Godspeed Strikes Gold, Silver in Philadelphia

WILLIAMSBURG, Va., June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Mint will unveil the four designs chosen for the Jamestown 400th Anniversary commemorative coin program on Friday, June 16, as part of the opening day ceremony welcoming the Godspeed and her Landing Party Festival to Penn's Landing in Philadelphia.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051111/DCF015LOGO )

The unveiling ends a 22-month design process that started when President Bush signed into law legislation introduced by Virginia's U.S. Senator John Warner and U.S. Representative Jo Ann Davis of Virginia authorizing the design, production and sale of 100,000 $5 Gold coins and 500,000 silver Dollar coins honoring the 1607 founding of Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. Along with Senator Warner and Representative Davis, U.S. Senator George Allen and Virginia's congressional delegation co-sponsored the coin legislation and worked for its approval.

"These gold and silver coins marking America's 400th Anniversary will honor Jamestown's role in establishing the great American traditions of free enterprise, representative government and cultural diversity," U.S. Senator Warner said.

Added Representative Davis, "It's fitting that one of Jamestown Settlement's most enduring symbols, a reproduction of the ship that carried early 17th-century settlers from England to America, will sit in the background as United States Mint officials unveil the designs that honor her voyage and the community that formed as a result."

The Jamestown 2007 Steering Committee and the National Park Service chose four designs -- one for each side of the two coins -- out of a total of 98 that were prepared at their request by the United States Mint's Sculptors/Engravers. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizens Coin Advisory Committee endorsed the designs, which were then submitted to Treasury Secretary John Snow who approved them. His approval clears the way to produce the coins for sale in 2007.

Proceeds from the sale of the coins will support America's 400th Anniversary commemorative events, and the organizations that run Jamestown Settlement and Historic Jamestowne -- the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, the National Park Service and APVA Preservation Virginia.

Philadelphia is the third of six stops on Godspeed's 80-day goodwill tour, which includes visits to Alexandria, Baltimore, New York, Boston and Newport, RI. Godspeed's sail launched America's 400th Anniversary, an 18-month series of events and programs honoring the 1607 founding of Jamestown. Godspeed's home berth is Jamestown Settlement, a living-history museum adjacent to the site of the original fort. Visit http://www.americas400thanniversary.com/ for dates the Godspeed will be in each port city this summer.

Jamestown 2007, a sub-agency of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, is coordinating efforts to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. Jamestown is where the nation's traditions of representative government, free enterprise and multi-cultural society were established. State, national, and international commemorative events to salute these legacies began in May 2006 and continue into 2008. Major corporate sponsors of America's 400th Anniversary include Norfolk Southern Corporation , Colonial Williamsburg and Verizon . More information about the commemoration is available at http://www.americas400thanniversary.com/.

Contact: Kevin Crossett (757) 253-4534 kevin.crossett@jyf.virginia.gov Robin Crawford (202) 974-5025 crawfordr@ruderfinn.com