Each 2016 Cumberland Gap Silver Uncirculated Coin will be struck from five ounces of .999 fine silver to a diameter of three inches. They will appear as the thirty-second release of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Five Ounce Uncirculated Coin Program and will feature a reverse design emblematic of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park found in the state of Kentucky.
These coins are actually the collector-grade versions of the Cumberland Gap Silver Bullion Coins, also produced by the US Mint. However, the bullion coins struck as part of the Mint’s America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coin Program are intended for investors and only feature a bullion finish which differs from these uncirculated coins which are struck for numismatic reasons.
Both five ounce strikes do feature almost identical designs on their obverses and reverses which are actually taken from yet another US Mint coin – the Cumberland Gap Quarter. The quarter is issued as part of the US Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters® Program which serves as the basis for all of the America the Beautiful related strikes.
Congress authorized both the quarters and the bullion coins with Public Law 110-456 (America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008). These uncirculated coins were created under the authority granted the Treasury Secretary in 31 U.S.C. §5111(a) (3) to create, produce and sell items of numismatic interest.
2016 Cumberland Gap Silver Uncirculated Coin Values
The 2016 Cumberland Gap Silver Uncirculated Coins will only feature a face value of twenty five cents despite being struck from so much precious metal. That is because the coins take their face value from the associated quarter dollars.
Those five ounces of silver, however, do give each strike an intrinsic melt value approximately equal to that amount of the precious metal on the open market. Thus, if it is currently 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 these coins are struck fro collectors, it is likely they will carry a numismatic value which typically includes a significant premium over and above the strikes melt value. This numismatic value also generally increases based on the condition and rarity of the strike.
Once issued, the Coin Values Page will show current sales information for the coins as well as recent melt values based on up-to-date silver pricing.
Cumberland Gap Silver Uncirculated Coin Information
The obverse of the 2016 Cumberland Gap Silver Uncirculated Coin will contain a portrait of George Washington just like all of the other America the Beautiful related coins. This portrait was originally created for the 1932 circulating quarter dollar and has been in use on the quarters ever since making it one of the most recognizable portraits in use on American coinage.
Shown on the reverse will be a design showcasing a portion of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park found in the state of Kentucky. Several design candidates for the coin should be released by the Mint in early 2015 for review before the Treasury Secretary makes the final selection. That choice should be revealed by the US Mint in late 2015.
Coin Specifications
| Face Value: | $.25 |
| Composition: | 999 Fine Silver |
| Mintage Cap: | TBA |
| Diameter: | 3 Inches |
| Weight | 5 Ounces |
| Edge: | Incused Lettering |
| Minting Facility: | Philadelphia (P) |
| Obverse Design: | Portrait of George Washington |
| Obverse Designer: | John Flanagan |
| Reverse Design: | tbd |
| Reverse Designer: | tbd |
