Enhanced Uncirculated American Silver Eagle Images

Larger images of the 2013-W “Enhanced Uncirculated” American Silver Eagle are now available. These provide a much better look at the upcoming coin which will be included in an upcoming set to celebrate an anniversary of the West Point Mint.

Here is a large size image of the obverse. Click to open in maximum size.

Obverse

Here is a large size image of the reverse. Once again click to open in full size.

reverse

According to the Mint, the coin features three different finishes. The fields carry light frost, while some elements of the design carry brilliant polish, and other elements of the design and inscriptions carry heavy frost.

The coins are struck three times, but not classified as proof.

This recent article on CoinWorld provides more technical details of the coin and its classification. The US Mint points out that they have used mutliple finishes on the same coin on prior occasions and most numismatic coins are struck multiple times with specially prepared dies.

The 2013-W Enhanced Uncirculated Silver Eagle will be included along with a 2013-W Reverse Proof Silver Eagle in a special West Point Anniversary Set. The exact anniversary marked by the set has been reported variously as the 75th anniversary of the facility or the 25th anniversary of gaining full mint status. The West Point Mint was constructed in 1937 (76 years ago?) and gained full mint status in 1988 (25 years ago). Both coins will be exclusive to the set.

There were previous indications that the sets would be available for a one month ordering window, reported variously as May 13 to June 13, 2013, “May/June 2013”, “May of June” and “the spring”. Pricing, product and ordering limits (if any) have not been announced.

Whatever the final details of this offering, it will certainly be one of the most anticipated US Mint numismatic offerings of the year.

Facebook Twitter Email

BEFORE YOU COMMENT:

  1. Mint News Blog is not a retail website. If you wish to buy a coin or banknote, you should contact a reputable dealer. One of our sponsors (see ads at left and top of page) may also have what you’re looking for, so be sure to check out their websites.
  2. Per policy, we do not advise on the value, authenticity, or rarity of readers’ coins and banknotes. For this kind of assistance, you should contact a reputable dealer, preferably one who’s certified by the American Numismatic Association and/or the Professional Numismatists Guild.
  3. Vulgar and/or abusive comments will not be tolerated. Nor will trolls.
  4. Allegations of fraudulent or criminal activity against a named party, when said activity has not been proven in a court of law, will be removed.

Comments

  1. Wontae Wrighter says

    PCGS and others will have a field Day!!! I’m surprised that MS70 pre-sales have not begun>>>>>>>>>>>>>

  2. vaughnster says

    Something to get mildly excited about this year. I hope they don’t have a one month selling window. A household limit (5) and the 12:00 p.m. free for all on the opening day would suit me just fine 🙂

  3. VA Bob says

    Interesting take on the design, reminiscent of the Panda’s, Kookaburra’s, and so forth. As an ASE collector, I’m in, but I hope they don’t do it to death like the reverse proofs.

  4. posterhunter says

    The mint needs to put a limit on the amount that they allow to be ordered. It would be nice if they only did 200,000 sets.

  5. Pool Shark says

    Just when I’m ready to write-off the Mint (after the atrocious GS and 5-Star Gen coins), they do something like this and restore my faith in them.

    “I’D BUY THAT FOR A DOLLAR!!!”

  6. Dan in AZ says

    I like time limit as it assures a broader distribution to collectors, however if they opt to release them on a first come first serve basis, then I’d like to see an ordering limit of 2 per household for the first week, then increasing it to 5 max for the remainder of the month. I suspect there are some folks who are hoping for a repeat of the 2011 set and would line up their friends, neighbors, etc … in order to obtain 25 or 50 sets and then hope for a quick sellout and cash in on others misfortune.

  7. Rick says

    I dont understand why there is so much interest in buying the American Silver Eagle. Is it the affordability? It seems to be issued year after year with the same design. The price is high compared to the silver content. Sems to be low compared to the Canadian Mint.

    Granted the new techniques of reverse proof and such. I would think the commemorative coins and the first spouse would be a more interesting collection. Even the American Platinum Eagle has some change in design. The 5 oz silver coins and ATB quarters are also individualized to different designs. I guess I am odd but I always liked collecting type sets when I was younger. Not every one had a two cent piece. Or a twenty cent piece. I couldnt afford to collect all of the two cent peces that they made. I also enjoyed going through rolls and finding coins rather than buying from the mint.

