley, and to extend Happy Birthday greetings on
behalf of all the employees of the United States Mint. More than 550
current and former employees attended the celebration in the ornate
Grand Hallway. Acting Director Lebryk and Plant Manager Riley read a
proclamation from the Mayor of Denver that declared February 1st "United
States Mint at Denver Day.\"

Acting Director Lebryk and Plant Manager Riley also presented a time
capsule containing a set of 2006 uncirculated coins minted at Denver, a
scroll signed by the current employees, a scroll signed by the retirees
and guests attending the celebration, and the proclamation from the
Mayor of Denver. The time capsule was inserted inside a carved stone
that will be placed near the front door of the historic facility so that
visitors can see it as the exit their tour of the facility.