Another United States Mint coin program comes to an end today with the release of the 2021-P Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin.
The large 3-inch diameter, 99.9% pure silver coin serves as the 56th and final strike in the U.S. Mint’s America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin™ series. Its design will look familiar to many as it also appears on earlier issued Tallgrass Prairie quarters. The quarter and 5-ounce "America the Beautiful" series launched in 2010 and presents five designs annually with one recognizing a site of national interest in each state, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. Territories.
This last program coin bears a design emblematic of the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Alabama. Congress established the location as a national historic site on November 6, 1998. However, its history and importance dates back decades before that. The site was created to commemorate the contributions of African-American airmen in World War II. Moton Field at the site was a primary flight training center for the pilots who came to be known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Their bravery not only helped to insure a successful end to the war, but also broke racial barriers.
Coin Designs and Specifications
Designed by Chris Costello with sculpting completed by Phebe Hemphill, the new coin’s reverse (tails side) shows an image of a Tuskegee Airman suiting up in traditional World War II flight gear. Moton Field control tower can be seen in the background. The pilot looks upward as two P-51 Mustangs pass above.
An inscriptions reads: "THEY FOUGHT TWO WARS" (a reminder of the two fronts each airman faced — fascism abroad and racial discrimination at home). Additional inscriptions include "TUSKEGEE AIRMEN," "ALABAMA," "2021," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."
All coins of this and companion programs bear the same obverse (heads side) portrait of George Washington. The image of the first President of the United States was originally completed by John Flanagan and has appeared, with a few changes, on quarter dollars since 1932.
Obverse inscriptions read: "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "LIBERTY," "IN GOD WE TRUST" and "QUARTER DOLLAR." A ‘P’ mint mark also found on the obverse indicates the coin was produced at the Philadelphia Mint.
An edge incused inscription offers the content and fineness with "999 FINE SILVER 5.0 OUNCE."
Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin Specifications
| Finish: | Uncirculated |
|---|---|
| Denomination: | Quarter |
| Composition: | 99.9% Silver |
| Weight: | 5.000 troy oz. (155.517 grams) |
| Diameter: | 3.000 inches (76.20 mm) |
| Edge: | Lettered |
Ordering
2021-P Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins may be ordered from the U.S. Mint’s product page for silver coins.
Pricing is $229 with a listed maximum mintage of 20,000.
Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins
In addition to quarters and this uncirculated piece, the U.S. Mint also strike five ounce bullion coins. These are nearly identical to their uncirculated counterparts (such as today’s release), but they have no mintmark despite also being produced at the Philadelphia Mint. Also, the bullion coins carry a brilliant finish unlike the vapor blast finish of the uncirculated coin.
Finally, bullion coins are sold through the U.S. Mint’s network of authorized purchasers for a small premium above melt value. The Mint reports sales of 50,000 for the Tuskegee Airmen Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coin.
Photo looks like a proof which it is not.
Yes it is. Read the cutline: This CoinNews photo shows a PROOF version of a Tuskegee Airman quarter. The larger 5-ounce silver coin released today shows the same design, but in a vapor blast uncirculated finish. It also has a flat or smooth edge compared to the reeded edge found on quarters.
I did not know the mint made any proofs of the series in 5oz. That is news to me. They do not advertise them so I wonder how one goes about to get a proof 5oz ATB coin….?
The picture of the proof coin is a conventional proof quarter in terms of size, NOT a 5 oz. There is no proof 5 oz only BU/burnished with mint mark sold by the mint, and non-burnished bullion version sold by “select” retailers.
Thanks Comrade Kaiser (first time that phrase ever appeared).
I was aware of the mint mark differentiator, but never considered the use of OGP to cheat folks (not for ATB 5 ozs. at least).
