A key coin from the United States Mint this year is the 2015-W Enhanced Uncirculated Native American dollar that’s only within the 2015 American $1 Coin and Currency Set. It’s the showpiece of the set; the main reason for spending $14.95 to get one. Sales of which, are at 62,445 as of Sunday. That’s up 10,840 from a week earlier and is 69.4% of the maxium 90,000.
Making them unique, coins of the set are struck by dies that had their details wire-brushed for brilliance and laser-frosted for contrast. This U.S. Mint color-coded graphic illustrates the resulting finishes:
In the die production stage, the fields and artwork are wire brushed. This step results in a base finish that is bright but without all the polished characteristics of a proof coin. A laser then passes over preprogrammed design elements and at different intensities to create two contrasting frost levels. The color key for the graphic above describes the three treatments:
- Red for areas left from the bright wire brushing finish,
- Orange for regions of standard laser frosting, and
- Green for areas of light laser frosting.
The enhanced uncirculated dollar is only the second from the series of Native American $1 Coins. The first was the 2014 dollar within last year’s 2014 American $1 Coin and Currency Set. That one was struck at the Denver Mint and featured a different reverse design. This year’s coin bears a design honoring the Mohawk Ironworkers and is made at the West Point Mint, which traditionally strikes only silver, gold and platinum coins.
In addition to the coin, the set includes a Series 2013 $1 Federal Reserve note from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Each has a starting serial number of ‘911’ in honor of the Mohawk Ironworkers recovery efforts after the collapse of the World Trade Center twin towers in 2001. As an added bonus for buyers of multiple sets, many are finding that the serial numbers on their bills are in sequential order.
The U.S. Mint’s product page for the set is right here.
