Mint Awards Firm Contract For Coinage

"The United States Mint has awarded a contract to Concurrent Technologies Corp. to research alternative metals for U.S. coinage.

Michael White, spokesman in the U.S. Mint Office of Public Affairs, said Aug. 18 that the Mint had given the Johnstown, Pa., nonprofit research organization "notice to proceed" so it can "begin working the contract."

According to a press release from the organization, Joseph R. Pickens, Concurrent Technologies Corp. chief scientist and technical lead for the new contract: "CTC will undertake studies to identify issues with current coinage materials and recommend potential alternative metallic materials for future coins. Our metallurgists will consider a wide range of coinage alloys and fabrication processes and propose their best recommendations to the United States Mint."

The firm states in the press release: "In its recommendations to the United States Mint, CTC will address various factors, such as the effect of new metallic coinage materials on the current suppliers of coinage materials; the acceptability of new metallic materials; costs of metallic material, fabrication, minting, and distribution; metallic material availability and sources of raw metals; coinability; durability; effect on sorting, handling, packaging and vending machines; appearance; risks to the environment or public safety; resistance to counterfeiting; and commercial and public acceptance."

Rising costs, new authority

Rising metals costs in recent years have driven the costs of making cents and 5-cent coins above the coins' face values."

The rest of the article can be found below:

http://www.coinworld.com/articles/m...rch-alterna/