The Nation : Coins Held Underweight

Rep. Frank Annunzio (D-Ill.) in a statement accused the U.S. Mint of selling millions of underweight half-ounce or smaller gold coins before quietly correcting the problem. But Mint Director Donna Pope called Annunzio’s charge “an irresponsible distortion of the truth.” For the first time in 50 years, the Mint last year began selling gold coins called Eagles in one-ounce, half-ounce, quarter-ounce and one-tenth of an ounce denominations. Annunzio, chairman of the House consumer affairs and coinage subcommittee, said that while the one-ounce coin is the proper weight, smaller coins were produced on an “average weight,” meaning that some coins weighed less than the required amount.