    Lately the most fun I have had when buying from the mint is finding the 5 oz Grand Canyon collector error coin made with bullion-like finish. The chance of finding errors for me might be remote in the future since I dont try to corner the market usually buying only one of each offering.

  8. Hidalgo says

    I’m in for one set. Considering that there will be no surprise sell outs, folks will have time to get what they want (unless the US Mint imposes a quantity restriction). If that is the case, then secondary market values, like last year’s ASE set, won’t increase dramatically. Secondary market values tend to increase dramatically with surprise sell outs..

    Also, there seems to be a big debate if these coins are uncirculated coins or proof coins. Considering they are striked three times, why not call them PROOF LIKE? The multiple strikes remind me of 1965 – 1967 Special Mint Sets which are considered “proof like” (rather than uncirculated or proofs.

  9. merryxmasmrscrooge says

    The other coin in the set is a reverse proof?
    That just probably put me out of the price range.

  10. Blair J. Tobler says

    I don’t understand this debate about whether these coins are uncirculated or proof. Where did this idea come from, that they must be proofs because they are struck multiple times? Just because proofs ARE struck multiple times doesn’t mean that anything struck multiple times MUST be a proof. It’s like saying that since all cows are animals, anything that’s an animal MUST be a cow! The coins are UNCIRCULATED.

  11. hi ho silver says

    Nice picture !! Maybe in the near future the Mint can update their web page to include pics like theses ?

  12. Rich says

    It’s a stunner and I applaud the Mint for its creativity. Love it or hate it, the Mint seems to be evolving – I recall the those surveys from 2-3 years ago on product diversity, uniqueness, availability, yadi, yadi – so perhaps that was the predominant message from the survey, they seemed to get it about the website, which has been much improved .

    I fear that we’re in for ‘sticker shock’ on this one – with any new process, you have an increase in rework, waste, etc and they’re probably collecting metrics as to how to price this thing if the intent is to keep each numismatic product line profitable, hence why we’re not seeing a price yet. They don’t know. I hope I’m wrong.

    If I pay ‘x’ premium over bullion, I expect to see some considerable intrinsic value increase so I feel good about the purchase when I kill over – which hasn’t been the case for 2012 San Fran fizzle – probably attributable “to produce to demand.” If we’re in at $150 or more per pop, let’s hope that quantity is restricted to < 5 per household. Exciting times!

  13. george glazener says

    Rich;
    I agree. I bet it’ll come out at $199.95. Then we’ll all hem & haw & grouse about the price, but then go ahead and order them anyway. Me included, I’m a sucker for beautiful coins like this

  14. Shutter says

    Considering they are striked three times, why not call them PROOF LIKE?
    One possible reason is that “prooflike” is an actual numismatic term that describes how a coin looks, Meanwhile, “proof” is an actual numismatic term that describes how a coin was made.

    The multiple strikes remind me of 1965 – 1967 Special Mint Sets which are considered “proof like” (rather than uncirculated or proofs.
    So far as I know, no one considers those automatically “prooflike” merely because they were included in those sets. Here’s a quote from Red Book regarding 1967 SMS:
    The coins were struck once on unpolished planchets, unlike Proof (which are struck twice on polished planchets….most of the coins have prooflike brilliance, but many are missing polished-off details…

  15. says

    Michael,

    Thanks so much for providing us with more images of these pieces. They appear to be much better in terms of quality.

    Having gotten a better look at the coins I am even more surprised they aren’t classified as proofs. Perhaps I am reading too much into the image but the strike on these also looks especially sharp.

    I dont understand why there is so much interest in buying the American Silver Eagle. Is it the affordability? It seems to be issued year after year with the same design. The price is high compared to the silver content. Sems to be low compared to the Canadian Mint.

    There are a number of reasons. First, the coin is very well known. The American silver eagle could be considered to have “brand” value – I believe I’ve read it’s the most well known and widely collected bullion coin in the world. Second, it has the full faith and credit of the US government behind it (many investors apparently put some stock in, this even if many on this board probably do not). Third is the ease of availability as the mint produces massive quantities of it every year as opposed to other silver coins which may have more limited runs (such as the 300K per year Perth Mint Lunars). Lastly is the classic design – the designs from US coins during the early 1900s are still extremely popular among US collectors and I know that’s an impetus for many as well.

