Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Mint yesterday announced a dramatic reduction in the maximum mintage and individual denominations of the 1997 Proof Gold American Eagle coins, which go on sale April 26. In addition, the Mint is limiting quantities of the popular Four Coin Set to only 30,000.
“We’re lowering the Proof Eagle mintages in response to our customers’ interest in secondary market prices of our products,” said Mint Director Philip N. Diehl. “We recognize that our customers expect that our products retain a significant portion of their purchase price in the after–market. We believe lowering mintages will help us achieve that goal.”
“This is part of a new philosophy we’re pursuing in 1997 as an extension of our tradition of offering limited edition products — such as the recent Botanic Garden Coinage & Currency Set,” Diehl said. “We believe that these lower mintage limits will make our products consistently more appealing to the collector. You can expect to see future issues structured in a similar way — to raise the value of all our products, for all collectors.”
| Coin | 1997 Maximum Mintage |
1996 Maximum Mintage |
1997 Individual Coins Available |
| 1 ounce | 45,000 | 55,000 | 10,000 |
| ½ ounce | 38,000 | 50,000 | 8,000 |
| 1/4 ounce | 45,000 | 55,000 | 15,000 |
| 1/10 ounce | 45,000 | 70,000 | 15,000 |
| 4–Coin Sets | 30,000 | ||
| Silver 1 ounce | 500,000 | 495,000 |
Prices for the proof gold American Eagles remain $589 for the one–ounce proof gold Eagle; $299 for the half–ounce proof gold Eagle; $159 for the quarter–ounce proof gold Eagle, $75 for the tenth–ounce proof gold Eagle, and $1,025 for the Four Coin Set. The proof silver American Eagle one ounce coin remains $23.
Sales of proof gold Eagles will end December 31,1997, and Proof Silver Eagles will be sold while supplies last. The Mint reserves the right to limit quantities and to stop accepting orders. Coins may be delivered in multiple shipments at different times.
For general information about proof Eagles, phone (202) 283–COIN. Starting April 25, phone 1–800–USA MINT to order.