United States Mint weekly sales for its numismatic products are a bit more interesting this week with the debut of the 2012 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set. The set is the third annual release to feature only 25-cent pieces in silver since the 2010 kick-off of the Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters® Program.
Released Tuesday, January 10, at a price of $41.95, the 2012 ATB Quarters Silver Set opened with sales of 61,181 during the first seven days.
The level cannot be fairly compared to last year’s 2011 ATB Silver Proof Set as its first batch of 78,054 sales was not reported until three weeks following the release and the set had been suspended through a portion of the time as a result of run-away precious metals prices.
Inaugural 2010 ATB Silver Proof Sets debuted with sales of 73,756 during their first four days of availability. But formulating a sales comparison from it to the starting performance of the latest set is, again, not realistic. Although the premium was actually much higher, the 2010 ATB Silver Proof Set launched at a more affordable $32.95 price since silver was much cheaper than it is today.
To show how the annual silver proof sets contrast against each other, the following table offers sales and pricing information on all three.
Comparing 2010-2012 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Sets
| Year | Issued | Debut Sales | Latest Sales* | Opening Price | Silver Value at Launch | $ Premium | % Premium |
| 2010 | May 27 | 75,756 Over 3 Days | 272,886 | $32.95 | $16.60 | $16.36 | 98.5% |
| 2011 | April 1 | 78,054 Over 23 Days | 136,086 | $41.95 | $34.02 | $7.93 | 23.3% |
| 2012 | Jan. 10 | 61,181 Over 7 Days | 61,181 | $41.95 | $26.84 | $15.11 | 56.3% |
*Latest sales as of Tuesday, January 17, 2012.
Each of the sets are identical in that they contain five of the year’s America the Beautiful Quarters. The coins are struck at the San Francisco Mint using blanks with a metallic composition of 90% silver and 10% copper. As such, each set contains 0.904 ounces of the white metal.
ATB Quarters in First Three Silver Proof Sets
| 1st Year | 2nd Year | 3rd Year |
| 2010-S Hot Springs National Park Quarter (AR) | 2011-S Gettysburg National Military Park Quarter (PA) | 2012-S El Yunque National Forest Quarter (PR) |
| 2010-S Yellowstone National Park Quarter (WY) | 2011-S Glacier National Park Quarter (MT) | 2012-S Chaco Culture National Historical Park Quarter (NM) |
| 2010-S Yosemite National Park Quarters (CA) | 2011-S Olympic National Park Quarters (WA) | 2012-S Acadia National Park Quarters (ME) |
| 2010-S Grand Canyon National Park Quarters (AZ) | 2011-S Vicksburg National Military Park Quarter (MS) | 2012-S Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Quarters (HI) |
| 2010-S Mount Hood National Forest Site Quarter (OR) | 2011-S Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarter (OK) | 2012-S Denali National Park Quarter (AK) |
The 2010 set is no longer available. Collectors can purchase the 2011-2012 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Sets directly from the United States Mint website at www.usmint.gov/catalog, or by calling the bureau’s toll-free number at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).
