Collectors may need to act fast today, Aug. 23, if they want to get 2016 American Liberty Silver Medals. They go on sale directly from the United States Mint beginning at noon Eastern Time (ET).
Demand is expected to be high for the two Liberty medals that share the same designs as found on last year’s 2015 $100 American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin. Two versions will be available with one from the U.S. Mint at West Point and one from the U.S. Mint at San Francisco.
Mintage is limited with only 12,500 available of each option. A household limit of 2 medals from each minting facility also applies.
Medal Designs & Specifications
Medal obverses (heads side) feature a rendition of Liberty meant to symbolize the ideals of liberty, courage, and hope. United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) designer Justin Kunz created the image and United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill sculpted it. LIBERTY, 2016 and the artist’s and sculptor’s initials finish the design.
Found on their reverse is the image of an American eagle rising in flight. The eagle is gripping a branch in its talons, completing the "embodiment of freedom" design. Artistic Infusion Program Designer Paul C. Balan designed the reverse with its sculpting the work of United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart. An inscription reads UNITED STATES OF AMERICA with artist and sculptor initials joining the appropriate mintmark of either ‘W’ for West Point or ‘S’ for San Francisco.
The medals are struck on the same silver blanks as American Silver Eagles. Their specifications include:
| Finish: | Proof |
|---|---|
| Composition: | 99.9% Silver |
| Content | .999 Fine Silver (31.072 grams) Balance Copper |
| Diameter: | 1.598 inches (40.60 mm) |
| Weight: | 1.000 troy oz. (31.103 grams) |
| Edge: | Smooth |
| Mint: | West Point or San Francisco |
| Mintmark: | W or S |
Ordering
Order 2016 American Liberty Silver Medals from the U.S. Mint for $34.95 each. The Mint’s product pages for the two are here and here.
Each medal is encapsulated and presented in a blue velvet presentation case. A certificate of authenticity is also included.
Update: Both medals are "currently unavailable." The "W" medal was unavailable within 6 minutes of launching. The "S" medal was unavailable within 8 minutes of going on sale. The U.S. Mint said the medals’ status would remain as unavailable until all order reconciliations and order cancellations have been processed.
@Danny Morano
What do you mean only a few hours warning? The Mint had a news release back on 8/11 that included the info on when the medals would go on sale, how much they would be, mintage limits, and household limits. I was ready to buy the medals this morning and put in my order for 2. So I don’t understand what your issue is?
Well Ernesto, I guess I missed the Memo or it was written in a different language I didn’t understand.
Colec: “the Mint’s Office of Corporate Communications confirmed that 12,500 was the mintage limit for each medal.”
If that is true, they are caught in a lie.
I didn’t decide until the last minute to purchase these, so I causally logged on to the US Mint website from my laptop in my car at approximately 12:02PM and had already assumed I would not be able to get in.
But to my surprise, I was able to make two separate orders of the “SF” and “W” coins (two of each) with no issues.
Christopher, You really ought to play the lottery this week because you are seriously lucky to have casually placed your order for these medals. Many people who were very eagerly trying to pace their orders in the few moments after the medals went on sale were unsuccessful to their utter dismay. And forget about trying to place a phone order….impossible to get through as I experienced. Sales on eBay for these medals are off the wall. One single medal recently just sold for $149…..and that’s probably far from the highest price some people will be paying for these. Congrats to… Read more »
I paid 120 on a buy it now. They are going far higher than that now.
Limited mintage of only 12,500 for the whole nation? What a bunch of crap!
GAT
I agree with the above, for such a limited release, I actually had no problems with the mint website right at launch time. All things considered I think they’ve finally solved the server issues. Now it’s just a matter of making sure you have the timing down right and the household limits aren’t too crazy and you have a good chance.
I wish I had known how hot this would be. I didn’t realize I had to be there within minutes of launch. These were like Radiohead tickets, which I also always miss on.
I normally would have passed but thought they may somehow go nice with last years American Liberty gold coin. Must be more hype about medals since the coin and chronicles sets also sold out quick.
CoinsA-Z,
I think I simply got lucky with my timing. I truly believed that by not logging on before noon that I would not be able to get through.
Not only that, but I had to place two separate orders to purchase both mint marks and I still got through easily both times. Just lucky I guess.
