2012 America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Silver Coins Debut, Prices and Release Dates

After almost six months into the year, orders are being accepted by the United States Mint this week for its investment-grade 2012 America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins. The bureau has also scheduled release dates and set the prices for its collector 2012 America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins.

Both series of coins bear the same obverse and reverse designs that duplicate those of the correspondingly named America the Beautiful Quarters. But the silver coins uniquely offer 99.9% silver purity, a 5 ounce weight, a diameter of 3 inches and edge letterings of "999 FINE SILVER 5.0 OUNCE."

Release of 2012 ATB Bullion Silver Coins

On Monday, May 21, 2012, the U.S. Mint starting taking orders for the 2012 El Yunque National Forest 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coin.

As a bullion product, the bureau only offers these to its distributors who order in bulk. These distributors, called "Authorized Purchasers," then resale the silver coins to dealers, precious metals providers and/or directly to the public for a small premium above the current price of silver each contains. Some of these AP’s have indicated that they will make available the El Yunque five ounce coins as early as June 1, 2012.

This year’s bullion silver coins will be minted to demand. That demand has dimmed for the Mint’s most recent issues, as highlighted by their current sales as of Wednesday, May 24.

 

For more on the bullion series to include all 56 national sites honored, see America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins.

Release Dates and Prices for Collector 2012 ATB Uncirculated Silver Coins

Officially announced today, the U.S. Mint on Tuesday, May 29, at 12:00 noon Eastern Time will release the first 2012 America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin which depicts El Yunque National Forest.

Preliminary release dates have also been scheduled for the second, third, fourth and fifth collectible silver coins. While subject to change, the U.S. Mint’s schedule shows launch dates of:

• July 9, 2012 for the Chaco Culture 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin,
• August 13, 2012 for the Acadia 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin,
• September 24, 2012 for the Hawai’i Volcanoes 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin, and
• November 5, 2012 for the Denali 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin

Unlike bullion products, collector or numismatic products are sold directly to the public by the U.S. Mint. The 5 ounce collector coins have an uncirculated satin finish and a denoting Philadelphia Mint "P" mint mark. This is another difference from the bullion coins which have a standard brilliant finish and do not have a mint mark, although they are also produced in Philadelphia.

While silver prices have dropped several dollars from last year and are currently hovering around $28 an ounce, this year’s uncirculated silver coins will launch at $204.95. This is the same price as the 2011-dated coins which are still on sale. Their sales levels as of Monday, May 21, are shown below:

 

For more on the collector series, see America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins.

2012 America the Beautiful Coins and Celebrated National Parks and Forest

America the Beautiful coins in 2012 honor one national forest and four national parks. These include:

• El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico,
• Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico,
• Acadia National Park in Maine,
• Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii, and
• Denali National Park in Alaska

America the Beautiful Quarters celebrating the first two sites have already been released into circulation. The other three are upcoming. All five quarters are currently available through several collector products, however, including proof sets and the 2012 Mint Set. As such, many collectors have personally seen the designs shared by the silver coins.