    Also, I am against constant, yearly changes to bullion and coin designs. I much prefer one easily recognizable image of good quality rather than a yearly rotation. We already have the AtBs and commemoratives as rotating designs; do we need to do that to another coin?

  16. Shutter says

    Where did this idea come from, that they must be proofs because they are struck multiple times?… The coins are UNCIRCULATED.
    “Proof” describes how the coin was manufactured. “Uncirculated” describes how the coin looks and is typically the consequence of how it was handled after being manufactured.

    The most common definition of “proof” is a coin struck multiple times on specially polished blanks with specially polished dies and with extra pressure. You may have a different definition, and that’s ok, but at the very least you should say what it is.

    From the descriptions, it is clear that the manufacturing process is different than that used for proof coins produced by the US Mint, but it’s also very different from the rest of uncirculated collector coins produced by the US Mint. The Mint chose to call this “Enhanced Unciruclated”, but they could have called “Super Duper Proof” and still be somewhat accurate.

  17. Brad says

    I’ll buy at least one set for certain. I’ve bought every set that has contained a “reverse proof” coin at Mint issue price so far, so I might as well not break precedent. I enjoy owning the subset of Reverse Proof Silver Eagles. Plus, that special finish coin in this set looks really sharp. I like the way the flag Lady Liberty is wrapped in is so much more visible on that one.

    As far as the future value of the set, it would certainly be helpful if the Mint does put a high price tag on this one. Maybe that would serve to limit speculative purchases and keep the sales number down somewhat. Honestly, I would rather be dealing with a stated product limit and household ordering limit versus a four-week unlimited ordering window. I have to agree with Vaughnster on that aspect. For all the limited products in the past that had a “free for all” at 12:00 noon, I NEVER came away empty-handed for the ones that I got in the fray and fought for. It took me almost an hour-and-a-half to place my 25th Anniversary ASE order, but I got it.

    It’s good too that the Mint plans to make both coins in this set unique to the set. Part of the dismal performance of the 2012 San Francisco set is probably due to the proof coin being included in those “Coin and Currency” sets. With two unique coins and a first-time finish, this one should do well. Time will tell.

  18. Shutter says

    Also, I am against constant, yearly changes to bullion and coin designs. I much prefer one easily recognizable image of good quality rather than a yearly rotation.

    There is the third choice. As with platinum eagles, keep bullion design constant, but an annual change in reverse for proof coins.

  19. Rich says

    I think you’re right George – that’s where my money’s at; but hey, at $199, they better call it ‘Super Duper’ and I had better get a free Mint Teddie bear – cause I won’t be feeling the love!

  20. Kraw says

    This is a nice looking coin. ‘Enhanced’ indeed. I’d call it High-definition. The detail is sweet, the flag has texture I never noticed, even the sandal straps with the mirror finish and the leaves stand out.

    Maybe I am the only one, but I never even realized that Liberty’s dress bottom was the rest of the flag! haha. definitely high-definition, cool coin, good job mint.

    I will grumble about the price if it is over $150. There is no need for that AT ALL even if this is a one-of-a-kind finish. Plus they will no doubt put it in some surprise sets later in the year a-la the the 2012 SF RP ASE

  21. Blair J. Tobler says

    @ Shutter
    My definition of a proof is similar, but these coins are being made with burnished blanks, not polished ones. So even though the die has been polished before the laser frosting is added, I can’t see them as proofs. However, I will agree that they are not quite “Uncirculated” either, but then we have to ask what is the definition of “Uncirculated”? The one you gave can apply to numismatic offerings, but, to me, it doesn’t fit well for the uncirculated bags and rolls of ATB quarters, for example. Just my 2 cents…I’m sure others will disagree with my thinking, as well, and that’s fine – keeps the discussion lively

  22. Ray says

    I understand now why they are classifying these as uncirculated coins and not proofs. Seems to me that we got a picture of the coin before it was frosted/finished in the original posted photo. Looks like the image above is finished with the frosting. Since it will not have a mirror like finish, we have a UB. Plain and simple imo.

