Gettysburg National Military Park 5 Oz Silver Uncirculated Coin Launches

After patiently waiting all year, collectors finally got their chance to buy a 2011-P Gettysburg National Military Park Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin.

The United States Mint launched the uncirculated coin at noon Eastern Time Thursday, September 22, 2011 for $279.95. It is the first 2011-dated five ounce collector issue, and the sixth overall in the America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin™ series.

Before the uncirculated coin could appear, the Mint had to finish releasing all five of the 2010-dated issues, which they did between April and July. The only one of those that is still available is the issue honoring Mount Hood.

The Gettysburg silver uncirculated coin, just one of the fifty-six national sites to be honored in the America the Beautiful coin series through the years, is a collector piece that commemorates the national military park located in the state of Pennsylvania.

Ordering Details

Buyers who want this latest release may place an order directly from the United States Mint website at http://www.usmint.gov/catalog or by calling the bureau directly at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).

There is an initial limit of five coins per household — four more than previous strikes, and each domestic order will be charged a shipping and handling fee of $4.95.

Uncirculated Coin Specifications and Designs

With a large diameter of 3.0 inches and a weight of five ounces, these .999 fine silver collector coins cannot go unnoticed. Their 0.16 inch thickness bears edge letterings of .999 FINE SILVER 5.0 OUNCE, which was a tricky feat to accomplish and required special machinery. The designs on the obverse and reverse match the circulating Gettysburg National Military Park Quarter, including the QUARTER DOLLAR inscription, but the quarters, which were released in January, have reeded edges.

Designed by the United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Master Designer Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill, the uncirculated coin has a reverse or tails side featuring the 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument located inside the park on the battle line of the Union Army at Cemetery Ridge. The obverse design bears John Flanagan’s 1932 portrait of George Washington.

Each coin in the series is given an uncirculated finish and the ‘P’ mint mark, indicating it was produced at the United States Mint in Philadelphia. The special collector packaging includes encapsulation within a clear protective holder, set in a black outer box, and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.

Mintage and Sales Expectations

The Gettysburg uncirculated coin will have a maximum mintage of 35,000, which is eight thousand more than each of the first five coins released. The first four sold out already and the fifth Mount Hood strike has only 5,128 left, as of Monday, September 19.

As the newest product on the block, sales are predicted to be strong during the first 24 hours. Afterwards, sales will likely be a few thousand a week for nearly a month before slowing to a few hundred a week until — and if — a sellout is reached. That, at least, has been the pattern for the previous two strikes. One thing helping the Gettysburg National Military Park coin is the fact that it is the first issue in the series to honor an American Civil War memorial.

2010 and 2011 5 Oz Silver Uncirculated Coin Issues

The first five uncirculated coins honored:

• Hot Springs National Park, AR (Sold Out)
• Yellowstone National Park, WY (Sold Out)
• Yosemite National Park, CA (Sold Out)
• Grand Canyon National Park, AZ (Sold Out)
• Mount Hood National Forest (21,872 of 27,000 per the latest US Mint report)

Four more 2011-dated five ounce uncirculated coin issues will follow the Gettysburg release, but their launch dates have yet to be announced. These coins honor:

• Glacier National Park, MT
• Olympic National Park, WA
• Vicksburg National Military Park, MS
• Chickasaw National Recreation Area, OK

The United States Mint has already released five ounce bullion versions of each of the sites listed above, including Gettysburg’s that sold out in May. The bullion coins are intended for investors as they do not have the special finish of the uncirculated coin and lack the ‘P’ mintmark.

Gettysburg National Military Park Background

Well into the American Civil War, the south’s Confederate Army met the north’s Union Army in one of the bloodiest confrontations on U.S. soil, the Battle of Gettysburg. It lasted three days in July 1863, and left 51,000 dead, within and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

In an effort to improve the condition of the soldier’s graves that were scattered across the battlefield, a group of local residents rallied to establish “Soldiers’ National Cemetery,” where President Lincoln delivered his famous speech in November of 1863.

It was a little more than one year later when the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association, who sought to preserve the battlefield as a memorial, transferred their land holdings to the federal government. The official designation took place on February 11, 1895, and the historic area became known as Gettysburg National Military Park.

Visit http://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm for more information on the military park.