By CoinWeek Staff Reports ….
With the beginning of the second quarter of calendar year 2018 less than a week away (and Spring already here; what, can’t you tell?), we thought we’d take a look at how the year’s major numismatic releases from the United States Mint are faring. We take a look at sales figures as reported by the Mint (3/25) and, when applicable, population reports from PCGS and NGC. We also glance at recent eBay sales to see roughly how much the certified coins are going for on the secondary market.
WWI Veterans Centennial Proof Silver Dollar
The 2018 World War I American Veterans Centennial Commemorative Silver Dollar Proof Coin and related coin and medal sets went on sale January 17. As of March 25, the Mint has sold 42,659 individual Proof (W) and 16,889 Uncirculated (P) dollars for a total of 59,548 units.
However, the mintage limit of 350,000 pieces is across all product options, so for a perhaps more complete picture of what’s out there we must take coin and medal set sales into account. The following is the Mint’s most recent tally:
- Army: 15,283
- Air Services: 12,189
- Navy: 12,063
- Marines: 12,315
- Coast Guard: 9,519
- TOTAL: 61,369
These numbers are actually down from the previous week’s figures. World War I Coin & Silver Medal Sets were only available from the Mint for a limited time (sales stopped February 20), and so fluctuations in sales represent a combination of returns and canceled and incomplete orders.
Regardless, each coin and medal set features a Proof WWI Centennial silver dollar, so the total mintage currently stands at 120,917 across all products – almost 35% of the maximum.
If we limit ourselves to the top two numerical grades for the issue (and throughout the rest of the article), then we see a total of 590 at Proof 69 (PCGS: 277, NGC: 313) and 2,531 at Proof 70 (PCGS: 1,678, NGC: 853).
At the time of publication, no eBay sales of certified WWI commemorative dollars had ended.
2018 World War I American Veteran Commemorative products are still available directly from the Mint’s online catalog for a retail price of $56.95. There are no household order limits.
Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Proofs
Of course the big release this month was the 2018 Breast Cancer Awareness Gold, Silver and Clad Commemorative Coin program, which went on sale March 15. The Mint scheduled both of its two annual commemorative programs for release at the beginning of the year so as to better accommodate coin dealers, per the second U.S. Mint Forum back in October of 2017.
After the first two weeks of availability, here are the current sales numbers from the Mint:
- Gold $5 Proof: 6,560
- Gold $5 Uncirculated: 3,047
- TOTAL: 9,607
- Silver $1 Proof: 19,929
- Silver $1 Uncirculated: 8,144
- TOTAL: 28,073
- Clad Half Dollar Proof: 11,886
- Clad Half Dollar Uncircualted: 7,073
- TOTAL: 18,959
For comparison’s sake, below are first-day sales for the Breast Cancer Awareness issues according to the Mint’s Director of Corporate Communications Michael White. Keep in mind that almost all new numismatic releases from the U.S. Mint see the largest amount of sales the first day:
- Gold $5 Proof: 4,176
- Gold $5 Uncirculated: 2,116
- Silver $1 Proof: 12,479
- Silver $1 Uncirculated: 5,478
- Clad Half Dollar Proof: 8,435
- Clad Half Dollar Uncirculated: 5,094
The pink gold $5 coin has a mintage limit of 50,000 across all options, meaning the 9,607 total above represents a little over 19% of the max. The silver dollar, with a mintage limit of 400,000, has sold about seven percent of its possible run. The clad half has sold not quite three percent.
As far as certified populations, PCGS census information was not available at the time of writing. For Proof 69, NGC reports 66 for the gold $5, 70 for the silver $1 and two for the clad half dollar. For Proof 70, NGC lists 370 gold, 133 silver, and 144 clad.
Like the WWI Centennial dollar, no auctions for certified examples had ended on eBay at the time of writing (though there are plenty of pre-sales of coins in special pink holders). All Breast Cancer Awareness commemoratives are still available directly from the Mint; the pink gold $5 Proof coin retails for $431, the Proof silver dollar sells for an introductory price of $51.95 , and the clad Proof half dollar goes for an intro price of $27.95.
Regular pricing for the Proof and Uncirculated silver dollar ($56.95) and the Proof and Uncirculated clad half ($32.95) goes into effect starting April 16.
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Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the Mint’s major numismatic precious metal coins, including (naturally) the Proof Gold and Silver Eagles
