On Thursday, Jan. 22, the United States Mint unveiled 82 design candidates for the upcoming one-ounce, .9999 fine 2015 High Relief Gold Coin and accompanying 2015 High Relief Silver Medal.
Potential eagle and liberty themed designs were given to the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) for their review on Thursday. The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) will take them up on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
Limited details about the gold coin and silver medal are available at this writing. The concept for the pair was announced last year and given the go-ahead after the U.S. Mint confirmed it was not pursuing a new design for American Silver Eagles.
At that time, the discussion revolved around the possibility of ultra-high relief or high relief versions. It’s not certain which direction the U.S. Mint will take. The latter now seems more likely since "2015 High Relief 24K Gold Coin" and "2015 High Relief Silver Medal" are listed in the agency’s 2015 Product Schedule, with release dates "to be determined,"
Varying Design Inscriptions
For both, themes include Lady Liberty for obverses and an eagle for reverses. Forty-one design candidates for the 2015 High Relief Gold Coin were released. Another 41 bearing nearly identical designs were unveiled for the 2015 High Relief Silver Medal.
Differences between the groupings are mainly inscriptions and spacing. Gold coin designs carry obverse inscriptions of LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and 2015 while reverses have UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, .9999 FINE GOLD 1 oz., and either $75 or SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS.
Silver medal design candidates bear obverse inscriptions of the year 2015 with examples that include LIBERTY. Some of the reverse designs include UNITED STATES OF AMERICA while others lack an inscription.
2015 High Relief Gold Coin, Obverse Design Candidate Images
Here are the 25 obverse candidate designs for the gold piece:
2015 High Relief Gold Coin, Reverse Design Candidate Images
Here are the 16 reverse candidate designs for the gold piece:
A later article will talk about and include images of the proposed silver medal designs.
Personally I love the designs, but what is the point of these issues? (Other than to sell to collectors, of course.) The denomination is odd–as bullion it’s not even a throwback to when gold actually circulated. And it’s not commemorating anything.
o10C + r11C = best combination
Richard I agree with you. Instead, they should wait a few years and issue high relief Apolo Moon Landing commemoratives. Wouldn’t that be something special? As a graphic designer I thinck the most compleate designs out of these are O-22-C/R-11-C or R-12-C. Some tweaking will be needed before these are finalized.
HR-0-11-C with HR-R-09-C Would seem to pair well – I like them. And I don’t understand the reason behind creating a $75.00 Gold HR without any special connotation or attachment. And it is still 1 oz. gold. Will wait and see if the Mint is more forthcoming about the “rhyme and reason”.
Since the gold coins have a $ value and a date I assume this is a beginning of a new series. They’ve already got the eagle and the buffalo, I’m not sure why they’re doing this version other than as make work for the designers who are probably sitting around on their thumbs with nothing else to do. Two commemoratives a year has got to be pretty boring.
This will be the third 1 oz gold coin the mint offers – BORING. At least they’re not becoming a commercial mint like the Ottawa and Perth mints are.
Mintage levels will determine value here, as 1 oz products are already available. Maybe we’ll see an increase in value if the mint never produces another 75$ numismatic as well.. This will most likely be a sit and wait product.
I do like the design concepts however, and I am planning to own some regardless. Though, I won’t pay a high premium unless the mintage is determined beforehand.
I also don’t understand what this coin is all about, but I am all in on buying. I’m quite certain the mint will make a MINT off of these babies. I’m liking 18c Obverse and 8c or 14 c Reverse. I’m wondering just how much the cost will be? Gold doesn’t come cheap at the mint! I also hope they don’t gussie it all up with lots of overdone packaging! That’s my $75 bucks worth.
I will take a wild guess – pick the ugliest designs for the obverse and reverse – and that is the ones CCAC and CFA will choose. Based on the horrible coinage coming from these two committees – my bet, they will continue their losing streak.
The Mint should have a household limit of 1 coin like they did in 2009.
I will not buy any mint products that have no limits of 5 or less.
Am so tired of the huge coin Corporations buying thousands at a time leaving me with a Fat Premium over gold spot and the Big guys driving the prices in online sales. I want a collectors coin for the collector. Should have had a $500 dollar value then $75 bucks. Weird price for the coin.
The US Mint should limit this product to 5 or less per Household. This product will not be worth investing in if there is no limit. There is Very Few US Mint products that are worth more than their original issue price. Look what happened to the Kennedy Gold Half Dollar Coin, I can buy them for $100 less than you can buy them on the US Mint Website.