Does the U.S. Mint want to give up some or all of its duties to strike circulating coinage for all Americans?

Private firms already provide blanks to the U.S. Mint. Has the time come for the venerable institution to farm out the actual striking process as well?

Perhaps so.

There is some murmuring going on behind the scenes on Capitol Hill that the legislation being considered that would empower the Treasury Secretary to set the compositions and weights of the circulating coins is somehow being drawn up so that it is setting up a private firm to get a contract to strike coins.

How would collectors and others feel about this should the scuttlebutt prove to have some grain of truth in it?

As you might expect, I am paying close attention. More will be coming one way or another as Numismatic News explores this further.