2020 Coin
United States Mint One of the new America the Beautiful Quarters for 2020 showcases the National Park of American Samoa. The first special edition coin of the new year will be released on Feb. 'The image evokes the remarkable care and energy that this species puts into their offspring,' the U.S. Mint wrote in its description.
2020 Women's Suffrage Silver Coins; 2020 First Spouse Coins; World Silver Sales; 2020 Gold Buffalo; 2020 & 2019 Gold Eagles; 2020 Platinum Eagles; Enhanced Rev. Proof Eagle; 2019 Pride of Two Nations; Apollo 11 50th Anniversary; Travis Mills Foundation; Bullion. 2019 Dated Bullion. United States Mint; Royal Canadian Mint; The Royal Mint; Perth. Premium Coin: The 2020 United States Mint Proof Set® is accompanied by a special 2020 Jefferson nickel with a proof finish struck at the West Point Mint with a “W” mint mark. This special complimentary coin is packaged separately in clear United States Mint plastic wrap and inserted into an envelope. While commemorative glow-in-the-dark coins aren't new, Barbados 2020 $1 coins minted by the RCM go a step further, with a million of them issued for general circulation and collecting.
As of Dec. 6, a sizeable quantity of the United States Mint’s 2020 Uncirculated Coin set remained available, with 191,076 of the maximum 213,000 sets sold.
The maximum product issue is the lowest since 1959, when 187,000 Uncirculated Coin sets were issued, and silver was still part of the alloy for all coins except the Lincoln cent and Jefferson 5-cent coin. All of the coins in the 2020 set are made of the same base metals found in the circulating and circulation-quality versions of the coins.
In comparison, sales of the 2019 edition of the annual set totaled 344,553 sets.
The contents of the 2020 set is a little different than what was announced early in the year, before effect of the spread of COVID-19 on U.S. Mint production facilities could be determined. The 2020 Uncirculated Coin set was supposed to have been accompanied by an Uncirculated 2020-W Jefferson 5-cent coin as a premium. The Mint decided not to issue the special coin, blaming the decision on closures and delays at the various Mint facilities in response to the pandemic.
The 20-coin 2020 Uncirculated Coin set includes, from the Denver and Philadelphia Mints each, one Lincoln cent, Jefferson 5-cent coin, and Roosevelt dime, five America the Beautiful quarter dollars, a Kennedy half dollar and a Native American dollar.
The 2020 set went on sale Nov. 30, priced at $25.25.
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Although all five of the circulating 2020 America the Beautiful quarter dollars will be issued in 2020-W versions with an obverse privy mark, the West Point Mint version of the first coin of the new year, for American Samoa, will be the last of the special coins to be placed into circulation.
The decision to delay release of the 2020-W American Samoa coin until late in the year resulted because approval for the inclusion of the privy mark came after National Park of American Samoa circulating quarter dollar output had already begun at the Denver and Philadelphia Mints. The first 2020-W quarter dollars with privy mark will be the Weir Farm National Historic Site coins, to be released April 6, according to Todd Martin, the U.S. Mint’s acting director for corporate communications.
The privy mark, incorporated into the master die, features V75 within a specially shaped cartouche.
Two million of each of the five 2020-W quarter dollars will be struck at the West Point Mint and randomly mixed in with coins struck at the Denver and Philadelphia Mints for circulation distribution. The U.S. Mint said it is developing a comprehensive plan to more widely distribute the 2020-W quarter dollars beyond what was done with the 2019-W coins, though it has yet to provide details of the circulation plans.
The release dates for the remaining 2020-W America the Beautiful quarters through the Federal Reserve are June 1 for the Salt River Bay National Historical Park coins, Aug. 31 for the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Historical Park coins and Nov. 16 for the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve coins.
The delay in releasing the first coin means the 2020-W National Bank of American Samoa quarter dollars won’t be struck and released until after the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve coins. However, no release date has been announced for the 2020-W American Samoa coins, nor exactly how they will be distributed.
WWII homage
The privy mark is part of the Mint’s initiative to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Additional products already announced are a gold coin and bronze and silver medals celebrating the anniversary.
Martin explained, “The period from May 8 to September 2, 2020, marks the 75th anniversary of the end of United States involvement in World War II. In recognition of this significant anniversary, the United States Mint plans to produce a portfolio of numismatic products.
“In addition to these numismatic products, two million each of the scheduled 2020 America the Beautiful Quarters will be struck at the West Point Mint bearing the W mint mark, and featuring a privy mark signifying the allied victory in World War II. The privy mark consists of the characters V75 (signifying 75th Anniversary of World War II Victory) surrounded by an outline of the Rainbow Pool at the heart of the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. These special quarters will be mixed into bulk bags at, and shipped from, the Philadelphia and Denver Mints. Details of when and how the quarters will be distributed will be announced in the coming weeks.”
American Innovation
Although coins of other countries have featured privy marks for years (including Canadian coins), the concept is a new one for U.S. coinage, though the 2020-W quarter dollars are the second series of U.S. coins to carry a privy mark.
The reverse of the 2018 American Innovation dollar has a privy mark depicting an eagle with shield among agricultural and industrial tools.
All versions of the 2019 American Innovation dollars bear a privy mark on the obverse below the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. That privy mark features a gear element within a gear, borrowing from the larger reverse design of the introductory American Innovation dollar of 2018.
Mixed opinions
Collector experiences in finding (or not finding) the 2019-W America the Beautiful quarter dollars, and general concerns about the Mint’s product lines, are being articulated in various responses to the announcement about the 2020-W quarters.
Facebook responses concerning the U.S. Mint’s decision to release 2020-W quarter dollars into circulation reflect mixed opinions from the numismatic community (comments below are lightly edited):
Gary Double: [The] 2019-W release was a fiasco at best! I won’t be playing the game this year! If this had been a “one time” deal there would be more value, but now with more, it will drive the value down even more.
Clark Myers: Cool. Design is awesome.
2020 Coin Set
2020 Coins Low Mintage
Joseph Anthony Iadicicco: Here we go again. I thought this was supposed to be a one-year thing only? I’m getting tired of trying to keep up with all of these different United States Mint coins.
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