Many collectors have looked forward to today. The United States Mint launches its one-ounce, 24-karat gold coin with high relief designs of Lady Liberty and an American eagle. It’s the Mint’s first-ever gold coin with a $100 face value.
Sales of the 2015-W $100 American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin kick off at noon EDT. The U.S. Mint is anticipating a lot of interest, and suggests ordering online.
"Customers should be aware this could be a high-demand item. For faster ordering, customers should be on the website at noon July 30" Lateefah Simms, public affairs specialist in the Mint’s Office of Corporate Communications, said in an email. "If customers have an account and are logged in, they can usually complete their purchase in under two minutes. The website can handle thousands of customers at a time, so the website is the fastest method to get an order in the system."
This .9999 fine gold collectible will be one of the Mint’s most expensive products of the year with its opening price of $1,490.00. That can change weekly depending on the market value of gold, and it was nearly $50 higher.
Some will consider the coin’s premium a barrier to buying, since its price is now almost $400 higher than its melt value. In some coin-to-coin comparisons, it’s $50 more than the 24-karat proof American Gold Buffalo and $80 higher than the biggest 22-karat proof American Gold Eagle.
Back to the face value, it’s the Mint’s first $100-denominated gold coin but the agency has issued $100 coins since 1997. Those, however, are in .9995 fine platinum for the American Platinum Eagle series.
Coin Designs
Designed by Justin Kunz and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill, obverses (heads side) offer a depiction of Lady Liberty with a torch held upright in her right hand and an American flag on staff in her left.
Reverses feature an eagle rising in flight, as designed by Paul C. Balin and sculpted by Don Everhart. This design was praised and first presented as an option for this year’s 2015-W $5 U.S. Marshals 225th Anniversary Gold Coin. It was also the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee’s choice in a proposed idea for a new American Silver Eagle reverse.
To maximize the designs in high relief, the U.S. Mint at West Point strikes each coin to a slightly smaller diameter of 1.205 inches versus the standard 1.287 inches of one-ounce American Gold Buffalos, American Gold Eagles, and American Platinum Eagles.
Sales Expectations, Limits and Ordering
Sales predictions vary greatly. Some observers expect a sellout at the established mintage limit of 50,000. Considering that possibility, there should still be enough through the early going even with a dealer-favored household ordering limit of 50.
The 2015-W $100 American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin will not be available at any of the Mint’s sales counters, only online right here and via telephone at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).
Earlier U.S. Mint plans had called for a one-ounce, .999 pure silver medal with the same high relief designs as the gold coin. That will not happen this year and the Mint has not determined if it will be released later.
I like this image but I don’t love it. I’m contemplating on whether I should take the plunge and get this investment. I am almost sure it will do very well, given the fact that, its a 50k limit, 24k, 1oz gold government issued coin with a historic $100 face value. I know. But my brain is trying to justify its price – especially because spot is sitting at $1089.
Well I have until 11:30 to decide…
My thoughts exactly. Obverse is kinda odd…love the detail on the reverse. Also wondering if the 2015 Buffalo PCGS 70 FS isn’t a better investment given the mintage numbers and the distraction that this coin (and others) will provide.
Not to hijack the thread, but did anyone else get the email from modern coin mart offering them double their money if they buy two of the Eisenhower Chronicle sets? $120=$250. That two coin limit is killing the big dealers…..it’s an easy double for flippers, and looks like a killer purchase for long term collectors. Thoughts?
Terry: I got the email too and thinking about it because I’m not that interested in the set. The Mint is probably on to them that’s why they knocked down the household limit to two, which I thought was odd. Back to the 2015 high relief… My heart is sort of set on a Mexican 50 Peso, mainly size, premium and amount of gold. I know it has no numismatic appeal but lots of people like that coin. But I have a few more minutes to decide on this High Relief. I’m really debating on this one. Which way do… Read more »
Have no interesting in this high relief coin, love the 2009 high relief classic design. I don’t think this coin has a high demand , let’s see what’s going on!
The $100 face is interesting but seems meaningless to anyone outside of Utah, where you could legally buy $100 of gas or groceries with it. Anywhere else you try and pass it you will be interviewed by homeland as suspect.
order in and the mint website works great!
I’m going to wait on buying until I see how the first day numbers look. It’s not going to sell out today at that high price. Is there any sort of real-time sales numbers to watch?
