The 2018 America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins will mark the ninth year for US Mint’s America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coin™ Program. Coins in this series are each struck from five ounces of .999 fine silver to a diameter of three inches and feature reverse designs emblematic of sites of national interest from around the United States.
This series of silver bullion coins was authorized by Congress with Public Law 110-456 (America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008). In fact, as the name of the authorizing law indicates, these bullion coins were actually created along with a series of circulating quarter dollars.
The quarter dollars serve as a continuation of the popular 50-State Quarters Program and its follow-up, the D.C. and US Territory series. Like those previous series, the obverse of the strikes contain a portrait of George Washington while the reverse contains the design emblematic of the honored site. These silver bullion coins also follow that basic design criteria and, in fact, actually use the same designs as will be featured on the associated quarter dollars.
Each coin in this series is struck by the US Mint for investors and will be sold through the Mint’s network of authorized purchasers like all other bullion products from the Mint. Collectors interested in the coins may want to also look at the 2018 5 Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins which will feature basically the same designs and specifications as the bullion coins, but are struck solely for numismatic reasons.
Information on each of the 2018 America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins is offered below with additional information available by following the provided links:
2018 Pictured Rocks 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins
The first release in 2018 of the America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coin Program will be the Pictured Rocks Silver Coins. Shown on the reverse of the strike will be a design honoring Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore found in the state of Michigan.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore was established on October 15, 1966 and runs for 42 miles along the shoreline of Lake Superior. The lakeshore actually takes its name from a 15-mile stretch of that shore which contains colorful sandstone cliffs.
2018 Apostle Islands 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins
Appearing as the second of five 2018 strikes in the series will be the 2018 Apostle Islands Silver Coins. These coins will honor Apostle Islands National Lakeshore found in the state of Wisconsin on their reverse.
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore was officially created on September 26, 1970 and encompasses beaches, cliffs and a total of twenty-one islands. The area is perhaps best known for its collection of historic lighthouses.
2018 Voyageurs 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins
Marking the third strike in 2018 and the forty-third overall in the series will be the Voyageurs Silver Coins. This coin will showcase a design of a portion of Voyageurs National Park found in the state of Minnesota.
Established on April 8, 1975, Voyageurs is quite unique in the national park system in that most of its land area is only accessible by boat. With that in mind, it is easy to understand why most visitors to the park take part in water-related recreational activities offered there.
2018 Cumberland Island 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins
The fourth strike to appear in the silver bullion coin series in 2018 will be the Cumberland Island Silver Coins. These strikes will honor Cumberland Island National Seashore located in the state of Georgia.
In fact, the national seashore actually lies off the mainland coast of Georgia on Cumberland Island. It receives an estimated forty thousand visitors a year despite only being accessible by boat.
2018 Block Island 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins
Appearing as the final of five 2018 dated strikes in the series will be the Block Island Silver Coins. Shown on the reverse of the strike will be a design emblematic of a portion of Block Island National Wildlife Refuge found in the state of Rhode Island.
Originally created in 1973 from 28 acres of land transferred from the Coast Guard, Block Island lies 12 miles off the mainland coast of Rhode Island. The refuge has grown to 127 acres of land today and sees as many as 70 different species of migratory songbirds.
A separate site dedicated to these strikes can be found by clicking on 5 oz bullion coins.
These America the Beautiful 5 oz Silver Bullion Coins will not be sold directly to the public by the US Mint. Instead, the Mint uses a network of authorized purchasers for all of its bullion strikes which obtains the coins in bulk, then resells them in smaller lots to local coin and precious metal dealers for a small premium above the current spot price of the silver contained within them.
