We are almost a quarter of the way through the year 2020 already and a lot has been going on at the studio. From coin show purchases to reviewing new products from our vendors, it can be a bit overwhelming at times. Not to mention, the United States Mint keeps on releasing brand new products in the midst of all of it!
If you can remember back in January, we previewed some of their upcoming releases from their 2020 production schedule. We are back with another preview for the Spring and it seems as if collectors and numismatists are going to be quite happy with what is to come.
We left the tail-end of the last preview talking about the release of the American Eagle 2020 Gold Proof Four-Coin Set. On March 19th, the coins will be released as not only the four-coin set but also with the option for individual purchase. A one-ounce gold Proof coin, half-ounce, quarter-ounce, and tenth-ounce will be available in their own Original Government Packaging. Minted at West Point, the coins have the potential to be the last ones with the design that has been seen since its inception in 1986. As of right now, the Mint has plans of changing the reverse design of both the Silver and Gold American Eagle programs in 2021. While not much has been said past that and it is unclear when it will actually take place next year, it may be more imperative to collect 2020 Mint released Silver and Gold Eagles now more than ever. Only time will tell how it will all unfold, but these Proof Gold Eagle options may be the last of their kind.
At the beginning of April, the 4th to be exact, the brand new Basketball Hall of Fame commemorative coins will be released. A Hall of Fame Kids Set, $5 Proof Gold Coin, Proof Clad Half Dollar, Proof Silver Dollar, $5 Uncirculated Gold Coin, Uncirculated Clad Half Dollar, and Uncirculated Silver Dollar will be released in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. This series was announced last year as an open public design competition and the CCAC, or the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, chose the winner of the obverse design later on in the year. April 4th is on a Saturday this year and if you think that is a little bit odd for United States Mint releases, you are right. Our assumption is that the Mint is releasing these coins in conjunction with the 2020 NCAA Final Four National Semifinals as it is taking place the same day.
The last major release in April will be the release of the 2020 Silver Proof Set in Original Government Packaging on the 17th. No other details have been released about the set specifically, but it will include five .999 fine silver America the Beautiful quarter dollars in addition to a .999 fine silver Kennedy half dollar and Roosevelt dime. The 10-coin set will also encompass a Jefferson nickel, Lincoln cent, and Native American dollar. At the end of February, the 2020 Clad Proof Set was released with an additional Jefferson Nickel with the ‘W’ mintmark. The first-ever of its kind, the additional nickel mimicked last year’s release that included a first-ever Lincoln cent with the present ‘W’ mintmark on the obverse. It can only be assumed, based on last year’s annual releases and their bonus pennies that the same will happen this year. The Silver Proof Set will most likely contain an additional ‘W’ minted Jefferson nickel with a Reverse Proof finish.
Once again, stay tuned for more updates on the United States Mint’s scheduled releases in future blogs.