Mint News Blog

News, Information, and Commentary on US Mint Products

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

September 11 Medal Sales at 50,998


After just under one week of availability, sales of the 2011 National September 11 Medals have reached 50,998. This seems to be a relatively strong start for a medal, but it remains well below the ambitious maximum authorized mintage of 2,000,000. At this point, sales account for only 2.55% of the maximum.

View the full weekly sales report at CoinUpdate.com.

The total sales for the September 11 Medals are made up of 33,046 and 17,952 of the "W" and "P" mint marked versions, respectively. The authorizing legislation had provided that to the extent possible one half of the medals should be struck at West Point and one half at Philadelphia. The US Mint allows customers to order either version without any limits or specific proportions established.

The initial unit sales are below the level of the 2011 Army Silver Dollars released earlier this year. Within a comparable sales period, the coins had sold 67,593 across proof and uncirculated versions. The initial sales figures for the 2011 Medal of Honor Silver Dollars were lower at 35,502, however the initial period only covered two days.

Some factors potentially weighing on the sales: 1.) the fact that it is a medal rather than a coin with a legal tender face value; 2.) the fact that it is not part of any ongoing series or program; 3.) competition from the flood of other silver numismatic products; and 4.) there seems to be very little awareness of the medal in the mass market where the coins could potentially sell in greater numbers.

There was some mainstream and local coverage of the launch event held at the start of sales. (This article includes some images of the actual medal.) However, the number of articles on the official US Mint medal have been fewer in number than the articles which appeared in the media earlier this year about the "bogus" or "fake" 9/11 commemorative coins offered by a private company.

I believe the last time the US Mint offered silver medals was the National Wildlife Refuge System Centennial Medal Series of 2003. The 1.5 inch diameter silver medals featured Theodore Roosevelt on the obverse and four separate reverse designs featuring the Bald Eagle, Elk, Canvasback Duck, and Salmon. The maximum mintages were 35,000 for the Bald Eagle medal and 25,000 for each of the other designs. If memory serves, each of these medals sold out rather quickly, which would have made for total medal sales of 110,000 units across the four designs.

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23 Comments:

At June 28, 2011 at 3:53 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

There were Teddy Roosevelt Silver Medals in 2003??? I never knew!!!

 
At June 28, 2011 at 4:06 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

5 Oz coins took my yearly allowance for Ag this year....

 
At June 28, 2011 at 5:03 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The National Wildlife Refuge medal was a great design and a sharp looking coin.

 
At June 28, 2011 at 5:34 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Maybe the wildlife coins explain why they didn't put Teddy, the father of the natl. park system, on the 5 oz. ATB quarters. Yes those wildlife coins are great looking. Just look at the detail on that eagle.

I agree, the 9/11 medal has a lot of silver competition and not much advertising. I thought they would sell more and faster. Now I wonder if they will even sell 1 mil.

 
At June 28, 2011 at 5:39 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

2 million of these? Are they mistaking patriotism for capitalism? The idea of celebrating a negative was flawed from the start. Why not issue commemorative medals for the Oklahoma City bombing? These medals seem to celebrate the deaths and would be more appropriate for victors not victims. Always remember? Should have a picture of the Patriot Act and Airport Security lines. Sorry if I'm bitter, but no thanks. Sorry 9/11, you're no Teddy Roosevelt.

 
At June 28, 2011 at 5:59 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

i think the final over all sales figure might be around 250,000 each. or 500,000 total out of 2,000,000. still this mintage is considered too many. a candidate for bullion value.

 
At June 28, 2011 at 6:27 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I do not see people buying many more of these unless spot silver significantly increases.

 
At June 28, 2011 at 6:31 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I ordered the first day. I'm from the NYC area so this hits home HARD........
I'm lookihng forward to seeing what kind of finish they used.

 
At June 28, 2011 at 7:16 PM , Anonymous Mercury said...

I am with you on this one June 28, 2011 4:06 PM. No offense 9/11, but I have no more money.

 
At June 28, 2011 at 7:28 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is the US Mint donating the proceed or portion of the sales or profit to the victims' family? Or should they?

 
At June 28, 2011 at 7:40 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

5:39, your right on.

 
At June 28, 2011 at 7:44 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I will probably order 1 of each, on Thursday, when I order the Grand Canyon 5 ozer and the Eagle Proofs. That will save me a couple of bucks on shipping anyways.

 
At June 28, 2011 at 8:31 PM , Blogger Mik said...

could also be that the medal is in fact ugly and bears no real significance to the event it attempts to commemorate - pretty sure there wasn't any pre-pubescent boys running around with laurels and wearing togas while carrying a torch...i was honestly disappointed with the design, almost makes those "9-11" silver plated dollar mint engravings done by Liberian Mint worth paying for...

 
At June 28, 2011 at 10:15 PM , Blogger mardan1 said...

I agree with Mike. It's ugly. And If you don't tell 999 out of 1000 people what the medal signifies, they would never know what it is designed to memorialize. Even when you are given an explanation of what the design symbolizes, it is unattractive. The Mint, the citizens advisory committee, and the designers all missed. Badly!

 
At June 28, 2011 at 11:15 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I expect sales to crash after the introductory price ends on August 18th, when they jack up the price to $67 per medal.

 
At June 28, 2011 at 11:17 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

These will be selling for melt value in a year or two, watch out.

 
At June 29, 2011 at 12:56 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

So we recently have had a chance to buy 2 mint mark versions of the 9/11 medals, today's ATB 5 ounce P Grand Canyon silver coin, and tomorrow's American Silver Eagle proof coin.

Wow -- all that silver. I wonder if, because of the 2008-2009 drought of silver products, the US Mint decided to stockpile silver blanks for this year. Perhaps a bad move....

 
At June 29, 2011 at 5:12 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am somewhat disappointed with this medal after the flashes of brilliance from the Mint earlier in the year with the Medal of Honor gold coin and the platinum eagle. They should have gotten Joel Iskowitz to do this.

Oh well, guess they can't all be home runs. In a slower year I'd have picked these up. This year though I think I'll pass, the hockey pucks are vacuuming up all my discretionary funds.

 
At June 29, 2011 at 5:23 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm sure sales will pick up on Thursday when both the 5 oz. ATB and Silver Eagle go on sale. Ordering all three together will save you $9.90 in shipping charges. I will order on 6/30/11.

 
At June 29, 2011 at 5:28 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Will pass on both as well.

 
At June 29, 2011 at 7:35 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I forgot about that 10 dolla increase after Aug 18. Commenter right, that will be a sales killer.
At 67 bucks, ouch. A person will only pay so much for remembrance.
500 large might be the top sales number. I would still like to get one ea. but I am in deep on the 5 oz'ers. My decision won't be until right before Aug 18th.

 
At June 29, 2011 at 8:45 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with the comment at 5:03 p.m., "The National Wildlife Refuge medal was a great design and a sharp looking coin."

Does anyone know the amount and fineness of the silver in those medals? What would be the silver/melt value for one of those? I'd rather have one of those National Wildlife Refuge Medals than the September 11 medals and they probably cost less.

LL

 
At June 29, 2011 at 11:32 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

For anyone interested, here is the link for the US Mint press release for the Teddy Roosevelt Medals from 2003:

http://www.usmint.gov/pressroom/index.cfm?action=press_release&ID=447

 

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