After a brief panic, I was relieved of angst upon recalling nearly all my 5’ers are bullion, the rest are from the mint or slabbed.
it is easy to tell the difference. Oddly, the bullion ones go for similar prices at secondary market as the P mints. WHich I find rather unusual
But bullion ASEs can have the W mark, right? The P ATBs and the bullion ATBs are easy to distinguish. Most of mine are bullion – I actually like the shiny finish better – and I got them at very small premiums (well, not so much recently but from 2010 to 2019 the premiums were small) and basically just for bullion purchase that looked cooler than 5oz bars. I felt it was a great deal for silver – you purchase them basically at the same price as a 5oz bar but the resale is significantly higher. I’m actually surprised how… Read more »
Okay I see, the proof is only the regular quarter and not the 5oz series… I didn’t think they made proof ATB 5 oz coins from P or the bullion series.
Back
order ??
Backorder already – shipping in July
I got a couple early for some reason, I like the design as #1. Back order now I went @ 9:00am sharp & the purchase was fast & easy, seemed TOO easy…. Now to snap up some bullion models……& 2021 ag Krands!
I like the 2010 and 2012 designs best among the series, but I do agree this one is super cool…. also like the blue ridge parkway (but I live there so biased)
Hawaii is my favorite, because of volcano, but the $400+ price is a nice bonus for original MSRP (Mint Stratospheric Rip-off Price) purchasers.
I’m thinking the Prarie reference is a cut-and-paste artifact from a “repurposed” Prarie coin article that ran when it was released. He’s probably referring to the Airman pocket-change quarter — which is pictured — as “familiar” to the 5 oz. coin, he just forgot to update “Prarie” to “Airmen.”
ROFL…From 12/7/2020 CoinNews:
This 3-inch coin for coin collectors features a reverse (tails side) image emblematic of the national site in Kansas. It will be familiar to many as it also appears on earlier issued Tallgrass Prairie quarters. The quarter and 5-ounce “America the Beautiful” series debuted in 2010
Interesting (and funny). I figured it was a scene from the Wizard of Oz, but the mint didn’t want to incur the cost of paying actors’ estates. The real hidden pun is the reference to, “… above and beyond…” and the Airmen coin. Scoundrel!
No offense Comrade Unser. I’m a writer too and have neglected to update boilerplate copy too many times to count. Hell, I wouldn’t have changed as much as you did!
Just to make sure I got my two, I did the “Enrollment” option. I like these coins. Just received confirmation that my two have shipped.
DITO – enrollment subscription is very easy – did not even have to sign into the web site. Mine has also already shipped. I believe they save the best design for the last.
I agree!!!!! Give the collectors the opportunity to purchase a particular coin without the hassle of fighting the website and traffic.
I agree. I own ten of the ATB 5 OZ coins. I really enjoy the Gettysburg coin.
I now have the series (not all P mints, some are bullion) and the HI volcano is BY FAR my favorite.
All the 2010 and 2012 coins are the most in demand, it seems, and the highest cost secondary market.
Like others posted here, I received mine in unprecedented speed – literally within 2 days.
WOW!!! My order was just delivered at 2 PM CT today (4-9-2021). I’ve never had any order from the mint delivered i less than 27 hours!
That’s awesome!!!! Mine are due to arrive tomorrow (4/10).
THAT WAS THE GOOD NEWS – FAST SHIPPING! THE MINT FAILED TO QC THE SHIPMENT AND NO COA WAS INCLUDED! NOW THE MINT SAYS THEY CAN NOT SEND A COA DUE TO THE ITEM BEING UNAVAILABLE! THEY ARE SORRY FOR THE PROBLEM AND BASICALLY SAID – HAVE A NICE DAY! They want it both ways – take your $$ and ship incomplete items. Thank you US Mint for your generous lack of concern and delivering what the customer has paid for!!
When one identifies a black hole, it’s advised to stay well clear of the event horizon so as not to get “sucked” into the photon-obliterating, time-warping, flesh-rending anomaly itself. Same goes for the Mint.
You should be able to get a COA from someone who gets theirs graded. The grading can act as the COA for the most part, and a lot of folks do not slab the COA for these. Check on ebay for empty box and COA.
The one advantage of the .25 face value is if you ever wanted to move $10,000 through customs without claiming it that is an awful lot of quarters!