(KMOV/Gray News/WKYT) – The U.S. Mint is marking America’s 250th anniversary with special coins featuring images of American history.
The commemorative collection includes five special quarters for this year.
“You have a Mayflower design here, Independence Hall here, the Liberty Bell,” said Charlie Erthal of Scotsman Coin & Jewelry.
The collection also includes five other coins, including a Sacajawea dollar with a different reverse design.
“You have the classic Sacajawea dollar with a different reverse design. There’s a pioneer and an Indian,” Erthal said.
The coins are available through regular circulation. Paul Hollis, director of the U.S. Mint, said the agency sends massive quantities of coins to the Federal Reserve, which distributes them to banks across the nation.
Collectors can also buy a set from the U.S. Mint for about $100, or special editions, such as a Liberty Bell coin, for $19,000.
But the 250th anniversary coins may not fetch a pretty penny in the future, according to Erthal.
“Oftentimes, they get slightly under what they pay for them. And that’s because there’s a high premium associated with the Mint,” Erthal said.
The coins may be more valuable for sentimental reasons than as an investment, Erthal said.
“So you might not count on this as a money maker, but a very cool way to collect the heritage of the United States coinage,” he said.
Some coins can increase in value, like the 2021 Liberty High Relief Gold Coin.
“In a perfect proof, a 70 grade from NGC or PCGS brings around $13,000,” Erthal said.