SAM #2031JG26N00004

US Mint Seeks Coin Colorization Services for Numismatic Coins and Medals

The United States Mint is seeking industry sources for future coin colorization services to enhance numismatic coins and medals. - Government Buyer: - United States Mint Headquarters, Department of the Treasury - Products/Services Requested: - Coin colorization and enhancement services for numismatic coins and medals - Establishment of industry standards for colorization, including artwork preparation, pre-press plates, and defect identification - Printing on a wide range of coin sizes and shapes (including curved and square coins) - Printing on various metals: 99.9% silver, 90% silver/10% copper, 0.999 fine gold, cupronickel, and commercial bronze - Use of pad printing and/or inkjet processes with four-color process CYMK inks - Inks must be permanent, non-fading, non-corrosive, and safe for coin surfaces (with safety data sheets required) - Capability to print on both proof and uncirculated coin finishes - Unique/Notable Requirements: - High durability and color fidelity of printed images - Adherence to strict material compatibility and safety standards - No specific OEMs or vendors are named in the notice - Place of Performance: - US Mint Headquarters, Washington, DC

Description

This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, request for proposal, or quotations, nor a promise to issue a solicitation in the future. The purpose of this Sources Sought is to seek sources and promote competition in future acquisitions. Respondents are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this Notice. All costs associated with responding to this Notice are solely at the responding parties' expense.

Respondents are solely responsible for properly marking and clearly identifying any trade secrets and commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential within their response. The U.S. Government will neither be liable for nor suffer any consequential damages resulting from any commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential not properly marked and clearly identified. Information received in response to this Notice will be safeguarded and handled in accordance with applicable statutes.

Requirements

Printing/Colorizing Program The contractor shall establish printing and other standards based on industry standards for colorization/enhancement of numismatic coins and medals. The contractor shall generate standards for artwork, pre-press plates, cliché plates, register of image printed on the coin, spoilage associated with mis-registered print on the coins. The contractor shall define all the defects in a story-board presentation that contribute to spoilage/rejected coin such as mis-register, incorrect color match, debris on coin, no ink transferred to the printing field, insufficient ink transferred to the printing field, streaks, picking, ink marring, etc., where any defect prevents the printed coin from meeting the acceptable standard of printing and acceptable ink colors. The contractor will work with samples provided by the United States Mint and provide typical or expected colorized coins for review and approval. This may be an iterative process involving one or more designs and/or types of coins.

Configuration of Coins Presented to Printing System The coins shall be presented to the printing system in trays to protect their surface appearance. These trays may or may not be used to feed coins into the printing system at the contractor’s discretion. The printing system shall use pad printing and/or inkjet process to provide high-quality printed images on the coins.

Coin Size & Metal While development may focus on several specific sizes and designs, the contractor shall be capable of printing on United States Mint coins that range in the current sizes listed below and any intermediate sizes. The contractor shall be able to print on both 99.9% silver composition as well as 90% silver and 10% copper, 0.999 fine gold coins, cupronickel surfaces, and 90% copper and 10% zinc (commercial bronze). The contractor shall be able to print on coins with either a proof or uncirculated finish, where the proof finish is “brilliant/shiny” and the uncirculated surface is a “matte” finish. Typically, United States Mint coins have a higher relief than those of other countries. The Contractor shall have the capability to print on the following denominations and coin sizes, including any intermediate sizes: Denomination          Coin diameter (in.)          Coin thickness (in.) Five dollar gold   0.850   0.069 Ten Dollar gold   1.063   0.085 One dollar Silver   1.500   0.109 One ounce silver   1.598   0.120 One ounce gold   1.287   0.118 ½ ounce gold   1.063   0.087 ¼ ounce gold   0.866   0.070 1/10 ounce gold   0.650   0.049 5 ounce silver   3.000   0.160 Quarter   0.955 Half-dollar   1.205 Dollar   1.043 3 inch Medal   3.000   0.375 2.5 ounce silver medal   1.99   0.16 1-½ inch Medal   1.500   0.125 1-5/16 inch Medal   1.3125   0.125

Coin Shape The contractor shall be capable of printing on a curved, concave/convex coin and a square-shaped coin. The United States Mint previously manufactured a curved coin in 2014, the “Baseball Hall of Fame” commemorative coin, and currently the Apollo 11 commemorative coins. Coin curvature of future coins may vary from the curvature used for previous coins manufactured by the United States Mint.

Coin Print Durability The printed image shall adhere permanently on the surface of the coin for its entire life. The color shall not fade nor contribute to tarnish or corrosion of the coins. Typically, collector coins and medals are stored in boxes or presentation cases.

Selective Inking Contractor shall prepare an inking transfer mechanism to selectively apply one or more inks to the printing image area on the coin’s surface, conforming to the specific artwork file provided for that size/design.

Printing The contractor shall employ pad printing to print colors/images on the coin in accordance with industry best practices for colorizing/printing on numismatic coins. The printing inks shall be four-color process CYMK colors. The inks shall be completely dried after printing. Safety Data Sheets (formerly MSDS sheets) shall be provided for the printing inks.

Submissions: Responses to this Notice shall include the following: a. General: Company Name Street Address, City, State, and Zip Code Point of Contact (POC) for both technical and non-technical questions along with their contact information. b. Specific Capability and Technical/Product Information: A discussion of the company's capability to supply coin colorization that meets the requirements specified above. Technical/Product information (e.g., literature, documentation, etc.) for each type of label for which the company is capable of supplying, including information on where the product will be manufactured. d. Customer list: A reference list of customers currently using coin colorization. The point of contact for this Notice is: Linnea Holt Contracting Officer Office of Procurement Management and Operations Branch 801 9th St, NW Washington, DC 20220 P (202) 380-7624 E-Mail: linnea.holt@usmint.treas.gov

Brief responses to this Notice shall be sent via email to the point of contact listed above by no later than 12 PM Eastern Standard Time, May 26, 2026. This Notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. All costs associated with responding to this Notice are solely at the responding party's expense. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Further, the Government may contact the vendor for additional information regarding the information submitted as part of this market research effort. Any organization responding to this Notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed. Information provided will be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for the potential requirement and may lead to the development of a solicitation.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract or agreement. The USM will not be obligated to pursue any particular acquisition alternative as a result of this notice. Responses to the notice will not be returned.

Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if one is issued. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. If so, respondents are solely responsible for properly marking and identifying such information within their response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).

View original listing