25th Anniversary Silver

25th Anniversary Silver
Answering the question many collectors have been asking since the announcement of its release, the United States Mint has indicated the American Eagle 25th Anniversary Silver Five-Coin Set will initially sell for $299.95. As is standard for precious metal products from the Mint, that pricing is subject to change based on market trends leading up to the October 27, 2011 release.

This coin set was created by the United States Mint to mark twenty-five years since the debut of the American Silver Eagle Program (http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/?action=american_eagles). The first bullion strike of the program minted for investors was released in 1986 along with a proof version created for numismatic purposes.

Since then, the bullion American Eagle has been struck annually with the proof strikes only missing the year of 2009 when unprecedented bullion demand resulted in the Mint to cancel production of the numismatic Eagles.

The $299.95 price point will likely not stop many collectors from attempting to obtain the 25th anniversary coin set which will have a total of five unique Silver Eagles, including:

    * a 2011 Silver Eagle Bullion Coin
    * a 2011-W Silver Eagle Proof Coin
    * a 2011-W Silver Eagle Uncirculated Coin
    * a 2011-S Silver Eagle Uncirculated Coin
    * and a 2011-P Silver Eagle Reverse Proof Coin

As shown in the list above, three of the Eagles are standard United States Mint annual issues, including:

    * the bullion coin which is typically sold to investors for a small premium above the current market price of the silver it contains,
    * the 2011-W proof coin currently available from the Mint for $58.95, and the
    * 2011-W uncirculated coin currently being sold by the Mint for $50.95

Two of the coins, however, are likely to be unique to the coin set as the Mint has not indicated that they will be a part of any other numismatic release. This includes the 2011-S uncirculated eagle struck at the U.S. Mint's facility in San Francisco and the 2011-P Reverse Proof Eagle struck at the U.S. Mint's facility in Philadelphia.

The United Sates Mint lists the American Eagle 25th Anniversary Silver Five-Coin Set mintage at 100,000. When first released, a household order limit of 5 will be in place during the first week of availability. After the first week, the household order limit will be re-evaluated and adjusted, if necessary. Based on some numismatic watchers, the coins may be sold out long before the first week is up.