  23. Fosnock says

    The mint will gouge me but I’m in for a set. I don’t think their will be a repeat of the 25th anniversary set if for no other reason than to maximize this (so far) unique offering. If their are any limits I imagine it will be because of the price.

    @Rick – I agree with you, I like rotating designs a change every now and then is good but but lets get serious how many ways can the Australian’s show a Kookaburra, or the Chinese’s a Panda. The ATBs, the Lunar series or the Canadian Wildlife series are good example of a nice changing design because they will not be minted ad nauseam.

    No saying that it looks like you have not been collecting coins for long because using your example basically nobody would have collect coins back in my day. For example Morgan and Peace dollars had the same design with slight variations for their entire production run. Circulating coins did not change designs for like 40 years.

    I do not collect ASE, but to answered your question the ASE is a beautiful design, made in the USA, contains a PM. I’m not sure where you got that the RCM was cheaper, unless your comparing their bullion to the Mint’s proofs but the coin is reasonably priced or cheaper when compared to other mints. Also like CO said it is a easily recognized design, why would Disney change the look of Mickey mouse?

  24. says

    Fosnock,

    I could be wrong, but if memory serves I think the Canadian maple has a slightly lower premium than the US silver eagle. Of the “big four” gold bullion coins (eagle, philharmonic, krugerrand, maple) I recall the maple almost always has the lowest premium as well.

  25. says

    I stll think the set will be around $179.95.

    I’m not a fan of the 30 day ordering period though. Also, last year shipping did not begin until almost 4 weeks after the ordering period ended. Ordering begin on 6/7/12 and concluded on 7/5/12. My first sets shipped on 8/1/12 and my last sets shipped on 10/25/12.

    If the Mint wants to play the same game again, then that’s what I (and many others will do too). I’ll order 15 sets on the first day, some in the middle and then 10 or so on the last day (but not all on one order…maybe 5, 3, 3, and 1.)

    Then I’ll see how the first batch grades and how sells are going for both raw and graded sets, and then cancel the late orders if I see fit. Lots of people did this last time…thats why around 25,000 sets were canceled. The sells counter went from over 250,000 down to the final number of 224,981.

    Like others have said, I prefer an established mintage limit before sells begin..and a household limit of 2 or 3 is fine with me.

    But again, if the Mint wants to drag things out again, then there’s not much I can do about it.

    QUESTION: If the Mint is set on these 30 day ordering peroids for “special sets”, don’t you think they will do the same thing (if it happens) with the proposed Buffalo Gold set?

  26. Rick says

    I’d like to see this coin next to a std. bullion Eagle. Why do the fields look dark like it’s been colorized?
    @Captain, The full faith and credit for the silver eagle is it’s face value only, no? I’m not interested in the faith and credit for it’s face value. I buy them for their metal value.

  27. thePhelps says

    I guess I am impressed with these images.

    I am kind of confused by the proof and uncirculated discussion… last time I checked – the mint decides what they are making – and if they call it uncirculated – there isn’t much else to discuss. The rest of the conversation around what to call it is fluff – since it will leave the mint deemed an uncirculated coin and no matter how much you might want that name to be something else – it won’t change that nomenclature to match.

  28. Fosnock says

    CO,

    Your right but I said reasonably priced or lower. I also believe Rich was talking about proof coins, as this article is about proofs, but I could be wrong. I got the following from the RCM’s website “1/2 oz Fine Silver Maple Leaf Coin (2012)” for 39.95 CAD. It is listed as “one of our most affordable silver coins.”

  29. Fosnock says

    @ Rick – The “full faith and credit” for the silver eagle is that is is 99.99% silver

  30. EvilFlipper says

    That three layers of frosty, shiny goodness give these coins depth other silver eagles don’t have. If this is the only year of production then it’s a weeener! If not….. It’s still one I’ll own. No works on the buffalo’s huh…. Imagine if they tried this on one of those coins…. Wow. Reverse and new type buffalo. The possibilities….

  31. Ann says

    I don’t think the Mint will market this coming set like the 25th Anniversary set
    because of the anger from collectors who missed out and the cable coin selling hawkers who will not make as much cake. I am warming to the idea of higher price for the set and limited selling period and quick shipping.

