By CoinWeek News Staff …..
The United States Mint has announced first-day sales totals for Presidential Silver Medals struck to honor George Washington and John Adams. The two silver medals debuted on August 16 at noon Eastern Time (ET), each priced at $39.95.
The Mint reported first day sales of 5,466 for the George Washington Silver Presidential Medal (S801) and 4,506 for the John Adams Silver Presidential Medal (S802).
The Medals
The first two Presidential Silver Medals released by the United States Mint feature a shared reverse.
Designed by John Reich, the design, originally used as a motif for the Indian Peace Medal series, features two clasped hands and an inscription that reads “PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP”. The hand on the left represents the American government, while the hand on the right represents Native American people.
The obverse of the George Washington Presidential Silver Medal features a remaster of Pierre Simon Duvivier’s portrait of the first President. The inscription reads: “GEORGE WASHINGTON PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES” and the date “1789”.
The obverse of the John Adams Presidential Silver Medal features a new working of Moritz Furst’s medallic portrait of Adams along with the inscription: “JOHN ADAMS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES” and the date “A.D. 1797”.
Each issue in the United States Mint’s Presidential Silver Medal program is struck in 99.9% silver and weighs 31.03 grams. The diameter of each piece is 1.598 inches.
Each Presidential Silver Medal is packaged in a plastic clamshell case and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Beginning in 2019, the United States Mint will issue four Presidential Silver Medals each year, with each issue released quarterly and in the order that the President served.
Presidential Silver Medals have a matte finish and the United States Mint has announced that it may strike each issue at any U.S. Mint facility. These medals will not have a mintmark to denote origin.
