The Rarest ‘America the Beautiful’ Coins
Posted on January 12, 2023
America the Beautiful silver coins are notable for a few reasons. Besides their patriotic tint, they might be the only real competitor from the U.S. Mint to the iconic Silver Eagle. They're also huge. Their 5oz-a-piece size means that they probably won't ever truly compete with the Eagle because they're, well, not that easy to hold. It's almost as if the U.S. Mint had enough of the Perth Mint's gargantuan Kangaroos and wanted to show that it, too, can make larger-than-hand coins.
But did you know that America the Beautiful also has some pretty rare mintages, even in bullion variety? If you figured the massive size was going to dissuade collectors from piling into this coin, we have a list of some rare ATB mintages that are quickly going to change that opinion.
The 37th ATB coin bears the likeness of 19th century author and activist Frederick Douglass and comes with a 20,000 mintage. Going for just under twice the price of its precious metals content, it's a pretty valuable collectible considering it was minted as recently as 2017. Why is this coin so scarce? Philadelphia's mint doesn't need a lot of reasons to issue collectibles. It shares quite a few similarities with the next coin on the list, so let's hop over onto that one to try and get more clues.
This ATB entry is the 38th in the series and likewise has a mintage of 20,000. The third ATB coin made in 2017 depicts the Ozarks wilderness in all its untamed and sometimes unwelcoming beauty. Both of the coins come from Philadelphia and sport William Cousins' design. Perhaps Philadelphia's mint was experiencing some press issues right around the time it was minting the two?
2012 Hawaii Volcanoes Coin
A rare coin for a rare volcano: the reverse is almost alive, depicting the eruption of Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Along with Mauna Loa, it forms the Hawaii National Park established in 1916. If you thought Ozarks were unwelcoming… Despite having the same mintage as the previous two coins, the 15th America the Beautiful coin can go for nearly four times its spot value.
2012 Alaska Denali National Park Coin
Another 20,000 mintage coin, the Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve commemorative ATB coin was the fourth and final coin in the series minted in 2012. Not as expensive as the 2012 versions but considerably more so than the 2017 ones, the Denali features an intricate, glossy and detailed design that might have been a pain to issue in more than 20,000 units.
2014 Utah Arches National Park Coin
The 23rd coin on this list has a slightly larger mintage of 22,000 but still has everything needed to make for a big collectible, in more ways than one. It depicts the famous Delicate Arch landscape in considerable detail and bedazzles those who hold it even without the uncirculated finish. It was the third coin to be issued in 2014.
2014 Colorado Great Sand Dunes National Park Coin
Coming in right after the Utah issuance, the coin's reverse gives it a bit of a meta tint, showing people prospecting near a river. With a mintage of 22,000 and a famously intricate design, the 2014 Great Sand Dunes ATB coin was bound to be an instant hit among collectors.
