U.S. Olympic Coin Could Be Worth A Mint

When an official of the U.S. mint gave the city a commemorative Olympic coin on Tuesday, Mayor Bill Campbell joked that he’d rather have a check.

Thanks to the Mint’s Olympic coin program, organizers of the Atlanta Games did get a check. For $21.3 million.

The Atlanta Games coin program is on a pace to set a record for the Olympic program, said Philip Diehl, director of the mint. Coins worth $75 million have been sold in the first seven months of the Atlanta program.

“Until this year, the 1984 Los Angeles program was our most successful Olympic venture ever,” Diehl said. “The Atlanta program is outpacing it by a wide margin.”

The check was the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games’ share of the proceeds.

Eight 1995-dated coins are on sale now and another eight will be offered in 1996. Though the coins have been sold mainly to collectors, they are on sale at general retail outlets.