Christmas is over, but it reminded me of an acquaintance I knew for many years. This person loved giving gifts but couldn't handle the suspense of waiting. She would buy presents for people in November, and come early December, she couldn't stand them not knowing what she purchased so she would just give them to the recipients unwrapped, weeks before the holiday. It was a curious and confusing habit — nothing left for Christmas morning.

I thought of that this week when the U.S. Mint sent out a notice announcing the release of a five-coin proof set of the 2014 America the Beautiful quarters. These are the current quarters created on the heels of the wildly successful 50 State Quarters issued some years ago.

The thing is, the circulating varieties of these five 2014 quarters haven't yet been released. They will be one-at-a-time throughout the year. So, why is the Mint pulling back the curtain on all of them so early? No clue. Happily, they do look great and are nicely reflective of some of the cool national parks and historic destinations in the U.S. They will be great additions to the series.

While the silver proof set may be available now, I'll wait to feature each individually as they are released into circulation. After all, if you can't find them in your change, what fun is it?

I've heard from many readers and collectors that they can have difficulty finding modern collectible coins, such as the new American the Beautiful quarters, in their change. Here are two solutions. First, wait a month or so after the release date. Whether struck at the Philadelphia or Denver Mints, it takes many weeks for the coins to filter into general circulation.

Second, become a Transportation Security Administration officer assigned to a major U.S. airport. According to that agency, in 2013, over $500,000 in loose change was left at the various security screening areas. It seems passengers are just too busy (or running late) to retrieve the coins they place in the plastic holders. Talk about a gold mine of all coins.

For conspiracy theorists that will suspect these government employees are snagging the ill-gotten gains for their own use, the coins are instead going to the Aviation Security Fund, which is used to translate airport signs into other languages. At least, that's what they say. Hmmmm.

One type of coin that's not destined to end up in the TSA bins is one slated to be released early this spring. For this, I'm happy to offer a sneak peak.

Similar to a select number of postage stamps it's a coin that is sure to appeal to a huge number of Americans. The stamps I refer to commemorate Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and other baseball greats. While these seemingly common stamps were issued in massive numbers, most were purchased by companies that produced limited-edition framed souvenirs. Consequently, the stamps became scarce and rose quantifiably in value.

The soon-to-be-released coin also involves the immortal game of baseball. It will commemorate the National Baseball Hall of Fame. But, there's something MUCH more intriguing. On one side of the coin, a baseball is depicted. On the other side is the inside of a baseball glove. Note: both of those objects are curved. That's the intrigue!

The baseball coins to be struck in copper/nickel, silver and gold will actually be curved in a convex/concave fashion. The ball side will curve outward, and the glove inward. It will be the first such coin ever created in the U.S.

It's a safe bet the coins will debut well in advance of opening day. It's also likely that with as few as 50,000 gold coins and just 400,000 silver coins being made, they are destined to sell out in no time.

I'll keep you posted as to when they might be expected. For fear of missing out on the release, I figured this was a gift worth opening sooner than later.

Editor's Note: A JPEG visual of the pending gold baseball coin has been sent with this column.

To find out more about Peter Rexford and features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.