  32. Don says

    The 30 day ordering period does seem too long–why not cut it in half and make it 15 days. It would still allow a broad enough window to satisfy the Mint customer base for placing orders. It would also help to cut back on some of the games that buyers play, such as cancelling late orders or sending sets back. This is especially the case if the order count gets high. Perhaps not having the Mint “counter” for number of sets ordered would discourage speculators, who are in it strictly for the almighty buck.
    Hey look, we all hope for as low a mintage as possible to help maintain some value to the sets. But buying these sets to make money down the road is not necessarily going to work out.

  33. Ray says

    I have a hard time thinking (bordering embarrassing) why our American Gold Eagles are only 22 karat. We look at the other top gold coins produced by other countries and they’re all .999 or better. Its really lame that we have the highest premium per coin, yet the purity is the worst. Seems to me like we’re coming in last place in quality for gold AE’s. Why not make them all 24 karat? It makes no sense to me. People want 24k coins. I’m buying the Buffalos and FS coins and maybe a gold eagle. I wish they would change this horrible policy of making 22k coins. Its the freakin 21st century America. Wake UP!!!

  34. Dan in Fla says

    These pictures tell a lot. The frosted background fields and the flag stars and stripes are in mirrored finish. What a beautiful coin this will be. I will buy five or ten and see where they go.

  35. Fosnock says

    @ Ray

    Short Answer-
    “It’s the same composition as the pre ’33 gold coins”

    Long one-
    “They started minting the AGE back in 1986 when no one really cared about having a 24K gold coin. Gold was in the dumps at that time and would remain so for another 15 years. All the US gold coins that preceded the AGE had been 22K as well. There was no reason to change. The 22K has copper added that allows the coin to wear better (ie harder), just like the gold coins of old. It wasn’t until gold really took off in price after 2004 that a demand for a 24K “investment” coin grew. Both coins have the same amount of overall pure gold. Another reason to mint the 24K $50 buffalo was to better compete with foreign mints that had the 24K option”

  36. Mercury says

    ?@ $199.95 I’m out! For me what the real draw of the American Silver Eagles are not only their beauty but also their affordability. Even though I am a fan of the American Silver Eagle I am not yet completely sold on the fact that a new design should constitute an enormous price increase. If the Mint is going to make this coin available long enough for all who are interested to obtain one, then by god they should be affordable enough so that all who have a real interest in the coin can also afford to buy one. With the precious metal market where it stands, the Mint will more then make up for any production cost deficiencies even if they kept this Set’s issues price at the same $149. price tag they charged for the 2012 San Francisco set. And Since I brought up the 2012 San Francisco set, didn’t the Mint, in order to justify that $149 price tag, also make a statement that it plans to make the coins in that set unique to the set. So should we really give the impression in our comments that these two unique coins will not be reissued at some latter date?

  37. Fosnock says

    @Ray – Another quote

    “What happened was, U.S.A. wanted a coin to compete with the SA Krugerrand. The size and composition are practically identical… he pure .999 stuff scratches badly…Taking the question to the next logical step, why was the Krugerrand 22K. I think it was originally intended to be a circulating coin when it was introduced so they wanted something a little more durable than 24K.”

  38. Saucexx says

    Some thoughts,

    1. I don’t really care about the ordering window, 30 days is fine. As an example the commemorative coins have an ordering window that ends in December. It’s really not a problem.

    2. $199 a set means I’m only in for one maybe two. If the mint wants to be greedy my purchases will decrease relative to their price hikes.

    3. A design that never changes is boring and a design that changes EVERY year is too much. I like how the Britannia’s are marketed, an occasional design change that goes back and forth.

  39. Tim says

    Well after this set maybe they will come out with fractional ASE’s. Now wouldn’t that be grand? A tenth, quarter, half, and 1 oz. Or heck, a 3/4 high relief, the possibilities are out there!

  40. Gary says

    Its funny to hear all this talk about low mintages and per household limits after all the complaining people did about the 2011 Anniversary Set. We will be lucky if we EVER get another low mintage set after that! It will be another 1 month window and as many as you want!!! I GUARANTEE IT!

