In December 2010, the United States Mint announced that they would be producing numismatic versions of the America the Beautiful 5 oz. Silver Coins. Until this point, the Mint had not provided any specific commitment to the production of a separate version of the over sized silver coins for collectors.
The authorizing legislation specifically calls for a bullion series of 5 ounce silver coins. These would be produced in quantities determined by the Secretary of the Treasury and distributed through the US Mint’s authorized purchaser network. Similar to other bullion coins, these would be initially distributed based on the market price of silver plus a mark up, and would not contain a mint mark.
The US Mint received authorization from the Secretary of the Treasury to produce numismatic versions of the coins. The Secretary has broad authority under 31 U.S.C. ยง5111(a)(3) to design, produce, and sell numismatic items.
Some details of the numismatic America the Beautiful 5 oz. Silver Coins are already available. They will carry an uncirculated finish, likely similar to collectible uncirculated versions of the Silver Eagle issued from 2006 to 2008. The coins will carry the “P” mint mark, denoting production at the Philadelphia Mint.
For the five 2010 coins, production of only 27,000 units for each of the five coins has been announced. All coins would be struck during 2010, although sales would not occur until the first quarter of the following year. As numismatic products, the United States Mint would sell the coins directly to the public.
Collectors are already looking forward to the release of numismatic America the Beautiful Silver Coins. They will represent one of the lowest mintage silver coins issued by the US Mint in recent history. High demand and quick sell outs are expected when the coins are eventually offered for sale.