Shawnee Silver Uncirculated Coins

The 2016 Shawnee Silver Uncirculated Coins will mark the first 2016-dated release of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Five Ounce Uncirculated Coin Program. These specific strikes will honor Shawnee National Forest of Illinois with a reverse design emblematic of the location and will be struck from five ounces of .999 fine silver like other coins in the series.

Strikes in this series are created by the US Mint as the collector versions of its America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins™ Program. Both series of coins are struck from the five ounces of silver to a diameter of three inches and feature similar designs with their main differences being their finish and intended buyers. The bullion coins are struck for investors whereas the uncirculated coins are intended for collectors.

Both programs will feature obverse and reverse designs originally created for the Shawnee America the Beautiful Quarter struck as part of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters® Program. This includes an obverse portrait of George Washington as designed by John Flanagan and a reverse emblematic of the Shawnee National Forest.

In fact, Congress originally authorized the quarters and the bullion coins with the passage of the same act – Public Law 110-456 (America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008) and required them to have the same designs. Then, under the authority granted the Treasury Secretary in 31 U.S.C. §5111(a) (3), the Mint created this uncirculated coin series to also bear the same designs.

2016 Shawnee Silver Uncirculated Coin Values

Each 2016 Shawnee Silver Uncirculated Coin will be worth three very different amounts owing to three different values associated with each one of them – a face value, a melt value and a numismatic value.

The face value of each strike will only be twenty-five cents taken from the America the Beautiful Quarter it was created to resemble. That amount will be dwarfed, however, by the coin’s melt value which is based on the five ounces of silver contained within each strike. As such, each coin will be worth approximately that amount of the precious metal on the open market. Thus, if silver is currently trading for $20 an ounce, these coins would be worth about $100 – five ounces times $20 an ounce equals $100.

Finally, as these coins are struck for collectors, it is likely they will have a numismatic value associated with them which should have a large premium included in it over and above the melt value. This premium is typically paid by collectors who obtain the coins for their collection and are willing to pay more for it if the coin is perceived to be rare or in good condition.

The Coin Values Page will offer current sales information on the strikes once issued by the US Mint. A melt value will also be shown on this page.

Shawnee Silver Uncirculated Coin Information

As mentioned before, the obverse of the strike will showcase a portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States, by John Flanagan just like all of the other America the Beautiful related coins. This image of Washington was first used on the 1932 circulating quarter dollar and has been in use on the quarters ever since.

The reverse of the coin will include an image emblematic of Shawnee National Forest of Illinois. This image should be unveiled by the Mint late in 2015 with several design candidates offered for review earlier that year.

Coin Specifications