Did they really sell out in six minutes?
These would make nice companion pieces to the gold coin. I logged in at 12:02, had them in my basket at 12:04, clicked BUY, and received the bad news that they were both UNAVAILABLE. It was completely sold out at 12:06. I knew they were going to go fast, but this is just ridiculous. And only minting 12,500 of each?? I’m glad they’re not coins- just medals. Sour grapes….yep. Grrrrrrr. Just like the gold dime, gone in a flash. I can always buy one on the secondary market now for 10 times the original price.
These commemorative coins are a flippers/dealers game. If you folks could be patient, and not buy into the hype, I am sure you’re probably get an MS70 for just a few dollars more. Don’t pay Ebay’s price. Its not worth it. For a $149 plus, you can grab 1 AGE or 6 ASE’s. This frenzy is going to eventually fizzle. Just look at the Merc Dimes…
Colec, I hear you, but I didn’t want to take the chance of missing out. For me, the price I paid was fine. I am a collector. This will stay with me and then be passed on to some lucky soul in a few decades. 😉
Seth,
I wonder what price Mike “Sold Out, Limited Edition” Mezak will be selling them for.
Was on the site at noon, had 4 coins in basket. System was slow to respond, and watched my basket empty i.e. SOLD OUT! Mint rep told me there were no pre sales, and that retailers had others buy these coins for a “fee”. Jerks!
Christopher Williams –
I got two “S” medals. Missed out on the “W” by 2 minutes I think.
Mezack will have ANACS exclusive label for HSN Proof 70s for “only” $250 just for HSN tv show viewers! Lol. How sad!
Don’t buy the hype, these are not coins & NOT high relief medals like last year’s gold coin the design is based on. These will drop in value like majority of Mint products over time.
Happy collecting!
-NumisDudeTX
Zach, as long as you’re happy, then that’s all that matters :).
You can bet there will be complaints to the Mint. In case you didn’t read the fine print, and verified by a Mint Supervisor, at their discretion, they can mint an additional, unlimited amount of these “Gotcha” Commemoratives. They’ll make more if there are enough complaints, and there will be. Unless you you’re going to flip these on Fleabay, you just paid double the spot price of silver for a Medussa looking Anorexia Lady Liberty. Guaranteed they will make more knowing the get rich quick, or just ignorant no nothing collector, will rush to buy them. And I’ll brag about… Read more »
The US Mint can not just produce more of this particular product. If they were to mint more of the silver Liberty medals, they would have to sell it in a different product….in keeping with what they are authorized to do.
That means the US Mint can release the Liberty medal as part of a set of some sort….hypothetically, a special annual set of some sort. But they are not authorized to produce more than 12500 of the product that just went on sale.
That’s my understanding.
GoldGuru……In my post I meant to say “Buy” Pre 1933 gold & silver. Sorry
@Seth Riesling
What’s even sadder is that these medals were supposed to have gone on sale in 2015 according to the US Mint and then it got yanked without any explanation. I am glad to have passed on the gold HR (the hoopla for months was that it was gonna be UHR) and now the silver medals … (i might have bought one if the Mint has issued them the same year as the gold) …
Tinto – You are exactly right. The Mint has promised certain things & then at last minute changes things. Their press release last week didn’t say they were regular low relief & when I found out from a source that they would not be high relief I did a live chat with a Mint rep who told me these medals were UHR! I told her she was mistaken & to check with the Mint’s headquarters. The inconsistency of the Mint is amazing. They only care about a quick sellout so they can move on to the next thing. Their lack… Read more »
I didn’t bother to get one. Yea I could of tried to get one just because it is a US Mint product. But as many have said collect what interest you and what you like.
