This year’s five differently designed America the Beautiful Quarters are now available in silver with the launch of the 2014 United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set. Designs feature scenes from national parks in the states of Tennessee, Virginia, Utah, Colorado and Florida.
Sales began on Tuesday, Jan. 21, with regular pricing of $31.95 and 10% discounted pricing of $28.75 through subscription.
The idea has been kicked around to start striking more collectible silver products in 99.9% silver, like the popular American Silver Eagles. For now and in keeping with years of tradition, the silver America the Beautiful Quarters are composed from 10% copper and 90% silver with the set having an overall silver weight of 0.904 troy ounces.
Using Tuesday’s London silver fixing of $20.03 an ounce, each silver proof set has a melt or intrinsic silver value of $18.11. Last year’s set launched around the time when silver was $30 an ounce, and it opened $10 higher at $41.95. In other words, the set’s price can change with the precious metals market, though it generally takes a great deal of movement (~ +/-$5) for that to happen.
Struck to collector proof quality at the U.S. Mint facility in San Francisco, California, the coins of the silver proof set include:
- 2014-S Proof Great Smoky Mountains National Park Quarter (Tennessee)
- 2014-S Proof Shenandoah National Park Quarter (Virginia)
- 2014-S Proof Arches National Park Quarter (Utah)
- 2014-S Proof Great Sand Dunes National Park Quarter (Colorado)
- 2014-S Proof Everglades National Park Quarter (Florida)
As I mentioned two weeks ago when the clad version of the set launched for $14.95, proof coins from the San Francisco Mint are unique as greater care is taken in making them. They polish the blanks, polish the dies, strike the coins more than once and have a robotic packaging system. Human hands never touch the coins.
Whether composed from clad or silver, every proof America the Beautiful Quarter is made in San Francisco and will have a visible ‘S’ mint mark to the right of George Washington’s portrait. Conversely, quarter-dollars produced for general circulation or for collector uncirculated sets originate at U.S. Mint facilities in Denver or Philadelphia and will have mint marks of ‘D’ or ‘P’.
Several artists and United States Mint Sculptor-Engravers are responsible for the five 2014 national park quarter designs. Check out this coin news article to see original quarter design images and for information about them.
Specifications of each silver America the Beautiful Quarter include a diameter of 0.955 inches and a weight of 6.250 grams. The clad versions that will later appear in circulation or those from the clad proof set released two weeks ago have the same diameter but a lighter weight at 5.670 grams. Their composition is 8.33% nickel with the remaining balance copper.
Ordering and Sales Expectations
More information and ordering options for the 2014 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Sets are available from the U.S. Mint’s annual product page, or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Standard domestic shipping is $4.95.
Silver proof sets have no household ordering limits, and mintages of the sets are based on demand.
In an initiative announced last year, clad and silver proof sets with 2014 America the Beautiful Quarters are available at a 10% discount by joining the Mint’s Online Subscription Program. For this product, subscribers save $3.20.
Annually issued sets of quarters are among the Mint’s best sellers. Last year’s 2013 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set remains available for the same price of $31.95. It notched sales of 49,061 between its launch on Jan. 8, 2013 through to Jan. 14, 2013. Orders as of Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014 total 128,067.