U S Mint

The U.S. Mint agreed to pay $9 million to female workers at its Denver plant who alleged their bosses demanded sex in exchange for promotions, harassed them, and retaliated when they complained. The deal must be approved by an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission judge. About 130 women could share in the settlement if it is approved, said Lynn Feiger, who represented the workers.

The idea behind credit cards that offer airline rewards is simple enough: The more you spend on the card, the more free airline miles you get. But the U.S. Mint recently broke up a scheme by cardholders who figured out a way to get money for nothing and rewards for free. Under the scheme, people used their credit cards to purchase dollar coins from the U.S. Mint. They then deposited the coins in the bank to pay off the credit card balance. In the end, the cardholders were out no money but their credit cards registered thousands of dollars' worth of spending, and thus they earned thousands of rewards points or miles from the airlines.

Most folks can correctly name George Washington as the nation's first president. After that, things get tricky. The U.S. Mint is hoping its new dollar coin series will help refresh some hazy memories about the names of Adams, Jefferson and the rest. That could be a tall order, however, given the results of a poll the Mint commissioned. According to the survey conducted by Gallup Organization, nearly all those questioned knew that Washington was the first president.

Coming soon on new presidential dollar coins -- Old Hickory, Old Kinderhook, Old Man Eloquent and the Last of the Cocked Hats. The U.S. Mint, maker of the nation's coins, today will unveil the stately images of the next four presidents whose faces will appear on the front of the shiny gold-colored dollar coins next year.

No, they don't hand out free samples at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. And no, you cannot buy a $1 bill hot off the press. Dollar bills are not made in this government factory just a few blocks from Independence Hall. They make coins here, about $1-million worth a day--buckets, tubs, vats full of shiny, alluring coins. So many that you might have an urge to plunge your hands into them all the way up to your elbows, just to enjoy the feeling of them. You can't do that, of course.

Jim Hunt has collected coins for more than 60 years. But on Monday he had a chance to admire some new quarters that he, in his own way, helped create. Hunt, 67, served on the state commission that selected the design for a quarter honoring California, and he joined state and federal officials at a ceremony in Sacramento to mark the release of the coin. Hunt, the director of education for the California State Numismatic Assn., purchased five rolls. "It's the max we could get," he said.

The U.S. Mint, by sparking a boom in coin collecting, is making a mint. Thanks largely to the popularity of the Mint's state-themed quarter program--adding tens of millions of Americans into coin collecting--the government agency posted a $2.6-billion profit in fiscal 2000. That money goes to fund government programs and reduce the national debt.

Even the most hopeful sports fans were long ago disabused of the notion that politics and sport don't mix. Olympic boycotts and demonstrations to serve political ends have illustrated clearly that--as is the case in most other aspects of our lives--the business of politics permeates. Now, a new wrinkle in the marriage of politics and sports: commemorative coins. The politically connected honchos of the World Cup Organizing Committee got Rep. Esteban E. Torres (D-Calif.

The U.S. Mint is reviewing security procedures at its Denver branch, a spokesman said Wednesday, amid published reports that some potentially valuable "error" coins were found in employees' lockers and toolboxes. The error coins, which are often ones struck twice, are sometimes considered very valuable to coin collectors. "As part of an ongoing evaluation of our procedures, the U.S. Mint recently conducted a review of the Denver facility," U.S. Mint spokesman Michael White said.

After nearly 100 years of depicting presidents in somber profile on the nation's coins, the U.S. Mint is trying something different: The 2006 nickel will feature Thomas Jefferson facing forward, with the hint of a smile. "It isn't a silly smile or a smirk, but a sense of optimism that I was trying to convey with the expression," said Jamie Franki, an art professor who created the design.

Some government announcements are so weird, you know there just has to be a story there. And in this case, there is. The United States Mint -- you know, the guys who make your money -- issued a news release this week declaring that $130 refunds were being offered to anyone who bought a 2004 Lewis and Clark commemorative coin that was accompanied by a handcrafted pouch produced by Ohio's Shawnee Nation United Remnant Band.

Most folks can correctly name George Washington as the nation's first president. After that, things get tricky. The U.S. Mint is hoping its new dollar coin series will help refresh some hazy memories about the names of Adams, Jefferson and the rest. That could be a tall order, however, given the results of a poll the Mint commissioned. According to the survey conducted by Gallup Organization, nearly all those questioned knew that Washington was the first president.

Fifty years ago, nine black students faced down a mob to integrate Little Rock Central High School. Now, they are being honored on a commemorative silver coin. The U.S. Mint introduced the coin Saturday at the NAACP's Daisy Bates Education Summit, which pays tribute to the Arkansas NAACP leader who served as advisor to the Little Rock Nine. One side of the $1 coin depicts a group of students being escorted by a soldier. It features the phrase "Desegregation in Education" and contains nine stars.

AS ANY SPORTS FAN knows, there's no better scientific method for settling a dispute than flipping a coin. As we hope the U.S. Mint knows, there's no better way to replace the outdated dollar bill than with the commemorative $1 coins introduced this week. The coins, which bear the images of U.S. presidents, are being touted as educational. But is there a numismatic hidden agenda? The Mint is discouraging any such speculation.

The U.S. Mint agreed to pay $9 million to female workers at its Denver plant who alleged their bosses demanded sex in exchange for promotions, harassed them, and retaliated when they complained. The deal must be approved by an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission judge. About 130 women could share in the settlement if it is approved, said Lynn Feiger, who represented the workers.

After nearly 100 years of depicting presidents in somber profile on the nation's coins, the U.S. Mint is trying something different: The 2006 nickel will feature Thomas Jefferson facing forward, with the hint of a smile. "It isn't a silly smile or a smirk, but a sense of optimism that I was trying to convey with the expression," said Jamie Franki, an art professor who created the design.

The U.S. Mint temporarily sold out of the new gold coins on the second day of sales because of an avalanche of orders from dealers. Sales were suspended until Oct. 27, when the mint expects to have another 100,000 ounces in freshly minted coins, Eugene Essner, deputy director of the mint, said. "The program has been a tremendous success beyond our expectations," he added.

It looks like George Washington might be a little jealous of all the attention Sacagawea is getting on the new $1 coin. One of the rare dollars, which are made at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, was discovered in Arkansas with the front of a Washington quarter and the back of a Sacagawea dollar. It is believed to mark the first error of its kind in the Mint's 208-year history--and the coin could fetch as much as $100,000, experts say. "It's ironic when you think that the U.S.

The U.S. Mint has seized 10 Double Eagle gold coins from 1933, among the rarest and most valuable coins in the world, that a jeweler says she turned in to determine their authenticity. Joan S. Langbord will file a lawsuit to try to recover them, her lawyer, Barry H. Berke, said Wednesday. Langbord found the coins among the possessions of her late father, longtime jeweler Israel Switt. She operates her father's business.

The U.S. Mint is putting special luster into a new gold coin, hoping to win a bigger share of international investment sales. It will be the first 24-karat gold bullion coin in U.S. history. The Mint announced Tuesday that it wants to begin selling the new coin by early next year with the goal of making it the best-selling such coin in the world. It would sell at prices far above face value, keyed to the world price of gold.