The success of a two-week offer from U.S. Mint in August to empty the bureau’s remaining inventory of Proof 2017-W American Liberty, 225th Anniversary 1-ounce .9999 fine gold $100 coins by adding in the Proof 2018-W American Liberty tenth-ounce gold $10 coin as a bonus at no additional cost, is still being assessed by sales and marketing officials.

Fewer than 1,000 of each coin were available for the promotion that ran Aug. 1 through Aug. 15.

Although the promotion was seen by the public as offering a “free” gold coin, Mint officials had a different spin on the offer.

“This was ‘not free’ but rather a discount,” U.S. Mint spokesman Michael White clarified to Coin World Oct. 5 via email.

“The discount was applied to the 1 oz.; the value of said discount was equal to the sale price of the 1/10th oz., giving the consumer the appearance that the 1/10th oz. was free.”

At the time of the announced offer, the 2017 $100 coin was being offered individually at $2,665, while the 2018 $10 coin was offered individually at $330.

Sales for the Proof 2017 coin originally opened on April 6, 2017, at $1,640 per coin. The maximum authorization was for 100,000 coins, with no household-order restrictions.

The spot price for an ounce of pure gold in 2017 on the London market at the time the coins went on sale was $1,252.50, according to Kitco.com.

Kitco.com reports gold closed Aug. 1, 2022, at $1,772.40 per troy ounce.

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