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Will the 2015-W Uncirculated Silver Eagle Become a Key Coin?
Recently
there has been a lot of coverage of the upcoming 30th anniversary of
the American Silver Eagle in 2016, including in this column just last week (https://www.coinworld.com/voices/louis-golino/2015/12/collectors_likelyto.html).
So far we
know that the numismatic versions, including the proof and uncirculated “W”
Silver Eagles, will feature smooth rather than reeded edges and will carry
incuse inscriptions noting the 30th anniversary of the world’s #1
silver coin.
We also know
that as a result of the U.S. Mint’s interpretation of the legislation
authorizing the edge lettering, no 2015-dated Silver Eagles can be sold next
year, which is why the Mint plans to end sales of both numismatic versions on
December 30. This has never been done
before.
It is
interesting that the Mint’s interpretation of the law focus on when the coins
are sold as opposed to when they were minted.
In the past only commemorative coins from one year could not be sold the
following year, while other numismatic products could be sold for multiple years.
At this
point the 2015-W coin is running 3,420 coins behind the current low mintage
coin of the burnished uncirculated W-mintmarked series, the 2013-W issue with
221,981 sold.* One must include sales of
both single coins and the annual uncirculated dollar set to determine the total
number sold.
It is possible
a new low will be set with the 2015-W coin, depending on how many coins are
sold between now and the end of the year.
In the December 13 sales report from the Mint, 2,650 coins were sold in
the previous week, which is not surprising in the aftermath of the Mint’s
announcement that sales will end soon.
The total
for the 2015-W issue at this point is 218,561 coins.
So with a
little over two more weeks of sales, it is quite likely the 2015-W will exceed
the mintage of the 2013-W unless the Mint ends sales earlier than expected
because it depletes its current inventory, and it is too late to produce more
coins.
The 2015
proof coin has been backordered for the past week, so it appears more of those
are being made. This coin will not set a
low, but it will have a lower mintage than most recent issues due to the
shorter sales period.
It also is
an open question how much this all matters since the 2013-W coin has not so far
seen much of a premium increase despite being the lowest mintage coin within
the uncirculated series. Some collectors
believe than if the series ever ends, at that point the lowest mintage coin
will increase substantially.
*The 2008-W
with reverse of 2007 error coin has a substantially lower mintage, but I am
only referring to the basic W-mintmarked burnished uncirculated series.