Bullion

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America the Beautiful 5-ounce silver

America the Beautiful 5-ounce silver bullion coins

The United States' largest bullion coins contain 5 ounces of .999 silver. They were authorized by Public Law 110-456, America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Act of 2008, the same law that authorized the 11-year program under which 56 quarter dollars are to be issued beginning in 2010, at the rate of five per year. The reverse designs for the quarter dollars and the 5-ounce silver bullion versions are the same and will honor designated national parks or federal historic sites within the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the five territories – Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The obverse features the George Washington portrait from the 1932 quarter dollar, which was digitally scanned from the original model, though reduced in size from the 1932 to 1998 portrait.

Although the 5-ounce bullion version is denominated as a quarter dollar, its value derives from the market value of the silver it contains. Each silver bullion coin bears an edge inscription stating the fineness and weight of each piece, which is the only inscription difference from the regular quarter dollar. Each America the Beautiful silver bullion coin has a diameter of 3 inches and weighs 5 troy ounces.

U.S. Mint officials stated in October 2010 that they anticipated being able to strike 100,000 of each of the five designs for 2010. Start-up production problems and difficulty in securing the planchets delayed production for 2010, which did not begin until Sept. 21. The authorizing law mandates that the bullion versions must be produced and sold only in the year in which the circulating quarter dollar bearing the design is issued.

The 5-ounce bullion coins are sold through the same network of authorized purchasers that sells the U.S. Mint’s American Eagle and American Buffalo bullion coins.

In December 2010 the Mint announced that 33,000 of each design of the ATB 5-ounce silver bullion coins had been produced and would be sold through authorized purchasers. Within days of limited numbers being release to authorized purchasers in December, the Mint halted order fulfillment and revised its contract with authorized purchasers mandating that they sell directly to the public and limited sales to one per household. Since most authorized purchasers are wholesalers and were not equipped to sell retail to the public they halted sales. Most authorized purchasers resumed sales in January.

The U.S. Mint announced in December 2010 that it had struck 27,000 of each 2010 design in an Uncirculated finish and would sell them via its Web site. None had been offered for sale through the end of February 2011.

America the Beautiful 5-ounce Silver Bullion Coins
Date of authorization:	April 2, 1792; July 23, 1965; Oct. 18, 1973; Dec. 1, 1997; Dec. 23, 2008
Dates of issue:	2010, 2011
Designers:	2010: (Washington obverse) John Flanagan (Hot Springs reverse) Don Everhart (Yellowstone reverse) Don Everhart (Yosemite reverse) Joseph Menna (Grand Canyon reverse) Phebe Hemphill (Mount Hood reverse) Phebe Hemphill 2011: (Gettysburg National Military Park) Joel Iskowitz Glacier National Park) Barbara Fox (Olympic National Park) Susan Gamble (Vicksburg National Military Park) Thomas Cleveland (Chickasaw National Recreation Area) Donna Weaver
Engravers:	(Washington obverse) Digitally scanned from 1932 original model. 2010 (Hot Springs reverse) Joseph Menna (Yellowstone reverse) Don Everhart (Yosemite reverse) Phebe Hemphill (Grand Canyon reverse) Phebe Hemphill (Mount Hood reverse) Phebe Hemphill 2011: (Gettysburg National Military Park) Phebe Hemphill Glacier National Park) Charles L. Vickers (Olympic National Park) Michael Gaudioso (Vicksburg National Military Park) Joseph F. Menna (Chickasaw National Recreation Area) Jim Licaretz
Diameter:	3 inches
Weight:	5 troy ounces
Metallic content:	.999 fine silver
Edge:	Smooth, Edge Inscription
Mint mark:	Obverse right of Washington's ponytail