High demand Nov. 17 for joint numismatic products from the United States Mint and Britain’s Royal Mint to recognize the 400th anniversary of the voyage of the Mayflower pushed the products into sellout or near sellout status.

A joint gold Proof set was offered by the U.S. Mint at $1,500 per set for the 4,850 sets available. First-day sales by the U.S. Mint for the gold Proof set totaled 4,672 units. The set is listed as “currently unavailable.”

The Royal Mint offered 500 additional gold Proof sets with the same two coins but in different colored packaging at the equivalent of $1,715 U.S. The Royal Mint’s inventory sold out in a matter of minutes.

The two-coin gold Proof set combines .9999 fine gold versions of a quarter-ounce U.S. Mayflower $10 coin and a British Proof Mayflower quarter-ounce £25 coin.

Legislation seeking to issue 2020 commemorative coins for the anniversary did not pass Congress. The U.S. coin is being issued under Mint authority that grants it broad power to issue gold coins.

The British and American coin designs come together to tell the story of the departure and arrival of the Mayflower.

The story begins on the obverse of the British coin with the monarchy, represented by Queen Elizabeth II in a design by Jody Clark. The reverse depicts the Mayflower in the early stages of its voyage, guided by the North Star, carrying the hopes and dreams of the Pilgrims for their life in the New World. The Mayflower is depicted as though bursting out of the frame, sailing through rough seas.

The story then continues on the obverse of the U.S. gold coin, with the depiction of a Wampanoag family watching from their world, at the border of the design, as the Mayflower arrives from foreign shores, according to the U.S. Mint narrative, which continues, “A young boy steps on the border, representing the intersection of the Wampanoag people in their Patuxet homeland and the Mayflower passengers.”

The U.S. gold coin reverse “depicts portraits of a Pilgrim man and woman, representing the beginnings of a transition from a monarchy to democracy. The dual portraits symbolize a democratic organization, with their resolute expressions focused on a self-determined future. A pair of mayflower blossoms flank the design.”

The U.S. gold coin was also offered separately in a Reverse Proof version for $715 each in a maximum release of 5,000 coins. The product was listed Nov. 18 as “currently unavailable.

First-day sales reached 4,701.

Silver pieces

The jointly offered silver set from the U.S. Mint and Royal Mint contains a .9999 fine silver U.S. 1-ounce medal and a British .999 fine silver £2 coin.

The U.S. Mint offered 9,200 sets at $150 per set. The Royal Mint offered an additional 5,000 sets at the equivalent of $258 per set.

The U.S. Mint’s first-day sales reached 8,971 and the product was listed Nov. 18 as currently unavailable.”

The U.S. Mint offered separately a Reverse Proof version of the silver medal at $76, with a maximum release of 20,000 medals. First-day sales reached 12,250 and the medal was still available Nov. 18 to order.

The medal depicts on the obverse a Mayflower family bracing against the cold and windy weather, foreshadowing their coming hardships, while the ship is anchored in the harbor. A pair of mayflower blossoms flanks the design.

The reverse depicts a Wampanoag man and woman employing a planting technique used to grow several crops that were staples for the Wampanoag people.

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