The children of Anita Lucero and Amanda Gonzalez don't know it yet, but they're poised to become coin collectors.

And their mothers are banking that the new golden dollar bearing George Washington's image released Thursday will get things rolling.

"Well, he's 2, so he doesn't know that he has a collection yet, but yes, he does," Lucero said while procuring a Washington dollar coin for her son.

Gonzalez, an expectant mother, rubbed her stomach while envisioning all of the coins her child would collect.

Lucero and Gonzalez were among the hundreds of people who showed up at Rocky Mountain Coin, 538 S. Broadway, to get a complimentary dollar before the store began selling them at noon.

"Here for the dollar?" said store manager Charlie Rockney, greeting the steady flow of people. "There it is right there. It's got your name on it."

By 10 a.m., Rockney estimated that they had given out more than 800 coins to promote the new dollar.

"Sometimes you just want to do something good for a change," he said.

The coin is the first to be released as part of the United States Mint Presidential Coin Program, which will feature former presidents.

Coins will be released during the next 10 years, featuring presidents in the order they were in office. The collection is scheduled to end with Gerald Ford.

Here's a quiz to test your coin-collecting knowledge

1. The number of President Washington coins in circulation is:

A. 300 million

B. 15,000

C. 2 million

D. Nobody knows yet because a large portion was used to test them on parking meters

2. The next coin in the presidential series, featuring President John Adams, will be released:

A. In a year

B. In 2 months

C. In approximately 3 months

D. When the Chicago Cubs win the World Series

3. The Washington coin is gold, but subsequent coins will be:

A. Red and white with a touch of blue around the edge

B. All coins will be gold

C. Silver

D. Silver, then gold

4. The coins are being released because:

A. Excessive complaints that dollar bills weren't working in vending machines

B. Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005

C. To commemorate the redesign of the Rocky Mountain News

D. All of the above

5. The size of the coin is:

A. Same as the Sacagawea dollar

B. Slightly bigger than the Sacagawea coin

C. It varies because the coin contains unique alloy that allows it to change size depending on the weather

D. The size of a nickel

6. A roll of 25 dollar coins sold at Rocky Mountain Coin costs:

A. $50

B. Free

C. $25

D. $30

7. The only president in the series to be honored with two coins is:

A. Abraham Lincoln because he was president during the Civil War

B. Ronald Reagan because of heavy lobbying by Rush Limbaugh and other hero- worshippers

C. Trick question. No president will have two coins.

D. Grover Cleveland because he is the only president to serve nonconsecutive terms

8. If any president after Gerald Ford is to be honored with a coin, he/she must:

A. Be elected with 75 percent of the vote

B. Be dead for two years

C. Show a strong desire to be on the coin during presidential term

D. Fix the federal budget deficit and prevent the Social Security system from collapsing

Answers: 1. A 2. C 3. B 4. B 5. A 6. D 7. D 8. BSource Of Correct Answers: The United States Mint And Rocky Mountain Coin

morenoi@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2895

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