2012 Hawaii Volcanoes 5 Oz Silver Bullion Coin Sales Begin

Sales of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coin have begun.

According to the United States Mint, a total of 7,900 have been sold to date. This was based on sales figures offered by the Mint with an as of date of today, September 10, 2012.

For comparison, these initial sales are down two thousand from debut sales of the previous release, the Acadia National Park Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coin. They are, however, up significantly from the opening 3,200 sales reported for the strike offered before that, the Chaco Culture Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coin.

All of these strikes are issued by the U.S. Mint for investors as part of its America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coin™ Program. Coins in this series are composed from five ounces of .999 fine silver and feature obverse and reverse imagery originally designed for the Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters® Program. As a side note, the U.S. Mint also produces a series of five ounce coins for collectors. These, known as the America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins™, are similar in appearance to the bullion versions but contain a ‘P’ mint mark to denote that they were produced at the Philadelphia Mint.

America the Beautiful 5 Oz Silver Bullion Coin Sales Figures

Of the seven currently available America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins, only the newly released Hawaii Volcanoes coin logged sales since the most recent U.S. Mint sales update offered last week.

For reference, total sales of the available coins are shown in the chart below:

2012 America the Beautiful bullion coins are struck to meet demand and do not have pre-determined mintage caps in place.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Coin Design

As previously mentioned, ATB coins contain designs similar to the related quarter designs. As such, the newly issued Hawaii Volcanoes bullion coin showcases an obverse and reverse image identical to the Hawaii Volcanoes quarter released by the U.S. Mint on August 27, 2012.

On the obverse, a portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States, may be seen. This portrait was originally designed by John Flanagan for the 1932 circulating quarter dollar and has appeared on quarters (with some minor variations) since 1932.

The reverse of the coin contains a design emblematic of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park of Hawaii. Designed and sculpted by U.S. Mint Engraver Charles L. Vickers, Kilauea Volcano is depicted with an eruption occurring from its east rift. Reverse inscriptions include HAWAI’I VOLCANOES, HAWAII, 2012 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.

An edge inscription is used to indicate the coin’s weight and fineness with “.999 FINE SILVER 5.0 OUNCE.” This is different from quarters, which have reeded edges.

Where to Purchase

Bullion coins are not sold directly to the public by the U.S. Mint. Instead, the Mint offers them in bulk to a network of Authorized Purchasers who resell them to the public for a small premium above the current spot price of the silver contained within them.

New Hawaii coins have already started to appear for sale through various coin and bullion dealers.