The 2012 El Yunque Silver Bullion Coin was the first strike of 2012 from the United States Mint’s s America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins® Program. The silver coin honors El Yunque National Forest, which is located in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico It also marks the eleventh coin in the series which debuted in 2010.
2012 El Yunque Silver Coin
Authorized to contain identical imagery as found on the circulating America the Beautiful Quarters® Program, these bullion coins showcase a portion of El Yunque on their reverse with a portrait of George Washington, first President of the United States, on their obverse. However, struck from five ounces of silver to a diameter of three inches, these coins are much larger than their circulating quarter dollar counterparts.
2012 El Yunque Silver Coin Values
Each of the 2012 El Yunque Silver Bullion Coins contains five ounces of .999 fine silver and are considered bullion products of the U.S. Mint. As such, they were not sold directly to the public. Instead, the Mint uses a network of authorized purchasers which buys the coins in bulk, and then resells them to the public for a small premium above the current spot price of the five ounces of silver contained in them.
Those same five ounces give each piece an intrinsic melt value also approximately equal to the current spot price of that amount of silver. Thus if silver is trading at $25 an ounce, these coins would have a melt value of $125 — five ounces times $25 an ounce equals $125. Of course, individuals selling the coins would expect to receive slightly less than that amount, and those buying the coins would expect to pay slightly more than that amount to account for a small profit for the dealer.
Some 2012 El Yunque Silver Coins will get sent to third party grading services. Coins receiving the highest grades will garner a much higher numismatic value than their melt values.
Once released, up-to-date sales information and melt values for the strikes based on the current precious metal spot price can be found at the silver coins sales page.
El Yunque Silver Bullion Coin Information
The obverse of each America the Beautiful Coin (including the bullion and the circulating quarter dollars) contains a portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States. That same portrait was originally designed for the 1932 circulating quarter dollar by John Flanagan and has been featured on the obverse of the quarter dollar in one form or another ever since.
Shown on the reverse will is a design emblematic of El Yunque National Forest. It was described by the United States Mint with:
"The reverse of the first quarter of 2012 depicts a Coqui tree frog sitting on a leaf and a Puerto Rican parrot behind an epiphyte plant with tropical flora in the background. Inscriptions are EL YUNQUE, PUERTO RICO, 2012 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The reverse was designed by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Master Designer Gary Whitley and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Michael Gaudioso."
El Yunque Silver Coin Specifications
| Face Value: | $.25 |
| Composition: | 999 Fine Silver |
| Mintage Cap: | 24,000 |
| Diameter: | 3 Inches |
| Weight | 5 Ounces |
| Edge: | Incused Lettering |
| Minting Facility: | Philadelphia (no mintmark present) |
| Obverse Design: | George Washington Portrait |
| Obverse Designer: | John Flanagan |
| Reverse Design: | Coqui tree frog in native landscape |
| Reverse Designer: | Michael Gaudioso |
