Washington, DC — August 23, 2000– The United States Mint announced today that Allfirst Financial has made a major commitment to promote the use of the new Golden Dollar coin. Each of Allfirst’s 261 branches, which are located in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, DC and Northern Virginia, will routinely pay Golden Dollars in change to their customers.
Allfirst bank tellers will dispense Golden Dollars in change directly from their cash drawers just as they do with other currency. This ease of getting dollar coins into people’s hands demonstrates to consumers how convenient Golden Dollars are to use. Each branch has already ordered 4,000 Golden Dollars. Branches will order additional coins each week based on anticipated consumer demand.
“Strong business relationships with the banking industry are critical to making Golden Dollars easy to get and even easier to use,” said Jay Johnson, Director of the U.S. Mint. “The Mint is pleased that Allfirst has taken the lead to commit to routinely distribute Golden Dollars to its individual and business customers in all of its branches,” Johnson added.
Allfirst has also put together a large–scale promotional campaign for the bank and its services that will prominently feature Golden Dollars. In addition to giving the coin as change in daily transactions, customers opening a “Freedom” checking account will receive five Golden Dollars and will automatically be entered in a sweepstakes where the grand prize will be 10,000 Golden Dollars.
“The Mint is delighted that Allfirst is making the Golden Dollar the focus of its marketing program,” said Johnson. “We believe Allfirst’s efforts to make Golden Dollars widely available to its customers will increase awareness about the coin and boost coin usage. The Mint looks forward to working out similar arrangements with any other financial institution that is willing to make a similar commitment to the Golden Dollar,” Johnson added.
Allfirst will advertise the Golden Dollar promotion through print and radio ads, billboards, branch merchandising, allfirst.com, and ATM machines. Special promotional events will also be held by Allfirst on: September 9 at HERSHEYPARK near Harrisburg, PA; September 17 at the Adams Morgan Community Festival in Washington, DC; and in Baltimore, Maryland at a location to be determined. The events will include opportunities to exchange other currency for Golden Dollars, enter contests, and receive Allfirst and Golden Dollar promotional materials. By the end of August, the U.S. Mint will have produced just over a billion coins, more than the total number of Susan B. Anthony Dollar coins minted in that coin’s 21–year history.