What's the story?

It’s been 16 months since the U.S. Mint released details for a public design competition soliciting designs for the obverse and reverse of the 2018 World War I American Veterans Centennial silver dollar and still no announcement of the winning designer or their winning designs.

What’s the holdup?

The design competition, launched Feb. 29, 2016, includes that the lone artist who will receive $10,000 in compensation and have their initials sculpted into the design, would be announced in January 2017. January has come and gone as have February, March, April and May, and June is halfway there.

And June is supposed to be the month the Mint announced they would disclose the winning designs and designers for the 2018 Breast Cancer Awareness three-coin program that includes a pink gold $5 coin.

Will that announcement be held up, too?

Collectors of U.S. commemorative coins, as well as those with a vested interest in the themes being depicted, want to know what the designs look like to determine whether they are worthy of adding to their collections.

And the Mint is looking to hold more open design competitions for future commemorative coins.

The designs for the 2018 World War I American Veterans Centennial silver dollar are to appear on up to a maximum of 350,000 coins in Proof and Uncirculated condition. And augmenting those coins will be five separate silver medals honoring the five military branches – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard – bearing designs executed by members of the U.S. Mint’s engraving staff and/or the Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program artists.

Hasn’t the collecting public waited long enough?