Back in October, we made mention of a special invite-only Numismatic Forum that was hosted by the United States Mint. Both both Andy and Brock attended the event and were sponges with all of the information passed along regarding the Mint and its future. Along with many other topics discussing the Mint’s future, one of them was of particular interest due to the potential change it had for a beloved coin series from the Mint itself. Brought up to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee before in 2014, the topic discussed referenced a potential design change for the Silver and Gold American Eagles.
In late March earlier this year, Director of the United States Mint, David J. Ryder, publicly made remarks about the discussion to change the designs at a banquet in Pittsburgh at the American Numismatic Association National Money Show. He noted that if changes were made, they would have to be approved by the Treasury Secretary.
Both the Silver American Eagle and Gold American Eagle programs have been produced since 1986 in response to the Liberty Coin Act that was signed into law in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan. Neither program’s reverses or obverses have changed since its beginnings and the beloved and most collected bullion coin program in the world has been well received. So why the proposed change? When it was initially proposed in 2014, the CCAC was only interested in the design change on the reverse. As we look ahead to 2020, only time will tell if this proposal to change the coins are driven into action.
Director Ryder also disclosed at the banquet earlier this year that they are looking into anti-counterfeiting measures when it comes to the Silver and Gold Eagles as the bullion is considerably under attack from said counterfeiters. This also could be a reason that the United States Mint is considering the possible design changes in an attempt to get ahead of future counterfeiting.
Source: Coin World