Coin A-Z
With that being the case, Now is a good time to help the old mint out with a good Rumor, The 2016 Silver Liberty will be included in the 2016 Limited Edition silver proof set…what you think
True That
Hi charles, I stopped trying to figure out some of the decisions of the US Mint a while back. I’m going to give the US Mint the benefit of the doubt and acknowledge that It’s not possible for the US Mint to satisfy every customer. I am sure it’s also equally impossible to run a flawless operation. It can’t be easy to run things smoothly with so much and so many moving parts at the US Mint. I could easily complain all day long about the US Mint but I won’t because that’s not constructive at all. What would be… Read more »
Did anyone buy 2 W & 2 S Silver Metals at the same time? I tried to do it that way but the mints system would not let it sell to mr that way. I also noticed that the mint uses different programs for people on I Pads, and I phones. The program for the I phone required you to spin a dial to select your state and CC exp dates. I think the selection of 2 W& 2S on the same order is why the mint system would not complete the purchase. I was in the system at about… Read more »
Seth Glad to hear you were able to get in and get 2 of the Silver Liberty”s ….wasn’t as lucky …between the mints computer system and calling and getting some one from the Mint who didn’t even know the coins went on sale today….lol… The only thing that was missing was a Bag of Peanuts and a couple of Elephants…and it would have been complete….the Mint sure turned today into a Big Circus ….after reading all the comments , you would think the mint would listen to the coin collectors and make changes to the system to correct the problems…..unless… Read more »
I opened the mint’s web page before 12:00, and placed my order for 2 of the W and 2 of the S right at 12:00, then tried to check out. I have my information on file and all information is current. The web page stalled during checkout, at first all items were in my basket, but would not let me finalize the order. Then it marked both items as no longer available. The Mint has never ending web page issues.
I’m becoming more and more discouraged with their offerings.
I don’t mind championing the Mint: I ordered these 2 coins, no sweat I ordered 2 gold merc dimes, no problem I ordered 2015 Platinum coin, again, piece of cake I didn’t order the 2016 Platinum coin (because see above) I ordered the Harry Truman and Eisenhower C&C coin I ordered 5 2011 25th Anniversary Silver Coin Sets when the web page was terrible. So far since 2009 I have been able to order every single coin from the mint that I wanted, and find it laughable when i read the complaining comments. And the one comment from the guy… Read more »
Great advice COinsA-Z.
Drew, consider yourself lucky and don’t jinx yourself! I have had success in most cases, but the few times you get burnt because of website errors really sting.
People are paying insane prices for these medals. I’m not sure I understand why.
drew……….you summed it up well. I too have had mostly positive buying experiences with the US Mint. The very few times I haven’t is not a big deal considering the enormous operation they run and the fact that they have been quite responsive to me and have satisfactorily fulfilled most of my orders without a hitch. michael…….yes, the bidding and actual buying prices for this medal on eBay is truly remarkable…a bit mind-boggling. I would have never suspected this frenzy to snatch up these medals because there was such little pre-sale buzz on most forums regarding this medal. It’s still… Read more »
You answered your on question, THEIR INSANE!
I have a set (s) and (w) i’m selling..
It would be nice and perhaps even somewhat helpful to some of us if the US Mint gave us some analysis (including any logistical issues experienced) regarding the purchasing activity on the Liberty medal.
With a household limit of only 2 and such minimal pre-sale buzz on this medal, I find it astonishing that the US Mint sold out in a record 6 – 8 minutes. I bet I’m not the only one who is a bit dumbfounded and would like to get some assessment by the US Mint.
I was able to get all 4 silver medals on the same transaction and was all finished in 1 minute. Lucky I guess. As far as people not finding out about these medals in time, this website is great for coin news and I found out about these weeks ago on this site, plus it’s on the US Mint’s product schedule. I put this release on my calendar and made sure I was at my computer before the release so I could get mine. Just like I have the Standing Liberty gold coin on my calendar. I think it’s a… Read more »
Both sold…:)
Coins A-Z
I must agree with you about the complaining and the mouth flapping and the lack of constructive criticism , unfortunately not all orders from the mint have received the same satisfaction and response as the abundance of your orders have, and so the views vary , as do the opinions, and maybe the message might get back to the mint from some of the frequent post ,,as opposed to some of the post from individuals that are on here all day sometimes.
