The United States Mint this week discussed plans to make 1-ounce .999 fine silver medals honoring former presidents and branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Members of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) were briefed Jan. 17 about the possibility for the two new series — one slated to begin later this year and one that could start in 2020.
Presidential Silver Medal Series
Ann Bailey, the U.S. Mint’s program manager for numismatic and bullion, first talked about a series of Presidential silver medals to compliment the already available Presidential medals in bronze. The silver medals would bear the same designs as the bronze editions, and they could be released at a pace of four per year with the first two issued in 2018.
The U.S. Mint already has permission to strike Presidential medals in silver, having received the go-ahead years ago to make them for products like the Presidential Coin & Chronicles Sets.
Military Silver Medal Series
Bailey then outlined their idea for silver medals covering branches of the U.S. military — the Army, the Navy, the Air Service, the Marines and the Coast Guard, and possibly their reserve components.
Designs for these medals are expected to be more general in nature compared to the ones paired with the 2018 Proof WWI Centennial Silver Dollar that launched on Wed. Jan. 17. For example, they would not be based on any battles or anniversaries, Bailey said, and artists would avoid design themes that Congress could target for use on possible commemorative coins.
Baily noted that they have yet to ask for the authority to strike the medals as they are still in the early planning and research phases.
2020 is the soonest any would launch. All of them would likely be released over the course of three years.
Smaller bronze editions are also in the works.
Medal Specifications and Sales Plans
The two silver medal series would share similarities. Plans are to strike both in collector proof quality using American Silver Eagle planchets.
In addition, they would be available without sales deadlines or fixed limits just like the Mint’s bronze medals.
Some collect coins; some prefer metals; some like both. This will be another long series. Perhaps I will not be around when it ends but my suggestion is a legal tender $50 silver 1 oz coin for the Presidents ( the mint could, today, buy all the silver it needs for the program at today’s price). They therefore could not only insure a profit but use the “profit” to reduce the debt. Of course the mints price should be set at $50 for all future coins. The kids could complete the series.
I’m glad the US Mint is focusing more attention on producing medals.
In my view, in this day and age, medals are far superior to coinage since there are less restrictions or requirements on medal design and therefore more room on the piece to display the artwork and only the wording pertinent or relevant to the design.
I look forward to seeing and likely buying these medals.
Too bad the Mint did not strike a silver Prez medal for the RR C&C set, instead they decided to stuff it with the 30 Anniv. proof ASE in an effort to goose its sales. A silver medal would have made the RR C&C set so much more attractive (IMO) and more in keeping with the previous Prez C&C sets .. but leave it up to the Mint to screw things up .. they won’t disappoint there.
There goes my limited edition TR & FDR Medals, & JFK & IKE & Harry the Hat truman
This is a good marketing technique by the mint, especially if they start with the silver presidential Washington medal. This is remarkably the most interesting medal program the mint has ever introduced in my opinion! GREAT IDEA!!
Chas Barber: “There goes my limited edition TR & FDR Medals, & JFK & IKE & Harry the Hat Truman.”
According to the article, these new medals will be struck as proofs, so the scarcity of the uncirculated versions contained in the Presidential C&C sets should not be affected.
The articles states, “The two silver medal series would share similarities. Plans are to strike both in collector proof quality using American Silver Eagle planchets.”