They haven't selected the order of the sites, or chosen the "better" ones. They are in the order of when they first became a national park/monument, beginning with Arkansas hot springs which is the oldest (first established by congress in 1832). Site Selection Process "The United States Mint will consult with the Secretary of the Interior to ensure appropriateness of each of the 56 national site recommendations based on their natural or historic significance, and to validate the date on which each recommended site was established as a national site."
I don't see why any of them should be poor. A good artist can find something interesting for any of the sites. Maybe part of the problem is the design by committee approach.
I don't believe there's a person on this planet that associates the Statue of Liberty with NJ. What's worse is that they chose Saratoga for NY - and some awful design candidates at that.
The better approach may be to get the public to decide which design candidates will be chosen for the final design. I can't imagine this being too difficult of a task to accomplish but maybe I'm wrong. While I'm not bothered by which National Monuments or Parks have been chosen, I feel that Some of the final choices by the committee have not been all that stellar as some of the designs not chosen were better designs IMHO. That said, some of the chosen designs were right on the mark and the best choices of some terrific designs. .
As a NJ life long resident and 5 oz. ATB coin collector I will be buying all of the coins in this new series. I have been lucky to find a great LCS that always has a supply of them. I just got 2 Mt. Rushmore coins last Saturday for $280 cash. As for NJ we are always over shadowed by NY so maybe now they get a taste of what it's like. Saratoga is fitting and it's NY just like the Buffalo Bills! NJ like every state has beautiful places as well as not so beautiful places which unfortunately is the case for the Newark airport area which everyone arriving gets to see. Anyway I love these coins for the size and rarity with low mintage.
I'm looking forward for the 5 ounce ATB smoky mountain scene. That piece is gorgeous and i visit once or twice a year there.
The Mt Rushmore coin is a very cool design indeed....as are the great majority of designs in this series. I think that perhaps a few of the coins with the less known National Parks and Monuments may become sleepers in this series if they are minted in lower numbers....which they just might since the park/monument may not be that well known and initial interest may be weak in those few designs. This has happened with US Commemorative coins before. Less initial popularity may = lower mintage which can = higher premiums attained a few years down the road.
Who knew ATB pucks would be such a hot button topic. I think 2014 might be one of the best years for the pucks but I think its the low price more then anything driving the interest as opposed to sexy designs or passion for national parks. As to the post upthread listing 7 'great' parks after this year with 31 to go is not really a ringing endorsement of the themes going forward.
^ I think you missed the point as GreyGhost had written "some good ones coming" NOT "the only good one's to come"....huge difference. I believe the popularity is a combination of factors including 1) largest size coin US Mint has ever produced 2) .999 silver (not just 90%) 3) low mintages 4) good price 5) some people are getting bored with ASE's 6) 5 new designs every year 7) good and varied designs (some wildlife and nature scenes, and plenty of famous places/monuments that people can visit) .
I think five-ounce is a good size for a silver doin as well. Not too big that it would limit appeal if the price of silver should shoot up, big enough to really showcase the art (sadly limited by the quarter in this case), and affordable enough. Would be nice to see other national mints follow suit.
At last, a release date and price for Smoky mountains 5oz "P". April 7th. next one May 15th, then June 12th oh, and usual price 154.95
Thanks for the heads up...long overdue release dates. I am eager to pick up each of the 2014 ATB issues. I'm assuming that the "P" collector version will sell out as quickly as the 2013 issues did. .
I just hooked up with the series about a year and a half ago but consider it to be one of the best collectibles out there + the 5 oz size is perfect, especially with silver in the low-20's. The US Mint has come up with an occasional really good coin but the ATB is their first "home run" (American for big hit) for a series. SAE's aren't a series IMHO. I've never understood really wanting a 20XX SAE when it is identical to all other SAE's except for the date. Not all of the ATB scenes are the same level of artistry but the good ones are superb. Glacier National Park by TomD77, on Flickr
They really are nice looking coins ... but I mostly wanted to say very very nice work with that pic of the glacier coin! Makes me want one even more!
Agreed, really good photography can bring out the best in a great coin design. My favorite design from 2013 is a tie between Mt Everest and White Mountain. I should have bought an extra of each but they sold out so quickly before I had the thought to do that. .
BTW, this auction is a good reminder to be very careful about which version you are bidding on / buying: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2013-P-Whit...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 The coin pictured is the more common bullion coin whereas the auction description specifically states that the coin offered is the much lower mintage vapor-finish collector version. Please be careful and know the difference. The "P" mint mark is located on the obverse side just below "In God We Trust". Also, the "P" version will never look shiny like the coin pictured in that auction. The "P" version is actually selling for a hefty premium over the bullion version. .
The "P" is uncirculated and comes in a different finish in mint packaging. The coins are gorgeous, low mintage, and you can subscribe to get the 2014 series from the mint for close to what the bullion ones are selling for now. The "P" series is what will command a premium in the future. I picked up all the 2012 and 2013 issues so far and they are amazing.
