America The Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Coins Regain Popularity
The United States Mint’s Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins See Sales Burst
Sales of the U.S. Mint’s ‘other’ silver bullion coin, the American The Beautiful (ATB) coin have surpassed all sales totals since 2011. After the release of four of the five scheduled coins for 2016, sales of ATB coins have topped all prior year sales other than 2011’s sales.
The U.S. Mint has sold record amounts of one ounce American Silver Eagle coins from 2013-2015, selling over 133 million ounces. In contrast, sales of five ounce ATB coins from 2013 – 2015 were just 508,000 reflecting 2,540,000 ounces of silver sold.
Through mid-September, however, sales of ATB coins are 246,100 reflecting 1,230,500 ounces of silver, or more than all other years’ entire mintages save 2011’s. Sales of ATB coins through September 14, are second only to 2011’s sales of 465,100 coins reflecting 2,325,500 ounces of silver sold.
Perhaps the renewed interest in the ATB silver coin series has been piqued by the innovative 2016 designs. So far this year, the U.S. Mint has released four coins with the following designs: Shawnee National Forest, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The highly anticipated Fort Moultrie (Fort Sumter National Monument) ATB coin will be released later this year.
Sales of ATB coins are issued in mintages authorized by the U.S. Treasury. Historically, other than in 2011 when a few coins had mintages over 100,000, most ATB coins have been issued in mintages ranging from 20,000-50,000. Earlier this year, the first ATB coin of the five scheduled ATB coins, the Shawnee National Forest Coin, sold 105,000, making it the third best selling ATB in the coin’s history and the only coin outside of the 2011 mintages to sell over 100,000.
The Cumberland Gap Historical Park coin sold 75,000 and the Harper’s Ferry coin sold 34,600. To date 30,000 Theodore Roosevelt National Park coins have been sold.
The most recent coin in the ATB series is Theodore Roosevelt National Park coin. The reverse of the coin depicts Theodore Roosevelt on horseback pausing to survey his North Dakota surrounding near the Little Missouri River.
What’s Coming?
The final coin in the 2016 ATB series is the Fort Moultrie (Fort Sumter National Monument) that is scheduled for launch in mid November.
More about the American The Beautiful Silver Coin Series
Each year since 2010, the U.S. Mint has produced five different designs of America the Beautiful coins. The reverse of the ATB coins features various depictions of U.S. National Parks or other national sites. The obverse of the ATB coins looks like a U.S. quarter featuring a portrait of George Washington. Indeed, the ATB series includes U.S. quarters intended for general circulation with face values of twenty five cents that are produced in the same design as their five ounce silver commemorative counterparts.
The America The Beautiful five ounce silver coins were authorized in 2008 under Public Law 110-456. The ATB coins are five ounces of .999 fine silver and are exact replicas of the designs of the America the Beautiful quarters ($.25) minted for general circulation. The ATB five ounce silver coins even have stamped on them “quarter dollar” on the obverse. ATB five ounce coins are the first five ounce silver coins ever produced by the U.S. Mint.
The ATB quarter program is a 12-year initiative that will honor 56 national parks and other national sites by 2020.
This article by BGASC is not, and should not be regarded as, investment advice or as a recommendation regarding any particular course of action.