Hope you have a Good day
TrueThat
Hi charles…..I certainly understand that few buyers will have the same exact experience with the US Mint (or with any dealer, seller, or service provider of any kind for that matter) as another. I simply question the effectiveness of the chronic complainers (not the individual whom once in a blue moon rattles off a complaint) who rarely if ever re-focus their energy and time to be constructive in the way I laid out. Believe me, I understand probably as much as anyone else the frustration that can be experienced when dealing with companies of all sorts…been there, done that. It’s… Read more »
While everyone was complaining or gloating, Talismancoins.com just released their allotment of .9999 Gold Star Trek Com Badges. Only 1200 were minted by the RCM initally for $1,499.99. Now only $ 1,107.95 with shipping. 1200 world wide, not the 12,500 in W and S. I got mine, icing on the cake and one W and one S. If your a Trekkie, hurry up, probably all gone by now. Can’t wait to see the markup on ebay. Not that I’m ever selling mine Good luck Ya’ll !
Brian,
Your comment above said you were able to buy all 4 metals on the same transaction. If you don’t mind me asking what type of device were you using?
Like an I pad or I Pone or Laptop?
Thanks, Bilelle
Just my work computer – a standard Dell desktop. i wen in off of the product schedule – i could not find the category they were in so i went to product schedule then to the item – bought two of the W then went back into product schedule and got the 2 S mint. it would not let me choose a shipping method so I left that blank. and it took me two tries – the first time it locked up
i had my laptop open, one window on the s, one window on the w, put it in the bag for the s, then switched over and did the same for the w. Checkout had both. Easy peasey.
Anybody ever hear of “Liquid Sapphire “? Been using it for 5yrs. Comes in a 1 to 3oz. bottle, is a little pricey but it’s made for those who want to use their Proof coins for jewelry. Works great, even fills in small scratches. Heat oven to 350 degrees, use sham my to wipe coin off and start off with a thin coat using the soft brush that comes with it. Heat for 15 min. Let cool at room temp for 30 min. And apply two more coats. Do it right and there is no lumps, bubbles, streaking or drips.… Read more »
What a complete joke on the mint system on this coin, sold out in 6 minutes – REALLY COM ON!!! Tried using the website which crashed and then called at the same time and they were long gone by the time i COULD GET through.. What a bunch of BS, a coin with this type of low mintage should be one coin per household.
It’s not even a coin, just a silver medal and not near as nice as the gold coin it purports to represent so I don’t see the high demand it garnered. That said I did buy one of the w mint marks just because I buy all coins minted at West Point.
Rick,
There’s some collectors who see most coins as inferior to most medals and one could just as easily assert that the 2015 gold American Liberty is “just a coin” in a disparaging way just as you have done in regards to the American Liberty silver medal.
I see the American Liberty silver medal as the best silver product the US Mint has released in quite a while for a number of obvious (to some) reasons. I commend the US Mint on developing this medal and I will encourage the US Mint to continue to develop high quality silver medals.
CoinsA-Z,
I agree with you completely. I think the mint may be on to something good with these medals. If I’m not mistaken, I believe that congress has to authorize every coin the mint issues, but the mint has free reign to issue medals as they see fit.
I could be wrong about this.
Hi Jerry, I believe, but I could be mistaken, that the US Mint does require Congressional authorization for certain medals. It is an interesting question and I should probably contact the US Mint for clarity. The great thing about medals is that in general there is less restrictions on the design….in other words more freedom of creativity and expression can be represented on a medal….operative word being “can”. I am a big fan of high relief, detail driven medals regardless of the nation or mint of origin. I don’t understand the folks who hold a resentment against medals yet attach… Read more »
This Medal, in your opinion the best the Mint has ever issued? No disrespect but, I must disagree. It is rather bland and is baically a copy of last year’s $100.00 Gold piece. They could have spent a little more time on the design and made a truly exceptional “Medal”
Respectfully, Danny
Hi Danny, If you bothered to read my actual words, you’d have seen that I did not state that I feel the 2016 Amer. Liberty silver medal is “the best the Mint has ever issued” You are entitled to your opinions but not to conjuring up your own facts and misrepresenting what someone else has actually asserted. I actually don’t feel that the design chosen for this medal was the best of all the possible design entries. While the obverse is quite a good choice in my opinion, I’d have chosen a different reverse…perhaps HR-R-04-C. The design candidates can be… Read more »
You know everybody, it’s done and over with so why doesn’t everyone stop their complaining and Excuse Me if I got your email wrong. Chances are, thru the grapevine, more will be minted and in a set of 4 to 5 coins and medals. If not, theirs always ebay for those who have to get one at rediculous high prices. Remember what P.T. Barnum said. Words that everyone should remember. Medals, Schmedals, Medals are given to people who earned them in the Military and not bought from a Mint who’s goal is to make money and tick everybody who didn’t… Read more »
Hey Danny, It’s the context of some of the complaining that is irritating….if only some would spend less time complaining to strangers and shift that energy to spend more time on sharing constructive criticism with the person or entity who is the interested party of the criticism, then that would be a big step in the right direction. What “grapevine” are you referring to? There’s no evidence whatsoever that the US Mint has suggested they will issue this medal in a set. Yes, we could conjecture that it’s possible they might do that….but conjecture is not part of a proverbial… Read more »
Just like the Guy who said I got it wrong when I quoted hint as saying in his email that it was the best silver medal ever minted, Reread my email and you’ll see I never mentioned Barnum saying anything about a medal from the mint. I was referring to his famous quote, ” Theirs a Suckered Born Every Minute. GET IT?