Logged into mint’s website at 12:07, ordered, and was processed by 12:08.
@ Terry: This website should give you an update by tomorrow if it doesn’t sell out today. All great buying incentives but I’m not feeling this coin – I tried.
Order completed @ 12:01 ! Piece of cake! Worth it? Yet to be seen…. $400 premium????
I keep refreshing the USM webpage in hopes I see that CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE banner. If that banner doesn’t appear by day’s end…I’ll simply cancel the order and wait for the offering on 8/11.
I would have bought if they had chosen the design of the “warrior” Liberty that one was cool. This obverse, the more I look at it the more I feel that it is a bored model in a photo shoot, with two props (flag and torch) which she has not been instructed how to hold so she is neither here nor there … the reverse is nice but would have looked better in proof (all IMO of course)
FYSA – I’ve already received my USM Order Confirmation.
I just got the Modern Coin Mart offer of $250.00 for two sets of Eisenhower Coins and Chronicles Sets. The Truman sets are selling for about $200. each on the secondary market, so I’m going to buy the Eisenhower sets and KEEP THEM as an investment.
I purchased this gold coin. Hope it’s worth it .
Does the demand for the Truman/Eisenhower C/C set bring up the value of the Teddy Roosevelt sets and others? Or just the Reverse Proof issues…..
The US mint is making to many reverse proof now.
Reading negative comments about coin’s design here made me think as to what I had said when I saw drawings of this coin. I said then that there were better choices, much better choices. In fact, I had considered buying one had US Mint chose a better design. For $100 I wanted to see a strong, dare I say “imperialistic”, representation of Liberty. Other than this coin is new in it’s line and lower mintage, there’s nothing special about this coin. Not getting one!
I concur. I’m not impressed with the Liberty design. The mint should have made a better choice. Also, the total mintage quantity is not extremely low.
I’m also not buying this.
This will sell ok, but a sellout will be hard; JFK gold 1/2 had more collectors & legs, & never reached 75k. With an almost 50% premium over gold the mint is pushing it & with gold ‘pegged
” to drop <$1,000 maybe wait, they may selling this one into 2017….
She looks tired standing there. Definitely a photoshoot model.
Lower the mintage limit, then I’ll think about it.
Vadim has a point, seems to be a very PC obverse…..tired gaunt looking Liberty, she is only eating school lunches it appears…..Zzzzzzz
Update: Sales topped 32,000 coins by 2:30 PM EDT.
I think the coin is decent, but then it is reminiscent of the baseball golds with limits, and those didn’t last long. It’s a decent coin, could be better. 2016 coins lookuch better, plus the 30Th Anniversary American Eagle sets
The Mint appears to have sold ALL the coins.
There should be a time when they will briefly be available again for people like me who thought they were going nowhere.
Will have to be on the alert to find that window.
US Mint just posted this gold coin is now unavailable?
YES! YES! YES! Glad i buy
Update #2: The U.S. Mint’s inventory ran out, taking orders for more than 35,000 coins. Their website will be updated “at some point in the next day” to show the coin on backorder.
If you are considering buying or not buying this “collector’s coin” to make quick $100 next month, this coin is not for you. Stop wasting your time posting your comments. I am purchasing these coins for my grandchildren.
Only one thing I like this coin is the face value at $100.00.
The lady is too thin and the body is unbalance. I do not have to say the face.
This is another bullion coin in the near future.
The mark up by the mint is too much. And the mintage is too large.
With this anemic depiction of liberty, the only things which would have induced me to buy would have been a $1,000.oo face value, much lower mintage and household limit of 2 coins. A definite NO BUY for me.
