To mark 65 years as a collector of U.S. coins and 48 years as a professional numismatist, Brian E. Fanton from BE’s Coins & More in Hiawatha, Iowa, has issued a 1-ounce .999 fine silver bullion round.

Fanton, with the help of BE staff, designed and copyrighted the special bullion rounds under the company name of Hawkeye State Bullion Co., a firm Fanton said he founded in 2016.

The obverse features a rendition of a bull, to show strength, with HAWKEYE STATE and BULLION CO. inscribed around, inside the rim’s dentils border.

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The reverse design is a map of Iowa in relief, imprinted with the date 2017, and having a five-pointed star with an H at its center positioned on the map to denote Hiawatha’s location in the state. Inscribed around is ONE TROY OUNCE and .999 FINE SILVER. Dentils border the rim, as on the obverse.

The silver rounds exhibit a Matte Finish.

The bullion rounds are struck by Intaglio Mint Ltd. in Sedalis, Colo. The private mint’s operations manager, Timothy Grat, laser cut the dies and assisted with the final designs.

The 39-millimeter rounds are offered at $25 each housed in an airtight holder.

Fanton said the initial run will be 300 pieces, with additional bullion rounds struck based on demand.

A portion of the proceeds from sales of the bullion piece will go to the American Numismatic Association's education programs to update numismatic correspondence courses.

Fanton can be reached at BE’s Coins by telephone at 319-294-4377 or by email at bescoins@yahoo.com.

The store address is 1210 N. Center Point Road, Hiawatha, IA 52233.