On Friday, March 1, 2013, the last of the five 2012 America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins sold out with United States Mint distributors grabbing the final quantities of Chaco Culture coins.
Ironically, still available are three of the 2011-dated ATB silver bullion coins. And, the 2013-dated issues are yet to be released.
On standby, this year’s bullion and collector five ounce issues have not been released as the United States Mint is deciding on mintages. A look at sales and eventual mintages of America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins helps explain.
| Sales of 2010 – 2012 America the Beautiful 5 Oz Silver Bullion Coins | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sales | Mintage / Notes | |
| 2012 El Yunque National Forest | 24,000 | Sold Out |
| 2012 Chaco Culture National Historical Park | 24,400 | Sold Out |
| 2012 Acadia National Park | 25,400 | Sold Out |
| 2012 Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park | 20,000 | Sold Out |
| 2012 Denali National Park | 20,000 | Sold Out |
| 2011 Gettysburg Military Park | 126,700 | Sold Out |
| 2011 Glacier National Park | 126,700 | Sold Out |
| 2011 Olympic National Park | 104,900 | 126,700 |
| 2011 Vicksburg National Military Park | 58,100 | 126,700 |
| 2011 Chickasaw Recreation Area | 48,700 | 126,700 |
| 2010 Hot Springs National Park | 33,000 | Sold Out |
| 2010 Yellowstone National Park | 33,000 | Sold Out |
| 2010 Yosemite National Park | 33,000 | Sold Out |
| 2010 Grand Canyon National Park | 33,000 | Sold Out |
| 2010 Mount Hood National Forest | 33,000 | Sold Out |
*Sales are as of March 7, 2013.
As the table of sales show, sellouts of the America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins have occurred at widely different mintage levels. The debuting ATB silver coins in 2010 were limited to 33,000, largely a result of their late production start as the Mint had never produced a three-inch diameter coin weighing five ounces. They sold out quickly.
The U.S. Mint ramped up 2011 mintages to 127,700 for each silver bullion coin due to the rapid sellouts of the 2010’s. The first two coins sold out fairly quickly but then demand fell strongly from there. The U.S. Mint responded in 2012 by trimming mintages of the year’s bullion coins to between 20,000 and 25,400 and they all sold. Now the Mint must decide where to set the mintages for the 2013 coins.
ATB Silver Bullion Coins Sold at Discount
To cut inventory of the remaining 2011-dated coins, the U.S. Mint is offering them at a discount to its network of distributors. Instead of the normal $9.75 per coin charge above spot silver, the Mint is selling them for $8 per coin over spot. This has boosted their sales significantly, as seen in February 2013 sales results.
The U.S. Mint also produces collector uncirculated versions of the five ounce coins. Along with the different finish, they carry a "P" mint mark signifying their production at the U.S. Mint facility in Philadelphia. As of this writing, two of the 2012 five ounce uncirculated coins are for sale, with the other three sold out. The U.S. Mint sells collector coins directory to the public through their website at http://www.usmint.gov/catalog.
For information on upcoming coins in the series, also see the site about ATB silver coins.
