2010 Platinum Eagle Design Revealed

Although a formal announcement has not yet been made, the designs of the 2010 Proof Platinum Eagle were recently revealed on the United States Mint's website. The design theme is "To Establish Justice" continuing the six year series exploring the core concepts of American democracy.

Earlier this year, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) had reviewed nine candidate designs provided by the United States Mint. Six of the designs had presented an image of blindfolded Justice holding scales with additional allegorical symbols incorporated into some designs. The remaining candidates included a depiction of the Statue of Liberty's torch, the Supreme Court's western pediment, and the west front door.

The CCAC had supported the version of blindfolded Justice that has been chosen, with some recommended changes to the design and inscriptions. It appears that the US Mint did act on their suggestion to add a loop to the scale to make it mechanically correct. The CFA had supported the design featuring the torch of the Statue of Liberty, citing its suitability in combination with the obverse design. By law, the final design decision was made by the Secretary of the Treasury.

Some details about the offering were also revealed. The coins will carry a maximum authorized mintage of 10,000 coins. This represents an increase from last year's level of 8,000 coins, which sold out after about a week. The household ordering limit is set at five, which matches last year's level.

The price of the one ounce platinum coins will be dependent on the average price of platinum in the week leading up to the release. Within the current range of $1,550 to $1,649.99 per ounce, the coins would be priced at $1,892 each. Last year, the coins were priced at $1,792 based on an average platinum value from $1,450 to $1,549.99 per ounce.

The release date for the 2010 Proof Platinum Eagle is currently scheduled for August 12, 2010.