Sales kick off for 2017-W American Liberty gold coin

By Paul Gilkes

Published: Apr 7, 2017, 8 AM

The 1792–2017-W American Liberty gold $100 coin is limited to a maximum release of 100,000 coins.

Original images courtesy of the United States Mint.

2017-w-american-liberty-225th-anniversary-booklet

The gold coin is accompanied by a hard-cover booklet illustrating the coin's evolution and production.

Images courtesy of U.S. Mint.

The coin’s obverse design is a modern rendition of Liberty as an African-American woman wearing a crown of five-pointed stars. The reverse design depicts an American eagle in flight, its wings in a downward thrust.

Images courtesy of U.S. Mint.

The edge device marking the U.S. Mint's 225th anniversary is repeated three times, executed through the use of a three-part segmented collar.

Image courtesy of U.S. Mint.

This article comes from our April 24 weekly issue of Coin World. Want to get all of our content, including special magazine exclusives? Subscribe today !

Collectors had no difficulties April 6 placing orders with the U.S. Mint online or by telephone for the Proof 1792–2017-W American Liberty gold $100 coin.

U.S. Mint spokesman Michael White said April 7 that the Mint recorded first-day sales of 14,285 of the maximum authorization of 100,000 coins.

Each coin was sold at the initial price of $1,640. Pricing is subject to weekly fluctuations in the spot price of gold, based on the Mint’s pricing grid for numismatic coins containing precious metals.

The Mint imposed no household ordering restrictions for the 2017-W coin, which is struck in high relief.

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The coin is specially edge-marked three times with ? 225th ANNIVERSARY ? in celebration of the U.S. Mint’s 225th anniversary, reached on April 2. The edge inscription, imparted from a three-segment collar, is raised.

The maximum authorized mintage for the Proof 2017 gold coin is twice that for the 2015-W American Liberty gold $100 coin that launched the series. During the premier coin’s first day of sales, July 30, 2015, sales reached 36,686 coins. Each coin was sold at an initial price of $1,490, and households were limited to an order of 50 coins.

While the 2017 coin is struck in high relief like the 2015 coin, the finish on the 2017 version is classified by the U.S. Mint as a Proof strike, while the 2015 version’s surface is described as that of a “business strike.”

The finish for the 2017 coin was initially announced as being the same as that for the 2015 issue.

The 2017 coin’s obverse design is a modern rendition of Liberty as an African-American woman wearing a crown of five-pointed stars. The obverse was designed by U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program artist Justin Kunz and sculptured by U.S. Mint Medallic Artist Phebe Hemphill.

The reverse design depicts an American eagle in flight, its wings in a downward thrust. The reverse was designed by AIP artist Chris T. Costello and sculptured by U.S. Mint Medallic Sculptor Michael Gaudioso.

Collectors will get one more medal than expected: The Mint is planning to issue five different 2017 American Liberty silver medals, not four..

The same designs that appear on the 2017-W American Liberty gold coin are to be issued later in 2017 on five Proof American Liberty 1-ounce .999 fine silver medals struck at the four Mint production facilities. The medals will be struck without the coin inscriptions.