Yellowstone National Park 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin Debuts May 17

A new collector version of the America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin, honoring Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, will debut on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 12:00 noon ET from the United States Mint for $279.95.

The Yellowstone National Park 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin was struck in 2010, but the Mint chose to launch it in 2011. The Yellowstone uncirculated coin is the second release in the United States Mint’s collector five-ounce coin program. The first strike in the series, the Hot Springs 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin, launched on April 28. Three other 2010-dated coins are scheduled for release later this year.

The United States Mint set the maximum mintage at 27,000 for each of the five 2010 issues, making a sellout very possible. Only 134 of the Hot Springs coin remained available as of Sunday. 33,000 of each of the duplicate investment-grade Yellowstone bullion coins were minted and sold out within weeks last December.

There are differences between the bullion and uncirculated versions. Although each was struck at the United States Mint facility in Philadelphia, only the collector uncirculated coin bears the "P" mintmark on its obverse. Additionally, all the uncirculated coins have a special finish, are offered directly to the public by the United States Mint, come in specially designed packaging and are accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity for collectors. The bullion coins do not have these amenities and they are sold to the Mint’s network of Authorized Purchasers, who then resell them in the secondary market.

Like the Yellowstone quarter and 5 ounce bullion strike, the uncirculated coin’s reverse was designed and sculpted by Don Everhart. It portrays the famous Old Faithful geyser with a mature bull bison in the foreground. George Washington’s portrait by John Flanagan graces the obverse. Inscriptions include YELLOWSTONE, WYOMING, 2010 and E PLURIBUS UNUM on the reverse and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, QUARTER DOLLAR, and IN GOD WE TRUST on the obverse. While the quarters have a reeded edge, however, both the bullion and uncirculated coins feature edge letterings of .999 FINE SILVER 5.0 .

The new coin’s face value is still a quarter-dollar, but its real value is obviously much more even when eliminating its numismatic or collectible component. With the current London Fix price of silver at $39.18 per, the Yellowstone 5 Oz Silver Uncirculated Coin would have a silver melt value of $195.90.

Both numismatists and the park’s visitors may find the coin quite valuable. When considering Yellowstone National Park received more than 3.6 million recreational visitors in 2010, the 27,000 mintage seems quite small. The park is best known for its famous geysers and large variety of wildlife. It spans over 2,221,766 acres, or 3,472 square miles, and it extends from Wyoming into parts of Montana and Idaho.

Once available, coin orders may be placed at http://www.usmint.gov/ or via the toll-free phone number, 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Hearing and speech-impaired customers may order by calling TTY 1-888-321-MINT (6468). There is a limit of one coin per household. A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 will be charged for all domestic orders.

The silver coins and the America the Beautiful Quarters® honor national parks and sites throughout the U.S. and its territories. There are five 2010 America the Beautiful Silver Uncirculated Coins and five 2011 issues that will all debut this year.

Later 2010 uncirculated coins will honor Yosemite National Park in California, Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, and Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon. The 2011 uncirculated coins will celebrate Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, Glacier National Park in Montana, Olympic National Park in Washington, Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi, and Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma.