Hot Springs 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin Nears Sell Out

Opening demand was high for the Hot Springs 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin which went on sale Thursday, April 28, for $279.95. By evening, only a few thousand were left, indicating a sell out is likely fast approaching.

United States Mint spokesman Michael White said that the Mint had taken more than 19,000 total orders of the Hot Springs coin by 9 PM Eastern Time. Since 27,000 is the maximum mintage, that meant 70% sold and less than 8,000 remained available. White explained the rush of orders in the following statement:

"In the first hour, we received just over 6,000 web orders. Unfortunately, the web site went down shortly after 1 pm Eastern Time but service was restored in about 45 minutes. The web then resumed taking orders in its normal capacity of 120-150 orders per minute. We experienced a heavy volume of traffic throughout the entire afternoon. By 9 pm Eastern Time Thursday evening, we had taken more than 19,000 total orders — phone and web."

The United States Mint expected high web and phone volume and issued delay warnings to its customers on the previous day. The Mint admitted their order management system was in need of an upgrade, which is scheduled for mid-2012, and apologized in advance for any inconveniences that customers may experience while ordering.

After the Hot Springs Silver Uncirculated Coin sales began and the online system went down, the Mint quickly posted a message saying,

"The United States Mint is experiencing technical difficulties. During this time period, you will not be able to use the website. To place an order please call 1-800-USA-Mint (872-6468). We apologize for the inconvenience."

As stated earlier, the web site’s ordering system was unavailable for approximately 45 minutes.

The Mint has announced that it will implement a waiting list when Hot Springs coin orders reach over the 27,000 mintage, and they may not be able to notify customers of the wait list prior to ordering. The wait list is a first-in, first served policy to allow remaining Hot Springs coins to ship if a prior order is cancelled. The Mint, however, cannot provide information about a customer’s position on the waiting list.

Hot Springs 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin are still available and may be ordered online (http://catalog.usmint.gov/) and at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Speculation, however, predicts that a sell out is in the cards. Shipping is expected to begin on May 13, and there is a limit of one coin per household for the first week of the product’s release.

The reverse side of the silver uncirculated coin features the front entrance to the Hot Springs National Park headquarters building with a water fountain in the foreground. Each contains five ounces of .999 fine silver and has a diameter of 3.0 inches. The uncirculated version bears the "P" mint mark indicating the coin was produced at the United States Mint facility in Philadelphia. The coin is encapsulated and comes in a special presentation case with a Certificate of Authenticity.