Collectors can soon order the first of the five 2013 America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins™. Prices and preliminary release dates for the numismatic products have been unveiled by the United States Mint.
Prices for each of the coins will be $179.95, though that is subject to change should the market value of silver fluctuate greatly. Release dates may also change, but they are not likely to move much with four months of this year already past.
The US Mint plans to issue the five ounce silver coins in intervals throughout the year. Those intervals will be shorter for the first releases. Scheduled release dates for the five 2013 America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins are as follows:
- 5/16/13 – White Mountain National Forest 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin
- 6/6/13 – Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin
- 6/27/13 – Great Basin National Park 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin
- August 2013 – Ft. McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin
- November 2013 – Mt. Rushmore National Memorial 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin
These release dates are a major revision from the preliminary 2013 product schedule announced by the Mint late last year. Back then it indicated that the first of the 2013-dated coins would become available in February. However, the US Mint pulled all five coins from its schedule at the end of January with an explanation that it was reevaluating mintage levels. As of this writing, the mintages per coin have not been published, but this article will be updated with them when they are.
Update on Mintages: The new product page for the first 2013 White Mountain National Forest 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin shows a mintage of 25,000, which is the same as last year’s coins though production levels never actually reached that high. This mintage would likely carry through to the other releases for this year without significant market changes.
America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins are struck as the numismatic versions of the investment-grade America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins. The uncirculated coins are sold directly to the public by the United States Mint whereas the bullion coins are sold through the Mint’s network of authorized purchasers.
Both series of coins contain the same basic obverse and reverse imagery as designed for the America the Beautiful Quarters® Program. This includes a common obverse portrait of George Washington, by John Flanagan, and unique reverses for each coin that are emblematic of a selected site of national interest from around the United States and its territories.
The collector grade coins feature an uncirculated satin finish and a Philadelphia Mint "P" mint mark. This differs from the bullion coins which are also struck in Philadelphia but contain no mint mark and have a brilliant finish.
