The United States Mint today published images of the 2017 $25 American Palladium Eagle, the first issue in a new annual series of American Eagle bullion coins. Earlier this week, the agency announced that it would launch the coin program on Sept. 25.
Coin obverses offer a high-relief rendition of sculptor Adolph A. Weinman’s Winged Liberty Head design for the dime struck in 1916. It shows a left-profile portrait of Lady Liberty wearing a winged Phrygian cap. Many mistook the image as the Roman messenger god Mercury so coins bearing the design were soon called "Mercury dimes." Surrounding the portrait are inscriptions of LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, 2017 and Weinman’s overlapping ‘AW’ initials.
Reverses bear a high-relief version of Weinman’s 1907 American Institute of Architects (AIA) medal design with inscriptions of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 1 OZ. Pd .9995 FINE, E PLURIBUS UNUM and $25 for the coin’s legal tender face value. The bullion piece is produced at the Philadelphia Mint but, as with other U.S. Mint bullion coins, it has no mint mark.
Bullion American Palladium Eagles are being made available through the U.S. Mint’s network of Authorized Purchasers. AP’s consist of major coin and precious metals wholesalers, brokerage firms, banks, and other participating financial intermediaries. They will pay a 6.25% premium over the prevailing price of palladium to receive an allocated supply of the coins before reselling them to other dealers and the public.
Palladium prices are trading historically high near $906 an ounce but they have fallen about 4% from the 16-1/2-year high reached in late August. Today, dealers are pre-selling Palladium Eagle’s for roughly $150-$200 over spot with discounts offered when buying them at higher quantities.
CoinNews will publish photos of American Palladium Eagles after their release.