  41. Shutter says

    these coins are being made with burnished blanks, not polished ones

    The word “burnished” is a synonym for “polished”. There may be a difference in degree of burnishing/polishing between these and proofs, but the simple meaning of the word is the same.

  42. merryxmasmrscrooge says

    “I am warming to the idea of higher price for the set and limited selling period and quick shipping.

    You rich people can say that”

  43. Ray says

    If higher prices mean less people buying them, I’m all for that too. I’d love to see them limit this release to 100,000 units. I wish I could go to the Denver mint in person when these do go onsale and just buy them in person and cut out the shipping costs and wait time. I’m in for 2 regardless of the price. Up to 10 if they are 150, and only 8 if they are 180.

  44. Gary says

    People…wake up! There will be no 100k mintages of Silver Eagles EVER again! It will never happen again! Anybody who wants low minatge silver eagles should just focus on the 2011 Anniversary Set coins.

  45. Jerry Diekmann says

    I only have so much discretionary income for buying coins from the Mint. As the Mint increases its prices (beyond reason IMO) I have to cut down on the number nof coins/sets I can buy. The buck stops at my wallet.

  46. hi ho silver says

    I don’t think dealers collectors and flippers are gonna wait on this offering like the 2012 ann set. I think the 1st day will bring well over 50k no matter the price.

  47. hi ho silver says

    Charles : I think it will be a solid 70k 1st day, not like 2012 with a final count of 263k reduced to 224k.I still don’t understand a 40k difference? people were saying they canceled sets, but I still wonder if the mints counter was off.

  48. stephen m says

    Gary must work at the mint or know someone there high on the ladder? I think the set will look good and will purchase at least one set maybe three, depending on the price.

  49. Gary says

    You dont have to know anyone at the Mint to realize after all the crying and whining about the 2011 Anniversary Sets. That will never happen again! I think the 4 week window and unlimited purchases will be the norm for the Silver Eagle offerings!

    Hey Stephen M…How about a friendly bet? .i will bet you just a 2013 Silver Eagle that they do the 4 week window.

  50. stephen m says

    Sorry Gary, i don’t think that would be a good bet. The four week window is most likely to be correct.It’s still a nice addition for us at whatever mintage. Lower would be better. I managed to get some 25th anni sets. Was on this computer at noon that day and fought all day and managed to get an order in about 4 hours later. I could sense the sellout and consider myself one of the lucky ones. When collectors came home from work it was too late for them to order as it was sold out already. The sets are still plentiful, even at 100k mintage, if a person wants a set. The TV people and the big sellers got the majority of the sets and didn’t leave many sets for us. That’s why most are crying and whining.

  51. stephen m says

    Hi Hi Ho Silver, I think a lot of the SF sets were cancelled because of the delayed shipping and the orders that were to be shipped later wouldn’t be delivered quick enough for them to be flipped or sold for a healthy profit while the sets were still a hot item in the early going. The mint’s counter was accurate i think, maybe.

  52. Gary says

    I agree..it will be a nice set and i will pick up 2 or 3 as well. I have snagged every different set of the 2012 Silver Eagles except for the Uncirculated dollar set…Still on the fence about that one. I must say i do like the 2012 Limited Silver Proof Set and purchased one, so i am thinking about adding a couple more of those before sellout. I am curious if there will be a 2013 Limited Silver Proof Set?

  53. stephen m says

    I can’t get them all although i wish i could. I do get the proof, uncirculated w and special and anniversary sets. I can’t work in my trade anymore and money is tight.

  54. Gary says

    Agreed! Money is really tight all around! Thats what keeps me out of the “Gold Game”…

  55. T1 browserman says

    yada yada yada…….suspend the silver price already….30+days below $30…..not paying double for any Ag offering including the P 5 oz till the prices are revised in the Fed Reg. End of Report

  56. stephen m says

    T1 browserman, Mint prices for silver do seem to be out of line. With prices for nearly everything headed north this may be what the mint has to sell silver products for to pay the high cost of overhead and to make a profit. Appears they are a little greedy, i don’t know. Keep in mind, in the US anyway, they haven’t any competition and any supplies the mint buys come with jacked-up prices because it’s the governments (our) money.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *