Glacier, Olympic 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins Scheduled

The United States Mint this week provided the release dates for the Glacier and the Olympic 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins via its "Scheduled Products Listing" online page at www.usmint.gov. According to the Mint, the Glacier uncirculated coin will launch on Tuesday, October 25, 2011, and the Olympic uncirculated coin will be released on Tuesday, November 29, 2011. As a reminder, those dates are subject to change.

The 2011-P America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins will feature Glacier National Park in Montana and Olympic National Park in Washington. A maximum mintage of 35,000 each is anticipated, with a household order limit of five. These details are unofficial, and based solely on the limits set for the Gettysburg coin that was made available last week.

Uncirculated Coin Specifications

The corresponding America the Beautiful Quarters for each of these coins went into circulation earlier this year. Unlike the quarters, though, these super large uncirculated coins contain five ounces of .999 fine silver and sport huge three inch diameters. They also carry different edges. The quarters have reeded edges, but the silver coins have edge incused lettering that state, ".999 FINE SILVER 5.0 OUNCE."

In addition, the uncirculated coins are different than the bullion versions that launched in April and May. Those targeted investors, but the uncirculated ones are intended for collectors. Their unique finish, mint mark, and special packaging that includes a Certificate of Authenticity are features collectors have come to expect. These upcoming items are also sold directly by the United States Mint to the public and carry higher premiums. Lastly, their smaller mintage is considerably less than the 126,700 that were minted for the bullion versions.

At this time, price is an undetermined factor. The two previous issues that were available earlier on Monday this week, the 2010-P Mount Hood and the 2011-P Gettysburg coins had a price of $279.95 before their sales were suspended. The United States Mint posted the message, "This product is temporarily unavailable for product repricing," on their online ordering pages. Once silver stabilizes on the precious metals market, the Mint is expected to lower prices on the ATB 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins accordingly.

Upon their respective launch dates, the United States Mint will accept orders via their website at http://www.usmint.gov/ and their call center at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).

Coin Designs

The seventh park to be honored in the America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins series is considered one of America’s crown jewels. Glacier National Park, found in Montana, spans over a million acres and is known for its rugged yet serene landscape. The area was once filled with huge glaciers, but as they melted, they carved out the breathtaking valleys and majestic mountains that are visible today. The land was first set aside by the federal government in 1897.

The reverse side of the Glacier coin features Mount Reynolds in the background and a mountain goat in the foreground. Mountain goats are iconic mammals of the Olympic Mountains and can be observed in many areas throughout the park. The image was designed by Barbara Fox and sculpted by Charles L. Vickers. Inscriptions on the coin include GLACIER, MONTANA, 2011 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.

The Olympic silver coin will be the third 2011-P dated coin and the eighth in the America the Beautiful coin series. It honors Olympic National Park in Washington. Much of the park is considered wilderness, although three major ecosystems can be found within its borders. They include sub alpine, rain forest, and coastal zones. The government first established the area as a forest reserve in 1897 by President Grover Cleveland.

On the coin’s reverse is a Roosevelt Elk standing on a gravel bar of the Hoh River with Mount Olympus in the background. The image was designed by Susan Gamble and sculpted by Michael Gaudioso. Inscriptions are OLYMPIC, WASHINGTON, 2011 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.

Next Uncirculated Coins for Release

The two remaining 2011-P America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins will honor Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi and Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma. The release dates for these two issues have not yet been published.