Three to remember for July, August

The Mint will be unveiling some of its big guns during a period of time that is often called the summer doldrums.

First up on July 12 will be the 2018-W uncirculated gold American Eagle. This is a routine issue, but since it has one ounce of gold in it, it will be expensive. Any funds collectors use to buy it won’t be going toward their summer vacation.

The next item will be a silver reverse proof set minted in San Francisco. A reverse proof set has the fields frosted, and the high points are mirrorlike. This is just the reverse of a standard proof set, and the explanation of why it is called a reverse proof set. A standard proof, as you recall, has mirrored fields and frosted high points.

In recent years, collectors have been excited by various reverse proof products. Will they be again on July 23? Let’s wait and see.

The next product is scheduled for release Aug. 14, which is the beginning of the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money in Philadelphia.

As you probably also remember, it was at the ANA convention last year when the San Francisco Enhanced Uncirculated Coin Set was released and sold out (temporarily, as it turned out).

Will this next Mint product inspire a sellout?

It is the second proof silver American Eagle of the year. This will have the “S” mintmark on it. In January, the regular proof silver American Eagle was released with the “W” mintmark.

Will collectors around the country and at the convention be excited by this?

It is hard to know. No information is yet available as to any mintage restriction or household order limits. That will have an impact on collector perception of the offer.

Collectors are fully capable of standing in a long line as they did at the Mint booth last year if they feel they need to.

Like last year, I will be at the Mint booth if I need to be to watch the event unfold.

These three issues are arriving in the depths of the summer. Many collectors will be at a cottage or at a beach if they are not in Philadelphia for the ANA convention.

Perhaps I am simply being quaint to even point out what used to be long-established collector behavior patterns.

We do know that the Mint cannot issue everything at once and leave months on end with nothing new. Something has to be fresh and interesting for the months of July and August.

Perhaps by then collectors will have returned enough of the $99.95 World War I Coin and Medal sets. To buy all five required nearly $500. That’s a lot of cash. It is also a sum that, if redeployed, would buy a nice bundle of reverse proof sets or proof silver American Eagles. What’s it to be? Let’s wait and see.

More Collecting Resources

• The Standard Catalog of United States Paper Money is the only annual guide that provides complete coverage of U.S. currency with today’s market prices.

• With over 25,000 listings and 15,500 illustrations, the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, Modern Issues is your go-to guide for modern bank notes.