The United States Mint on Tuesday at noon ET launched the Yellowstone National Park 5 Oz Silver Uncirculated Coin with little to no reported incidents. The Yellowstone coin is priced at $279.95 and has a mintage limit of 27,000, like all of the 2010-dated strikes that will be sold in 2011.
Those who placed online orders early did experience some processing slowness, but not to the level seen during the first few hours of the April 28 release of the Hot Springs National Park 5 Oz Silver Uncirculated Coin which actually brought the Mint’s website down.
Back then, buyers snapped up over 70% of the Hot Springs issue by mid-evening. However, it eventually took two weeks before they sold out and new orders went to a waiting list. That was longer than anticipated, but it likely helped smooth the release of the Yellowstone coin as collectors realized its immediate sell out was not likely and that there was no need to rush to the Mint’s website to place an order.
As a precaution, the United States Mint did place a familiar message on its storefront about possible order delays and its waiting list.
"Because of the anticipated demand for the coins, we expect that our online catalog ordering system will be much slower than usual and may encounter periods of down time. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience and ask them to be patient during this time," the Mint’s online store states.
"The United States Mint will institute a ‘waiting list’ for orders beyond the maximum mintage. We may, however, be unable to post notification of a waiting list status in a timely manner so that the customer knows of this status prior to placing the order. When an order is placed on a waiting list, you will receive an order receipt, but it is not a guarantee that you will receive your order."
The Yellowstone silver uncirculated coin is the second in the United States Mint America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin series which, along with the America the Beautiful Quarters® and the companion 5-ounce bullion versions, honors national parks and sites throughout the United States and its territories.
The 3-inch, .999 fine silver coin may be purchased online at the United States Mint website at http://www.usmint.gov or by calling its toll free number 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). There is a one per household order limit in place for the first week of its release.
