With the distribution of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray quarter into circulation beginning on January 2, the United States Mint inaugurates its schedule of releases for the year 2024. And over the rest of the month, the U.S. Mint will be offering collectors the chance to buy products from four different numismatic coin programs.
2024 American Silver Eagle 1oz Proof Coin
The 2024 American Eagle 1oz Silver Proof Coin becomes available on January 16, both as an individual coin and as part of the Mint’s annual Congratulations Set.
Struck at the West Point Mint, each 2024 American Silver Eagle Proof coin consists of one troy ounce of 99.9% pure silver. The 2024 Silver Eagle is the fourth year of issue for the Type 2 reverse designed by U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) artist Emily Damstra and sculpted by Mint Medallic Artist Michael Gaudioso. The obverse design–an adaptation of Adolph A. Weinman’s classic Liberty Walking design, which graced the obverse of the half dollar from 1916 through 1947–was also “refurbished” in 2021 to get closer to Weinman’s original work, using improved computer technology. The Walking Liberty obverse has featured on the U.S. Mint’s bullion and Proof versions of the Silver Eagle since the coin’s debut in 1986. It’s reeded edge includes anti-counterfeiting variations.
There is no mintage or product limit for the 2024 1oz Proof Silver Eagle, though an order limit of 25 per household is in effect. The Mint’s initial retail price is $80.00 USD plus shipping, but shipping is free if ordered through the Mint’s subscription service.
The 2024 Congratulations Set includes a card and one Proof 2024 Silver Eagle and retails for $82.00. And while there’s no mintage limit since Silver Eagles are struck to demand until planchet supplies run out, there is a product limit of 55,000 Congratulations Sets and a household order limit of three. In the past, grading services have denoted “Congratulations Set” Silver Eagles on the insert label because the coin was struck at a branch mint other than the one that produced the regular Proof version, but this is not the case this year.
Congratulations Sets are also available with free shipping through the U.S. Mint’s coin subscription service. Both product options, when purchased via subscription, ship on January 16.
Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Program
As reported before, product options for the 2024 Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Program go on sale January 4. Celebrating the bicentennial of the birth of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, the program consists of a $5 gold coin, a silver dollar coin, and a clad half dollar coin; all three come in Proof and Uncirculated finishes.
$5 Gold
Consisting of 90% pure gold, the Proof and Uncirculated gold $5 coins honor Tubman’s life and achievements after her heroic efforts in the U.S. Civil War. Both coins are struck at the West Point Mint and feature the W mint mark. The obverse, which features a close-up of Tubman, was designed by AIP artist Chris Costello and sculpted by United States Mint Chief Engraver Joseph Menna. The reverse, which features a pair of hands grasping another hand, was created by AIP artist Benjamin Sowards and sculpted by Medallic Artist Eric David Custer.
There are mintage and product limits of 50,000 gold $5 coins across all finishes and product options, and an initial household order limit of one. At the time of writing, pricing is not yet available, but all gold, platinum and other non-silver precious metal numismatic products are priced according to the Mint’s pricing grid, which is updated every Wednesday based on then-current market prices.
$1 Silver
The silver dollar, which is made of 99.9% pure silver like the American Silver Eagle above, honors Tubman’s work on the Underground Railroad that moved enslaved people from the Southern United States to freedom in the North and Canada. The obverse, which features Tubman extending her hand to the viewer, was designed by AIP artist Beth Zaiken and sculpted by Medallic Artist Phebe Hemphill. The reverse, also created by Zaiken and sculpted by Medallic Artist Craig Campbell, features people in silhouette traveling to freedom at night over a pair of clasped arms.
The Proof silver dollar commemorative retails for $82.00, while the Uncirculated version goes for $77.00. Both coins are struck at the Philadelphia Mint and bear the P mint mark. There are mintage and product limits of 400,000 silver dollars across all finishes and product options, and no household order limits.
Half Dollar Clad
The clad half dollar commemorates Tubman’s activities for the Union Army during the Civil War. The obverse was designed by former Mint sculptor-engraver and current AIP designer Don Everhart and sculpted by Medallic Artist Renata Gordon. It features an imaginative rendition of Harriet Tubman at the 1863 Combahee River Raid in South Carolina, where she helped free over 700 people from slavery. The reverse was created by AIP artist Thomas Hipschen and sculpted by Medallic Artist John P. McGraw, and features Tubman in wartime dress.
The Proof clad half dollar sells for $49.00 and is struck at the San Francisco Mint; the Uncirculated half dollar retails for $47.00 and is struck at the Denver Mint. Beyond mintage and product limits of 750,000 coins across all finishes and options, there are no other limits to how many Harriet Tubman half dollars can be purchased per household.
Three-Coin Proof Set
Rounding out the purchase options is a three-coin Proof set consisting of one Proof gold $5, one Proof silver dollar, and one Proof clad half dollar. The U.S. Mint has set a product limit of 5,000 sets and an initial household order limit of one, with each coin in a set counting against the overall mintage limits of each denomination. On January 3, the United States Mint’s press office announced that 250 three-coin Harriet Tubman Proof sets will contain hand-signed Certificates of Authenticity (COA) by Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson.
2024 Native American and American Innovation Dollar Coins
And finally, the Mint will issue the latest entries in its two ongoing dollar coin series in January.
Native American Dollar – Centennial of the Indian Citizenship Act
Products featuring the 2024 Native American dollar will be available starting January 29. This year, the coin honors the centennial of the enactment of the Indian Citizenship Act on June 2, 1924, which gave U.S. citizenship to all Indians born within the territory of the United States. The obverse features Glenna Goodacre’s rendition of Sacagawea and her infant son Jean-Baptiste, common to all Native American and Sacagawea dollars since 2000. Designed by Phebe Hemphill, the 2024 reverse portrays an American Indian eagle staff alongside a United States flag to represent dual citizenship.
Options for purchase include 25-coin rolls struck at either Philadelphia (P) or Denver (D), which retail for $34.50; 100-coin bags (P or D), which retail for $117.50; and 250-coin boxes (P or D), which sell for $289.75. Collectors may wish to keep in mind that coins in U.S. Mint bags tend to make much more contact with each other than coins stored in boxes or rolls.
American Innovation Dollar – Illinois
The first American Innovation dollar for 2024, which honors the State of Illinois, comes out on January 25. The series celebrates significant scientific and cultural achievement from each state in the Union, with four coins issued annually. All Innovation dollars share a common obverse designed by AIP artist Justin Kunz and sculpted by Medallic Artist Phebe Hemphill that depicts the Statue of Liberty and a gear privy mark. The reverse of the 2024 Illinois dollar, designed by AIP artist Beth Zaiken and sculpted by Medallic Artist Renata Gordon, features a steel plow breaking up the prairie grass of the American Midwest.
Product options for the Illinois American Innovation dollar are similar to those for the 2024 Native American dollar, with 25-coin rolls (P or D) going for $34.50 and 100-coin bags (P or D) offered at $117.50. The option for 250-coin boxes of American Innovation dollars is not available.
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