Here’s another update: http://www.coinnews.net/2015/07/30/american-liberty-hr-gold-coin-sales-top-35000-in-4-hours/
Thanks for the updates Mike. Annie, I couldn’t agree with you more. I wanted the golden Kennedy too and had the same conflict as I did today, on that one. I think the Mint totally flopped on that one (IMO). So after long lines, dealer payoffs, unlimited mintage and great expectations, the half dollar is still sitting on the Mint’s site for $1090 (currently unavailable but not sold out). Whoo hooo! for those who got this high relief today but I’m at peace with my decision not to get it. I like art and to enjoy the aesthetics of my… Read more »
Went on line at 12.00 ordered four of them was complete at 12.01
I read all the negative comments about this coin and even agreed with some of them, however, this is too important of a coin to pass off regardless of it shortcomings. I was thinking about waiting for it on ebay in MS70, however, didn’t want to miss out just in case it sold out; so decided to put in my order with the US MINT today. I’m so glad I did. My only regret is not picking up a few more of them… I figured if the 2009 UHR sold out with double the mintage this coin has, then I… Read more »
The obverse is too modernistic and looks like Angelina Jolie. It’s way over spot gold price (even thought the 2009 Gold Eagle had a 38% premium above spot). The mintage on this coin is too high at 50k (the 2009 sold 113k). I like the ‘Old’ Liberty – more of the Imperialistic Liberty flavor. But how can we attract a new generation of collectors to sustain collecting for years to come with the same old recycled designs? This will be another gold Kennedy flop. The mint is bowing to the big dealers with a high household limit. Blah blah blah… Read more »
I just don’t like the obverse design on this one.
And again the graders are taking a premium to grade this one… just like they did on the Kennedy Gold. An added expense that I have come to regret.
Let the dealers and bulk buyers hype this for a while … who knows how much they bought … too bad the Mint doesn’t break out bulk or large purchases of collectible coins.
One of the most exquisite coins ever, the sellout was to be expected. These will sell for two thousand in aftermarket. Just a beauty!!! Woulda bought one if I had the change. As for the Chronicles sets, these will be KEY, KEY, KEY, and KEY coins for the presidential series. Enterprising collectors who acquire multiples will be richly stolen from, with the mint seizing extra sets which make their way to one home in violation of ordering limits. Think 1933 Gold when considering what the government might do to smack down resellers.
Wait and see, friends.
I purchased one at 12;00:01 and was through the checkout process in about 30 seconds. I received an email this evening that my order shipped, and should arrive Monday, 03 August. I told my wife I intended to “flip” the coin to justify the purchase and make a few bucks, but now I’m having serious second thoughts on keeping the coin. I’m a coin collector, but I also have limits on the amount of money I can spend at any one time. Congratulations to all that wanted one and got it!
Break even on EBAY is to sell it at $1712 with their high fees. That doesn’t take into account shipping and insurance. Looks like they’re trending about $1875. Got burnt on the Kennedy’s. Not willing to do GOLD very soon. Gorgeous coin! I’d dump these early if you’re a “flipper”. Just my 2 cents!
I was lucky this time checkout by 11:02 CST. Did not like design as much as some of the others but think will be good keeper. I usually buy 2 gold coins a year one to enjoy and keep other in box if received within 30 days for FS or ER.. Never have sent in or sold. Guy at PCGS told me if not open did not matter how old coin was as long as it met First Strike. Seems like by time one pays to send coin in for grading waste of money. Have first strikes back to 2012.… Read more »
On ebay for a U.S. Mint 2015-W American Liberty Gold High Relief $100 coin yesterday morning Wednesday July 29, 2015, two buyers paid $1,749.00 each for Buy It Now Item #151759849566 from seller nowcoin. Today Thursday July 30, 2015, on ebay seller peterdstollwerck sold Item # 111708644824 to two buyers who paid Buy It Now prices of $1,850 and $1,799.95 each for these gold coins; ebay seller pennytree007 sold Item #201397748288 for $1,739.00 & for $1,799.00; ebay seller showcasecoins sold Item # 281737556604 for $1,749.00.
Brett,
Who is the guy at PCGS; a friend, a neighbor? If I send in an unopened U.S. Mint package with packing slip inside box what happens to that information on the invoice? Just curious as to the process that marginalizes the single collector versus the dealer.
Overpriced; mediocre artwork (particularly on obverse), and littered throughout with designers’ initials, which frankly shouldn’t even be permitted on official coinage. Pass.
The U.S. Mint said first-day sales total 36,686 coins. We’ll publish some photos of the coin this afternoon.
Thanks Mike.
Not sure i wanna buy this coin at 1500 a pop, only to find out gold fell to 800 an ounce in a few months, the time when my coin ships ( with my luck, thats when it will ship).
Sorry about the delay… Here are some photos of the coin: http://www.coinnews.net/2015/07/31/2015-100-american-liberty-high-relief-gold-coin-photos/
I absolutely hate the packaging. So its $400 over spot and its a High Relief coin yet in a regular Silver Eagle style box and packaging. No thank you.