2010 Off to Slow Start, America the Beautiful Update

The US Mint is off to a very slow start for 2010 numismatic product releases. The lack of collector products is due to delays surrounding the release of the new America the Beautiful Quarters, the next First Spouse Gold Coin, and of course collectible Gold and Silver Eagles.

To date, the US Mint has had only five product release dates, which included nine different individual products. (For product dates, I counted each day that new 2010-dated products were released. The number of different individual products includes all of the available packaging or ordering options, such as separate P and D rolls or separate proof and uncirculated versions.)

Using the same method of counting, by this date in 2009 the US Mint had nine product release dates, which included 19 different individual products. By this date in 2008, there were twelve product release dates, which included 35 different products.

Delayed products contributing to the slow start include the Abigail Fillmore First Spouse Gold Coin, which previously had a tentative release date set for March 4, 2010. In late February, the US Mint stated that the release would be pushed forward to an unspecified date in March. The release of America the Beautiful Quarters has been delayed with no updated information until recently. (See America the Beautiful Update below) There has been no new information on collectible Gold and Silver Eagles for 2010. As mentioned in previous posts, the release of these collector coins will remain contingent on the ability of the US Mint to fulfill "full public demand" for the bullion coins.

Last year the US Mint had waited until the last few months of the year to announce the cancellation or release of several long delayed products. They had also released some of the final 2009-dated products in early 2010. This year, it feels like they are falling even further behind.

America the Beautiful Coins Update

Per an article in the latest issue of Coin World, the designs for the five 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters will finally be unveiled on March 24, 2010. The US Mint will hold a special ceremony at the Newseum located in Washington, DC.

The first America the Beautiful Quarter featuring Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas is expected to be released during April. (By comparison the first State Quarter had been released on January 4, 1999.)

The candidate designs for the 2010 quarters have been available since September 2009 when the CCAC and CFA performed their reviews and issued recommendations. The candidate designs for 2011 were also subsequently released in January for the CFA and CCAC's review.

Things have been moving forward with the required 5 ounce America the Beautiful Silver Bullion coins. According to an article in Numismatic News, a new coin press was installed at the Philadelphia Mint on March 1 to strike the over-sized coins. The same article mentioned that the new bullion coins are not expected to be released in late summer or early autumn.

The silver bullion coins will be sold through the US Mint's network of authorized purchasers, who also distribute American Eagle and American Buffalo bullion coins.

The US Mint subsequently stated that each release of the bullion coin series would carry a maximum mintage. There is no requirement to strike the America the Beautiful Silver coins to demand, as exists for the American Silver Eagle bullion coins.

Today on Coin Update News: The latest US Mint Sales Report