The 8-8-08 Double Prosperity Set will be launched on
August 1, 2008. The number "8" is traditionally associated with
wealth and prosperity in Asian cultures. Furthermore, this date only
occurs once every 100 years.
The set contains two one-half ounce gold coins, an American Eagle
Uncirculated Gold Coin and an American Buffalo Uncirculated Gold
Coin. The coins will be packaged in an elegant hardwood box and
accompanied by a custom-designed certificate of authenticity signed by
the Director of the United States Mint.
This is the second product in the United States Mint Celebration
Series. As part of this new initiative, the United States Mint is
introducing various numismatic coin products that are packaged and
positioned to celebrate special gift-giving occasions and celebratory
events.
Designs: The American Buffalo Gold Uncirculated Coin’s
obverse and reverse designs feature images originally prepared by
noted American sculptor James Earle Fraser, a student of Augustus
Saint-Gaudens, for the redesign of America’s 5-cent coin (nickel).
The American Eagle Uncirculated Gold Coin’s obverse design features
a rendition of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ full-length figure of Liberty
with flowing hair, holding a torch in her right hand and an olive
branch in her left. The reverse design, by sculptor Miley Busiek,
features a male eagle carrying an olive branch flying above a nest
containing a female eagle and her hatchlings.