I also like this reverse design candidate: HR-R-06 M which is included on this page here: http://www.coinnews.net/2016/03/15/2017-american-liberty-hr-gold-coin-and-silver-medal-design-candidates/
We uploaded a video showing one of the medals at https://youtu.be/MzvLqy1xFWg. We’ll publish some photos of them soon.
Mike,
Absolutely beautiful medal! Terrific quality video.
If you simply have to have one of these, MCM in Sarasota, Florida (same city NGC grading service is headquartered in) is offering them in OMP at $169.95 with free S&H. & higher prices for 69 & 70 slabed ones. LOL Shop around people, as prices vary greatly in the early days & weeks after a sellout issue. The Mint has had on its website for awhile now (before they ever posted photos) that the “mintage limit” is “None” This particular boxed medal as singles are limited to a “product limit” of 12,500 each, but the Mint can & probably… Read more »
Mike Unser-
Thanks for the great video! I can’t wait to see them in person & trade my extra “S” for a “W” since I was only able to get 2 of the “S” medals when I placed my order (the “W” had sold out first).
-NumisDudeTX
MCM is not the only dealer that occasionally (for what they perceive are the hottest items from the US Mint) offers its customers a premium to buy from them particular coins and medals that they buy from the US Mint. I got such an offer from another dealer on the day the Amer Liberty silver medal was being released. That offer was considerably lower than what these coins are selling for on eBay so I it’s hard for me to imagine too many collectors who have a selling account on eBay and who are paying attention took that dealer up… Read more »
If it was a 2 coin limit per house hold how can MOdern Coin Mart have hundreds for sale. The U.S. Mint tried to make buying fair but that didn’t last. How many big third parties get first crack at coins from the mint?
Really not fair to the average collector
Michael S. – No one can order before noon ET. Their computer system has a built in error message check that kicks out any orders attempted before noon ET. I can assure you! The big companies pay friends, family, neighbors & their customers to order the limit for them & pay them about $25 per item or more depending on the product. It is not illegal since the limit is per household & the Mint has a computer program that cross checks all addresses to make sure no person or company gets more than the household limit. Anyone in the… Read more »
Seen it before and we will see it again. I didn’t even try to get these. I like the reverse and I might get a PCGS MS70 AFTER THE PRICES DROP!! Maybe NGC.
All, I have been following along with the comment carousel on this product since prior to release, with both sides of the coin (I could NOT resist this) bringing some productive questions to the conversation. I do understand completely that secondary market purchasing has created a frustration, understandably, within the collector consumer market due to the volume of re-sellers utilizing agents to increase their product supply during limited purchase runs, many times causing buyers that want the mint product for collecting purposes to go empty-handed. I agree fully that this environment is creating an inflated and difficult collector platform on… Read more »
I.L. McDougal:
Excellent analysis!
