Here's a link that will interest the Sacagawea $1 collectors here; www.coinworld.com/news/091701/news-2.asp . Aidan.
Phew, I thought by the title that you were going to be a non-collector and refer to them (the Sacagaweas) as gold! This reference was a relief!
My question is "What kind of mission could possibly require 12 gold proof Sacs to be taken into space?" As for the other 27... Intergalactic Black Market. Perhaps one day one of those tall, skinny chaps from Close Encounters will visit and attempt to auction one off... Of course, he'll be arrested and forced to split the auction fee + $1 to monetize the coin with the Mint.
My question is "what kind of mission could possibly be done to have 12 gold proof Sacs taken outof space?" Speedy
Coin: Just so that we could talk about them, and for the promotion for the issuance of the Saca's, and to encourage their use. As you can see, the promotion was a rousing success, I have several Saca's folded into my wallet as we speak.
Guess my joke wasn't as funny as I thought. I just figured that since Superman wouldn't carry a wallet, his alter ego of Clark Kent was the only guy who could carry coins folded in his wallet.
I think the mint should have created some of lesser gold, mixed them in with all the production strikes and told the public that there were gold ones mixed in and could be identified by some mark or something. I bet that would encourage circulation.
I doubt that would encourage circulation so much as it would encourage greater hoarding. Collectors would learn what to search for, but the average person would have just heard something about real gold ones out there and would simply keep every one they got... just in case.