Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Mint today announced that 1998 annual numismatic sets – the Five Coin Proof Set, Silver Proof Set and Premier Silver Proof Set, and the Ten Coin Uncirculated Set – are no longer available.
On July 31, the Mint announced limits on sales of the sets, which are the last to carry the Eagle reverse quarter design for the next ten years, in order to allow the Mint and its suppliers to focus attention on 50 State Quarters™ products for 1999. Demand for 1998 sets proved to be stronger than expected, and demand for 1999 sets, which will include the first five 50 State Quarters™, is expected to be even stronger.
“The intense interest in the1998 sets promises to carry over into the new year as we introduce the first annual sets containing 50 State Quarters,™ said Mint Director Philip N. Diehl. “In addition, I want to alert customers that only several hundred Proof Platinum Eagle One–Ounce Coins are still available. Collectors will want to act quickly since that program closes down on December 31. All other Proof Platinum products are sold out.”
The Proof Platinum Eagle, featuring the first Vistas of Liberty™ reverse design, marks the first time in history the Mint has embarked on a five–year design series for a coin. Mint sculptor/engraver John Mercanti’s new reverse design depicts a bald eagle in flight off the coast of New England, with a lighthouse towering on a cliff and the moon rising in the evening sky. The obverse is Mercanti’s stunning “Portrait of Liberty™,” America’s most recognized symbol of freedom – the Statue of Liberty.
For information about how to purchase the Proof Platinum American Eagle, please telephone (202) 283–2646 or visit the Mint’s website at www.usmint.gov.