On May 17, 2017, the United States Mint began offering for sale the 2017 United States Mint Uncirculated Coin set (Buy on eBay), which includes all 20 of the circulating quality coins issued by the Mint that year at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints.
Those coins include the P and D versions of the 8th annual set of American the Beautiful quarter dollars that honor Effigy Mounds National Monument (Iowa), Frederick Douglass National Historic Site (Washington, DC); Ozark National Scenic Riverways (Missouri), Ellis Island (Statue of Liberty National Monument) (New Jersey), and George Rogers Clark National Historical Park (Indiana).
The sets also include the P&D 2017 Native American $1 Coin with a reverse design featuring a profiled likeness of Sequoyah writing “Sequoyah from Cherokee Nation” in syllabary along the border of the design plus both Kennedy half dollars, Roosevelt dimes, Jefferson nickels and Lincoln pennies.
Unlike circulation-quality coins produced by the Mint, the coins included in these sets are struck on special presses using greater force than circulating coins, producing a sharp, intricately detailed image. The coins are sealed in a blister and displayed in a folder. One folder contains coins bearing the “P” mint mark and the other contains coins bearing the “D” mint mark.
Celebrating the U.S. Mint’s 225th Anniversary
2017 marks the 225th anniversary of the United States Mint. To mark this momentous occasion, the Mint introduced for the first time a “P” mint mark on the Lincoln penny in the Philadelphia folder.
To further celebrate the anniversary, the Mint also released a 225th Anniversary Enhanced Uncirculated set (Buy on eBay) on August 1 that included ten coins with an enhanced uncirculated finish featuring a combination of laser-frosted areas and an unpolished field that accentuates design details. The process creates a unique contrast distinctly different from the mirror-like finish of proof coins. Each coin bears the “S” mint mark of the United States Mint at San Francisco.
The coins are the same quarters, dollar, half dollar, dime, nickel and penny as the other annual sets issued in 2017 but with the special finish and were housed in two lenses, which were then placed in black matte box with a certificate of authenticity. The set was limited to a maximum mintage of 225,000 units. They were the first and only sets of circulation coins struck with an enhanced uncirculated finish.
Within minutes of going on sale, the sets became unavailable. But two days later on August 3, after reconciling orders, the sets went back on sale. In late August the number sold dropped by over 25,000 due to returns and cancellations of unshipped orders. The sets never did sell out, and the cumulative number of sales reached was 210,419.
2017 Mint Set Information
- Coins per set: 20
- Face value: $5.82
- Original Issue Price: $20.95
- Mintage: 286,813
2017 225th Anniversary Enhanced Uncirculated Set
- Coins per set: 10
- Face value: $2.91
- Original Issue Price: $29.95
- Mintage: 219,419
