So far this year, three of the five designs of America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Coins for 2013 have been released by the United States Mint.
Great Basin National Park Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin
Newest are the uncirculated 2013-P Great Basin National Park Five Ounce Silver Coins. This Coin News Extra article compares how starting sales for it compare to past issues since 2012. It also offers current sales of the companion bullion silver coins.
Before jumping to the sales, a quick description is in order on how the collector and investment versions differ. Both share identical designs — that of the obverse and reverse of Great Basin National Park Quarters, the 18th overall release in the America the Beautiful Quarters® Program. The silver coins obviously are much larger with their 3-inch diameter and five-ounce weight. Additionally, the coins are different from the quarters in that they carry edge inscriptions of their weight and purity — ".999 FINE SILVER 5.0 OUNCE." Quarters have reeded edges.
There is also a difference between the collector uncirculated coin and investor bullion coin. Both are produced at the Philadelphia Mint but only the collector uncirculated coin has a "P" mint mark to denote the Mint. Also, the bullion coin has a brilliant finish whereas the uncirculated coin has a satin finish. Finally, they are sold differently. Collector ATB uncirculated coins may be ordered directly from US Mint website (www.usmint.gov). They are currently $154.95. The investment ATB bullion coins must be purchased through secondary market sources like coin and precious metals dealers. They are typically priced a few percentage points above the melt value of their five ounces of silver.
The collector Great Basin uncirculated coin launched on July 25. It logged starting sales of 8,819. For comparison, debut sales for releases since 2012 follow. The latest sales are as of August 28, 2013.
| Numismatic ATB Uncirculated Silver Coins | Release Dates | Debut Sales* | Latest Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-P Great Basin National Park Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins | July 25, 2013 | 8,819 | 8,819 |
| 2013-P Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins | June 6, 2013 | 7,966 | 12,593 |
| 2013-P White Mountain National Forest Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins | May 16, 2013 | 10,605 | 17,009 |
| 2012-P El Yunque National Forest Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins | May 29, 2012 | 6,514 | 17,314 / Final |
| 2012-P Chaco Culture National Historic Park Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins | Jul 9, 2012 | 6,365 | 17,146 / Final |
| 2012-P Acadia National Park Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins | Aug 13, 2012 | 6,552 | 14,978 / Final |
| 2012-P Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins | Sept 24, 2012 | 9,186 | 14,863 / Final |
| 2012-P Denali National Park and Preserve Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins | Nov 5, 2012 | 6,905 | 15,225 / Final |
*Time periods for the first reported US Mint sales of 2012-dated ATB silver coins were either one week or one day shy of one week. The 2013-dated coins have debut sales periods from Thursday to the following Sunday.
The investor Great Basin bullion coin launched on June 24. It notched starting sales of 9,900. As of August 2, 2013, current or final sales for releases since 2012 include:
| Investor ATB Bullion Silver Coins | Latest Sales |
|---|---|
| 2013 Great Basin National Park Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins | 17,400 |
| 2013 Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins | 20,800 |
| 2013 White Mountain National Forest Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins | 29,900 |
| 2012 El Yunque National Forest Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins | 24,000 / Final |
| 2012 Chaco Culture National Historic Park Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins | 24,400 / Final |
| 2012 Acadia National Park Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins | 25,400 / Final |
| 2012 Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins | 20,000 / Final |
| 2012 Denali National Park and Preserve Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins | 20,000 / Final |
For always updated coin sales, visit the section of coin news dedicated to US Mint sales.
