Back in 2009, a lot of things were happening (or really NOT happening) in the hobby when it came to the United States Mint. When we say that, we mean that in case you forgot, there was neither a Burnished or Proof American Silver Eagle produced. No one quite knows why as the programs remained uninterrupted since their inceptions (1986 for Proof edition, 2006 for Burnished edition). It managed to cause quite a commotion as the hobby did not see it coming. While it affected the American Silver Eagle program in such a way, it also interrupted the American Platinum Eagle that had been producing four weights in both bullion and Proof finished since 1997.
Next on our journey through Whitman Publishing’s fourth edition of the top 100 Greatest United States Modern Coins publication, we make a stop near the very end of a diverse collection put together by authors Scott Schechter and Jeff Garrett. With help from some of the most influential coin dealers across the country, we assess the way in which this one and only Proof Platinum Eagle released in 2009 made an impact on the hobby while taking the term artistic freedom to another level.
#98 - 2009-W $100 American Platinum Eagle, Proof
With the way the precious metals markets and financial markets were acting in terms of being extremely unpredictable, the United States Mint decided to halt the production of platinum coinage altogether. Because of the market’s behavior, the demand for the American Silver and Gold Eagles increased drastically which put all the Mint’s attention on the production of those bullion issues. This caused just one platinum coin to be produced in 2009: the One-Ounce Proof American Platinum Eagle.
The platinum coin also distinguished itself from the previous years’ issues aside from the one-ounce Proof coin being the only one released. In 2009, the Mint introduced a new design program for the series that would span six years. Each year would memorialize one of the six principles found in the preamble to the United States Constitution. The first one was designed around “To Form a More Perfect Union.” The reverse design for the 2009 issue shows four heads in a profile view. Each profile represents a different race to symbolize the diversity that makes up the United States of America. Together with their hair, they form a circle to represent the bringing together of people to create a nation. “A MORE PERFECT UNION” is seen inscribed inside the circle with them.
While the introduction of the six-year design program for the Platinum Proof issues had a logical and well thought out purpose, the reverse design was lacking something that all other American Platinum Eagle coins encompassed: an eagle. While no laws were broken not including an eagle in the reverse design, the coin still remained under the umbrella of the American Eagle bullion program as a whole where having an eagle on the design was deemed pertinent. To make up for the lack of eagle, a privy mark was added that features an eagle’s head.
A total of 8,000 coins were planned for production of the $100 American Platinum Eagle from 2009 and the final mintage ended up being just shy of that with 7,945.
Since the first edition when this coin was ranked at #94, it has moved down four spots.