Today, April 7, 2014 at 12:00 Noon ET, the United States Mint will begin accepting orders for the 2014 Great Smoky Mountains National Park Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin. This will represent the first numismatic release of the year for the large sized silver bullion coin series and the twenty first release within the series overall.
The reverse design of the Great Smoky Mountains Silver Coin features a depiction of a historic log cabin found within the park. The image also incorporates a view of the lush green forest and mountains beyond with a hawk circling in the air. The reverse was designed by Chris Costello and engraved by Renata Howard. The obverse of the coin contains the 1932 portrait of George Washington designed by John Flanagan. The original details of the portrait were restored for the series.
Each coin is struck in 99.9% silver with a weight of 5.000 troy ounces and diameter of 3.000 inches. The edge of the coin includes incused edge lettering indicating the precious metal weight and fineness. The obverse contains the unusual denomination for the large silver piece of “Quarter Dollar”.
This numismatic release includes the “P” mint mark on the obverse to signify production at the Philadelphia Mint. The coins carry an uncirculated finish created through a vapor blasting technique.
The US Mint previously released the bullion version of the coin, which does not contain a mint mark and has a brilliant finish. Sales had opened on March 17, 2014 through bullion distribution channels. Sales for this bullion version have reached 15,000 units to date.
The 2014-P Great Smoky Mountains Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins are priced at $154.95. Customers who have their orders fulfilled under the US Mint’s Online Subscription Program are charged the discounted price of $139.45 per coin. A maximum mintage of 25,000 pieces is indicated for this release, unchanged from the level used for the prior year releases.
Last year, the US Mint did not produce the five designs to the full extent of the indicated maximum mintage. Rather, each of the coins sold out within the year of issue after availability periods ranging from about one month to six months. The last reported sales for the designs ranged from a low of 17,707 for Perry’s Victory to a high of 23,540 for Mount Rushmore.
See this previous post for a summary of all bullion and numismatic 2010-2013 ATB 5 oz Silver Coin sales and mintages.
Demand for the series may see a boost this year. The subscription discount takes the price level to the lowest on record for the series. With the discount, the numismatic version is priced around $20 to $25 more than the bullion version, representing a lower than typical numismatic premium. The series has also experienced some recent quick sell outs and higher secondary market prices for some issues, which may have reawakened some collector interest.
Baseball Hall of Fame Coin Sales Update
The United States Mint has provided updated sales figures for the 2014 National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coins, reflecting sales through this morning, April 7, 2014 at 9:30 AM ET. The figures show the silver dollar quickly approaching a sell out.
The silver dollar has recorded sales of 238,636 proofs and 127,704 uncirculated coins for a total of 366,340 across both options. This represents 91.59% of the maximum authorized mintage of 400,000 pieces and leaves only 33,660 coins remaining available for purchase.
Sales for the half dollar have reached 100,118 proofs and 63,883 uncirculated coins for a total of 164,001 across both options. The half dollars still remain a far way off from the 750,000 maximum mintage.
Comments
Sith, high end sales are more like $4k not $800 by 2cents
If you sell yours forget about buying it back, even if your ... by Sith
Joe that's a problem these coins are not going down anytime ... by Jeff
It can stay at $20 for a long time. Notice they delays in ... by Sith
Only 33,660 remaining Silver Dollars! by VA Rich
Plus 5 more...