The second 2017 release of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coin™ Program will be the 2017 Frederick Douglass Silver Bullion Coins. These silver bullion coins will honor the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site found in the District of Columbia with a reverse design emblematic of the location and will be struck from five ounces of .999 fine silver to a diameter of three inches.
Shown on the obverse of the quarter will be a portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States, just like the associated quarter dollar struck as part of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters® Program and included as part of the 2017 Quarters Silver Proof Set. In fact, both the silver bullion coins and the quarter dollars will contain similar imagery in each respective strike of their series.
That is because Congress mandated those design similarities when it passed the legislation which authorized both programs, Public Law 110-456. In the legislation, a total of fifty-six coins were created per series with one strike per program representing a site from each state, the District of Columbia and the five US territories.
Despite the bullion coins actually being intended for investors, many collectors will undoubtedly also be interested in the strikes. Accordingly, the US Mint will also produce a Frederick Douglass Silver Uncirculated Coin which will be intended directly for those collectors.
2017 Frederick Douglass Silver Coin Values
Struck to resemble the associated quarter dollar, each of the 2017 Frederick Douglass Silver Bullion Coins will only feature a face value of twenty-five cents. That value, however, is the smallest that will be associated with the strike.
Making the coin worth much more will be the strikes intrinsic melt value. This value is derived from the fact that each is struck from five ounces of precious metal giving it a value approximately equal to that amount of the precious metal on the open market. Thus, if silver is trading for $25 an ounce, these coins will have a melt value of about $125 – five ounces times $25 an ounce equals $125.
Finally, as mentioned before, collectors will likely be interested in the coins. If so, they will have a numismatic value associated with them which generally increases based on the strikes condition and rarity.
Frederick Douglass Silver Bullion Coin Information
Struck on the obverse of each 2017 Frederick Douglass Silver Bullion Coin will be an image of George Washington, the first President of the United States. This portrait was designed by John Flanagan and first appeared on the 1932 circulating quarter dollar. It has been on the quarters ever since making it one of the most recognizable portraits on American coinage.
The reverse will contain a design emblematic of the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site found in the District of Columbia. A final design for the coin should be unveiled by the Mint in late 2016 with several design candidates being offered for review earlier that year.
Frederick Douglass Silver Coin Specifications
| Face Value: | $.25 |
| Composition: | 999 Fine Silver |
| Mintage Cap: | TBA |
| 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: | TBA |
| Reverse Designer: | TBA |