Hi Danny, You are concocting dishonest claims…otherwise known as stating lies. I’d written, “I see the American Liberty silver medal as the best silver product the US Mint has released in quite a while” There’s nothing at all ambiguous about my statement….no where does it suggest that I feel this medal is the best ever. You lied by stating, “This Medal, in your opinion the best the Mint has ever issued? No disrespect but, I must disagree.” Additionally, these are your words verbatim, “Remember what P.T. Barnum said. Words that everyone should remember. Medals, Schmedals, Medals are given to people… Read more »
The Medals, Schmedals was two different comments. Apologize if you took them as one. You throw the word “Liar” around like a person who has done some lying in his time. Personally, I think enough has been said about this Sham and everybody should make sure they have their S__t together for the Quarter, Proof Eagle and 50 cent piece. Enough is enough on this Medal, Schmedal, Everybody, enough is enough, I think all topics have been covered and let’s put it to bed before war is declared or we’re facing off at 10 paces. That statement was said in… Read more »
Coins A-Z
Give it a rest please with Danny. Please contribute something of value and not all the banter back and forth. Thank you in advance.
bilelle
I.L. McDougal, Interesting comments. First of all, it’s questionable whether the US model truly is successful or not. What exactly do you mean by “successful”? It could be reasonably argued that the US Mint is struggling to some degree in certain ways. Check out this article: https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/2016/08/united-states-mint-to-hold-numismatic-forum.html?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=cw_editorial_rare&utm_content= If it’s true that “…the numismatic hobby is declining,” one can not honestly expect others to believe that the US Mint has no role whatsoever in this and that if they are indeed convening a forum focused on trying to understand how to stimulate interest in coin collecting, that this would almost certainly… Read more »
Hi bilelle,
your blatant favoritism isn’t helpful and make you credibility quite questionable. If you bothered to be objective, then you’d realize that Danny has engaged in fueling the flame by repeatedly making dishonest claims.
Also, if you would bother to read, you’d have noticed that I have contributed to this thread points far more valuable than you. Your contribution is more or less ragged on the US Mint because you are pissed that didn’t get an order in on time unlike thousands who did get in on time.
Could you please add something constructive to this discussion for once?
Now it’s dishonesty, Dishsmonesty. EVERYBODY, YOU ALL SOUND LIKE A BUNCH ELDERY LADIES (NO DISRESPECT ) ARGUING AT A BINGO GAME. IT’S DONE AND OVER WITH, GET A LIFE AND MOVE ON. WRONG OR RIGHT, IT’S DONE AND OVER WITH AND NOTHING ANYBODY SAY’S WILL CHANGE A THING.
I BET THEIR LAUGHING THEIR BUTTS OFF AT THE MINT.
@CoinsA-Z When I talk about success within the US Mint, I am referring these particular runs of limited products, success meaning the US Mint meeting it’s sales objectives planned for. Certainly not talking about the US Mint organization as a whole. “Next, you seem to initially make an argument that sellers in the secondary coin market who charge very significant premiums (exorbitant, some would call it) on certain coins are in fact doing a service to coin collecting.” First of all, this wouldn’t be an initial argument, considering it is well down the body of my content. However, to answer… Read more »
Spoken like a real political hack. Try to change the topic and at the same time pat yourself on the back. Any contributions you think you have made are basically down the tubes with your behavior with Danny. I tried to be nice in asking you to drop it but you showed your true colors by running your mouth more. The attitude you show here is quite offensive. Again I will ask you to drop your unproductive discussion, but I doubt that you are capable of being polite. Hope you enjoy your day Pissing and moaning, ragging and trying to… Read more »
bilelle,
your absurd accusations and comments make you a blatant hypocrite…please come down from your ivory tower, you are not better than everyone else just because you feel you are entitled to a different rule book than anyone else you willfully rag on and make unwarranted inflammatory remarks toward.
Your arrogance is not something you should be proud of bilelle.
Everyone, see how it’s spreading? Seriously and with all respect it’s time to move on from the “Medal” and get everything in order for the Gold Quarter. No pun intended. Seriously, best of luck to everyone, this and the next few will be hot sellers and the big guys will be out in force.
Hi I.L. McDougal, Thanks for replying. An argument or position isn’t necessarily just one paragraph and doesn’t have to be early in a comment in order for it to be the initial argument. Since an argument can (and often a good argument does) span numerous paragraphs, the summation paragraph can certainly come midway or later in one’s comments. Also, “initial” is not necessarily meant to replace “first”. “Initial” in the context I used it means in juxtaposition to the seemingly contradictory position / argument that happened to come at the end of your comment. That’s what I was referring to… Read more »