By CoinWeek ….
The big release this month from the United States Mint is the 2018 Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative program. Available for order starting at noon Eastern Time on Thursday, March 15, the program is perhaps most notable for including the Mint’s first-ever pink gold coin.
Of course, the Mint is offering more than just the Breast Cancer Awareness commemoratives. The 2018 schedule it set for itself at the 2017 U.S. Mint forum continues apace, with several new items going on sale this month. In addition, releases have been scheduled for April, May and June – primarily Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and Voyageurs National Park America the Beautiful quarter products, such as rolls and bags and five-ounce silver coins.
But for now, here is a listing of March releases for the United States Mint.
American Eagle Gold 2018 Proof Coins
The month began with the 2018 American Gold Eagle Proof Coin products on March 1. These products include the one ounce, half ounce, quarter ounce and tenth ounce gold Proof coins, as well as the American Eagle Gold Proof four-coin set. Each individual coin option consists of 91.67% pure, 22-karat gold and features an adaptation of Augustus Saint-Gauden’s $20 double eagle gold coin design on the obverse. The reverse features sculptor Miley Tucker-Frost’s (formerly Busiek) family of bald eagles. All bear the “W” mint mark of the West Point Mint, and all are still available for sale (links to each item’s product page are given below).
The one-ounce coin has a face value of $50 and actually weighs slightly more than one Troy ounce. There is a product limit of 25,000 but no household order limit is in place. According to the Mint’s published sales figures, 1,322 pieces have been sold to date. Retail Price: $1,677.50.
The half-ounce coin has a face value of $25. There is a maximum product limit of 7,100, of which 537 have been sold. There is no household order limit. Retail Price: $855.
The quarter-ounce Proof coin is denominated at $10 and has a product limit of 7,100, like the half ounce above. 741 pieces have been sold, with no household order limit in effect. Retail Price: $440.
The one-tenth-ounce coin has a face value of $5. With a product limit of 22,000 (almost as high as the one-ounce version), the Mint expects the tenth ounce to be a more popular option than the other fractional weights. And, if Mint sales figures are any indication, they wouldn’t be wrong: 2,551 pieces have been sold – almost two times as many as the one ounce Proof Gold Eagle. There is no household order limit. Retail Price: $187.50.
And finally, for the completist who appreciates a value, there is the four-coin set. All four 2018 American Eagle Gold Proof Coin denominations come in a satin-lined, burgundy-colored velvet presentation case at a current retail price of $3,107.50. So if you’re going to buy all four 2018 Gold Eagles anyway, you save $52.50 by ordering the four-coin set. A total of 2,803 sets out of a maximum of 18,000 have been sold to date.
Proof Set 2018
On March 6, the Mint released the 2018 Proof Set, which includes Proof versions of the year’s circulating coinage (plus the Kennedy half dollar and the Native American $1 coin). The 10 coins in this year’s set–all minted at the San Francisco Mint and bearing the “S” mint mark–are divided equally among two clear plastic cases. The first includes one Lincoln cent, one Roosevelt dime, one Washington quarter, one Kennedy half dollar, and one 2018 Native American golden dollar (featuring football player and Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe on the reverse).
The second case contains Proof versions of all five of the 2018 America the Beautiful quarters: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (Michigan); Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (Wisconsin); Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota); Cumberland Island National Seashore (Georgia); and Block Island National Wildlife Refuge (Rhode Island).
There are no mintage, product or household order limits for this Mint stalwart. Retail Price: $27.95.
2018 Kennedy Half Dollar Product Options
Speaking of Kennedy half dollars, product options for the coin go on sale next Tuesday (March 20). The two-roll set includes one roll of 20 uncirculated business strike half dollars from the Philadelphia Mint and one roll from Denver, for a total of 40 coins. The 200-coin bag includes 100 uncirculated business strike coins each from Denver and Philly.
Each individual coin features Gilroy Robert’s effigy of President John F. Kennedy on the obverse and Frank Gasparro’s take on the Presidential Coat of Arms on the reverse.
Retail Price: $32.95 (Two-Roll Set); $139.95 (200-Coin Bag).
America the Beautiful Quarters 2018 Uncirculated Coin Set
And speaking of America the Beautiful quarters, the 2018 Uncirculated Set will be available starting March 29. The Uncirculated set includes 10 coins in total: five minted in Philadelphia and five from Denver. Retailing at $13.95, there are no mintage or order limits on this product.
You can also sign up for the Mint’s enrollment program and receive this set when it comes out; visit their online catalog for more information.
2018 Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Program
The Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Program is the second of the year’s two commemorative programs (the first being the 2018 World War I Veterans Centennial commemorative silver dollar and medal program). The program consists of Proof and Uncirculated versions of a $5 gold coin, a $1 silver coin, and a clad half dollar. Retail pricing for the silver dollar and clad half can be found in the following table:
Prices for the proof and Uncirculated $5 gold coins are, as of the time of publication, yet to be announced but are determined by the Mint’s 2018 Numismatic and Commemorative Gold and Platinum Product pricing grid. Introductory pricing for all product options ends April 16 at 3 pm EST.
As mentioned above, the gold $5 will be the first “pink gold” coin issued by the U.S. Mint. Consisting of of 7.931 grams of 85% gold, it is limited to a maximum mintage of 50,000 across all products. The $1 silver coins, which consist of 26.73 grams of .900 fine silver, are limited to up to 400,000 pieces, and the copper-nickel clad half dollar coins are limited to a production run of 750,000.
U.S. Mint Artistic infusion Program (AIP) artist Emily Damstra created the program’s common obverse and reverse. Damstra studied Drawing and Illustration at Alma College in Michigan and graduated with a Masters in Fine Arts in Science Illustration from the University of Michigan. Previously, she has contributed many designs for the Royal Canadian Mint.
Two woman feature prominently on the Breast Cancer Awareness commemorative coin obverse; a younger woman, wearing a head scarf and raising her right fist, appears confident, positive and determined on the left, while an older woman, eyes closed and hands over heart, appears happy and at peace. A loop of ribbon is located next to the younger woman, and a swallowtail butterfly flies above the pair. Inscriptions include LIBERTY, 2018 and IN GOD WE TRUST. The reverse features a large version of the swallowtail butterfly, symbol of hope and the soul. Inscriptions here include UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, the coin’s denomination, E PLURIBUS UNUM and BREAST CANCER AWARENESS.
Surcharges of $35, $10 and $5 will be derived from the retail prices of the $5 gold coin, silver dollar and clad half dollar, respectively. After the Treasury Department recoups all expenses relating to the commemorative’s production and sales, proceeds from the surcharges will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in New York City.
The following are links to order the Proof and Uncirculated Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coins on the United States Mint’s website:
- Proof $5 Gold
- Uncirculated $5 Gold
- Proof $1 Silver
- Uncirculated $1 Silver
- Proof Half Dollar Clad
- Uncirculated Half Dollar Clad
* * *
Reverse Proof Set Pricing
In other news, on February 27 the Mint announced its pricing for the 2018 Silver Reverse Proof Set. Produced at the San Francisco Mint, the set will retail for $54.95.
