Tributes

Tribute Rounds from JM Bullion

The precious metals industry is full of products that are issued for commemorative and other celebratory purposes. From anniversary date marks in major bullion collections to national milestones and other moments, gold, silver, and platinum coins have been struck by sovereign mints for decades to attract the eye of collectors. Outside of the traditional realm of precious metals, you will find other commemorative pieces that have all the visual appeal of precious metal pieces, with only a fraction of the precious metal content and all of the visual beauty. Learn more about tribute rounds as you hunt for collectible commemoratives.

What is a Tribute Round?

You might be wondering what makes a tribute round different than a silver or gold round. These products are classified differently because, even though they may feature clad layers of gold or other precious metals, the products are not precious metal blanks at the core. In most cases, tribute rounds are produced using a metallic alloy in the blank known as nickel-silver that consists of 60% copper, 20% nickel, and 20% zinc. The finished appearance of the product is that of a silver round, but it contains no silver content. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for tribute rounds. Keep in mind, beautiful designs can be struck on these nickel-silver blanks and clad with beautiful precious metals to stand out visually.

Examples of Tribute Rounds

In 2021, a number of tribute rounds were struck using nickel-silver blanks that honored the Centennial of the Morgan Dollar and Peace Dollar. These were the last two US silver dollar coins with 90% silver content to enter circulation in the United States prior to the end of silver coining in the US. The Morgan Dollar had been available from 1878 to 1904, and returned for the better part of 12 months in 1921. On December 28, 1921, the US Mint struck the Peace Dollar design for the first time, making 1921 the Centennial of the end of the Morgan and the start of the Peace designs.

Morgan and Peace Dollar Tribute Rounds were struck in 2021 honoring this important moment in American coining history. Though the rounds did not contain silver, but instead the nickel-silver alloy, they did beautifully replicate the original designs from those coins.

Special Finishes

If the visual brilliance of the designs on the tribute rounds wasn’t enough, select tribute rounds were enhanced with clad layers that helped the designs stand out even more. Tribute rounds are often clad with a layer of black ruthenium throughout the background field and finished with a thin layer of 24-karat gold on the design elements to create impressive visual contrast.

Collecting Tribute Rounds from JM Bullion

If you’re interested in our tribute rounds, please feel free to ask. JM Bullion customer service is available at 800-276-6508, online using our live chat, and through our email address. Our Payment Methods page can help you find easy answers to common payment-related questions without contacting our customer service team. If you need further clarification, you are always welcome to reach out to us.