UPDATE 4/7/2017 9:22AM PST: For 2014-2017 boxes that have a sticker on the side that includes the designation “WPM”, PCGS believes that these boxes, regardless of their serial number, originated in West Point. Therefore, at this time, and until we receive further clarification from the U.S. Mint, we will not be attributing such boxes to Philadelphia or San Francisco.
Acting upon the original documents provided to Coin World in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) is pleased to announce that it will attribute certain 2014 through 2017 American Silver Eagles with a “mint mark” indicating where the coin was struck.
Officially, American Silver Eagles during this period were minted at the West Point Mint, and, in fact, most American Silver Eagles were struck at that branch.
However, due to high demand the U.S. Mint used the facilities in San Francisco and Philadelphia to augment the production of the West Point Mint.
Until now, the information about how many American Silver Eagles were made in each of the other branches has not been released to the public. Instead, the Mint’s figures officially reflected the total mintage, and listed those mintages as having been produced at West Point.
But now, the FOIA documents reveal a method of identifying where a given box of Silver Eagles was minted. Following this method, PCGS will attribute coins from such boxes as having been produced at the branch mint at which it was made.
For example, a Silver Eagle minted in Philadelphia in 2015 would be attributed “2015-(P)”. The mintage figures, and how to identify them, are set forth in the tables below.
*As of March 20, 2017
Owners of Mint-sealed boxes of American Silver Eagles from 2014 to 2017 can find the box number, which is written in black marker, and determine the specific branch mint.
Who will benefit from this? The businesses who can afford to buy boxes of ASE at wholesale prices, get them graded in bulk, then sell at a high premium. A quick search of EBay shows a 2015-P ASE being sold for just under $600, “21 sold” already, from a reputable dealer. There are too many surprises and new editions flooding the market, originating from major dealers. The modern coin era needs to slam on the brakes.