The United States Mint has a busy 2017 schedule. Not only is the mint in the midst of rolling out the first in an exciting new series of 24-karat gold coins, it is also preparing for the release of the first-ever American Palladium Eagle and the 20th anniversary of the American Platinum Eagle coin. In the last week some interesting news has come out of the US Mint, and we’re here to recap that news for you.
Possible Fractional-Weight American Liberty Coin
The United States Mint’s biggest program for the 2017 calendar year is the celebration of its 225th anniversary. In addition to the recent announcement of its series of 24-karat gold coins featuring Liberty with various changes in her appearance to represent the ethnic melting pot of the country, the mint is also unveiling a Silver Medal collection featuring the same designs.
Among the interesting tidbits to come out of the US Mint in recent weeks is the talk of fractional-weight gold coins being added to the American Liberty series. The US Mint is reportedly considering the addition of a fractional-weight gold coin in the American Liberty collection, to debut in 2018.
When the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee meets on June 21st, the group will review and discuss potential options for this rollout. Beyond discussion of its release, there are a lot of questions that remain to be answered regarding these potential fractional-weight gold coins. It is unknown if the mint will use the current American Liberty design on the 2017 coins marking the mint’s 225th anniversary, or if it will use a brand-new design altogether.
Also to be determined is the weight, size, and denomination of any gold coins, as well as whether or not a fractional release would occur on its own or in conjunction with the other 1 oz gold coins in the collection.
2017 Proof American Platinum Eagle Mintage Limit Set
The United States Mint also announced that its 2017 Proof American Platinum Eagle Coin, available starting July 6th, will have a mintage cap of 10,000 coins. The mintage figure announcement also come with news that a household order limit has been set at just one coin each.
The 2017 Proof American Platinum Eagle marks the 20th anniversary of the coin series, which debuted in 1997. To mark the occasion, the US Mint is going to feature the original 1997 reverse design on its 2017-issue Platinum Eagle coins. Traditionally, the Proof American Platinum Eagle has a new reverse design each year, while maintaining the standard obverse image of the Statue of Liberty.
On the reverse is Thomas D. Rogers Sr.’s image of the “Soaring Eagle Above America.” Used just once on the proof coins in 1997, it has featured on the reverse of the bullion coins continuously since 1997. Rogers was a member of the US Mint’s engraving staff at the Philadelphia Mint when he created this reverse imagery.
The Soaring Eagle Above America debuted on the Proof Platinum Eagle in June 1997, and later in September 1997 for the bullion coin. The 2016 issue of the Platinum Eagle also had a mintage limit of 10,000 coins, and sold out from the mint within 56 minutes of its release last June. However, those numbers were revised downward at year’s end to 9,151.
With that said, proof coinage released on commemorative years tend to sell out quickly and amass mintage figures much higher than other release years. Stay tuned to see how the 2017 Proof American Platinum Eagle performs when it is released in a few weeks!
