Looking Back At 2018 Coins

Wow! It's that time of the year again when we look back on all the great things that have happened around us! For the numismatics among us, it was a good year with the regular coins and some great commemoratives remembering the past. The America the Beautiful quarters weaved in their usual magic with some beautifully designed coins! Let’s look back at how these coins did...

2018 Commemorative coins

World War 1 Centennial coins and medals

World War 1 Centennial coins were released this year. There were two versions to the coins; the Silver Proof and Silver Uncirculated. The US mint has released the sale numbers of the coins so far as 61937 for Silver Proof and 21531 for Silver Uncirculated. (As of Dec 9th 2018) There were also 5 special coins/medals released honoring the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Service, and the Coast Guard.

We covered the Silver Proof and Uncirculated coin designs in our earlier post here. The special coins/medals have beautiful designs depicting the contribution of each of the American forces. The Army Silver medal shows a soldier cutting through German barbed wire. The background shows another soldier aiming a rifle at some unseen enemy and a shell exploding in the distance. It is incredible how a coin can give the perspective of war succinctly. The reverse features the United States Army emblem. 15621 medals have been sold so far.

The Marine Corps Silver medal shows the aftermath of the Battle of Belleau Wood. It shows the touching scene of a soldier paying his respects to the fallen while another stands guard. The obverse also has an inscription “WOODS NOW U.S. MARINE CORPS ENTIRELY”, the report submitted by Major Maurice E. Shearer to signal the end of one of the bloodiest battles in the war. The reverse features the World War I-era version of the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor emblem. 12648 medals have been sold so far.

The Centennial Navy medal depicts a U.S. Navy destroyer on escort duty with kite balloons flying above. They helped the Navy personnel to spot enemy submarines. The reverse features an Officers Cap Device used in World War I. So far 12253 medals have been sold. The Air Service medal shows the SPAD XIII, a French biplane fighter aircraft that became quite iconic during World War I, the first war fought in the skies. It was one of the most popular fighter aircrafts available then, so much so that the U.S. Army Air service placed bulk orders for its’ own pilots. The reverse design features the Military Aviator Insignia. 12520 medals have been sold.

The Coast Guard Silver medal’s obverse depicts a Coast Guard Cutter heading towards the torpedoed steamship Wellington. The reverse features the World War I-era Coast Guard emblem. 9813 medals have been sold so far.

Breast Cancer Awareness coins

We saw Breast Cancer Awareness coins earlier in our post here. The obverse design features two women. The older woman has her hands on her chest and a relieved expression on her face. The younger woman, with a scarf on her head, holds one hand over her chest and the other raised in a fist as if she is ready to fight. A butterfly flies above the two women and a ribbon is shown near the young woman. The following are the number of Breast Cancer Commemorative coins sold so far. Gold Proof coins – 10171, Gold UNC – 4375, Silver Proof – 33681, Silver UNC – 12210, Clad Proof – 17542, Clad UNC – 10613, Coin and Stamp set – 4237.

2018 America the Beautiful coins

The America the Beautiful quarters saw the 9 th year since its’ inception. The 5 quarters were, the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin, Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota, Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia, Block Island National Wildlife Refuge in Rhode Island. We saw their designs in our earlier post here.

The number of Proof sets sold are 77644, Silver Proof sets 72499 and 28832 Uncirculated sets. Apart from this many 3-coin sets and individual coins or coins in rolls and bags were sold.

Looking forward to 2019 coins

In this mercurial world of changing interests, Coin collecting is a cornerstone for the traditionalists and the young minds alike. We see growing interest in kids who want to collect, and design coins. Some even show an early interest to work in the mint! To intrigue and delight the numismatists among us, the U.S. mint is coming up with an interesting array of coins next year. Most are eagerly awaiting the 50 th anniversary Apollo 11 coins and the American Legion 100 th Anniversary coins. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a great year! Happy New Year!