2012 US Limited Edition Silver Proof Set

With little more than a name and a price point, the United States Mint has indicated its intentions to release a 2012 Limited Edition Silver Proof Set for sale to the public. Unfortunately, the few details confirmed still leaves its contents up for speculation.

What is known is that the set was listed earlier this week in the Mint’s Online Product Schedule. That posting showed its release date as November 27, 2012. However, the listing has since been removed, leaving the actual launch date up in the air. (Jump to updated information.)

The other confirmed fact about the limited edition set is its price of $149.95. A public notice in the Federal Register dated November 9, 2012 stipulates the price. This notice will officially appear on November 19, 2012.

With just the name of the set and its price, a few things can only be inferred with confirmation pending an official statement from the U.S. Mint. As the name includes "silver proof set," we can assume that most (if not all) of the coins included in it will be struck from a composition of silver.

A current example of such a set is the 2012 United States Mint Silver Proof Set®. It includes 90% silver proof quality versions of the five 2012 America the Beautiful Quarters, the 2012 Kennedy Half Dollar and the 2012 Roosevelt Dime. (It also includes a proof quality Native American Coin, four Presidential $1 Coins, a Jefferson Nickel and a Lincoln Cent all struck from their standard circulating compositions.)

Even if the yet to be issued Limited Edition Set contains these same silver coins, it will undoubtedly also include other silver strikes. The standard U.S. Mint Silver Proof Set currently sells for $67.95, leaving quite a gap between that price and the $149.95 of the upcoming set.

A product that could be used to fill that gap would be a proof American Silver Eagle. The 2012-W Proof American Silver Eagle coin sold out just this week. It was selling for $59.95. Adding that to the aforementioned price of the annual silver proof set still leaves a difference of more than $22, however.

With that in mind, perhaps other coin(s) are planned for the 2012 Limited Edition Silver Proof Set. When further details emerge, they will be made available on Silver Coins Today.

Updated About Limited Edition Silver Proof Set

Finalized details about the proof set are available, including its release date, an image of it, the silver coins within it and the U.S. Mint product page to place an order for it.

Packaged with a specially designed protective lens and presentation case are the following eight silver coins:

• 2012-W American Silver Eagle Proof Coin

• 2012-S America the Beautiful Silver Quarters celebrating honoring El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico, Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, Acadia National Park in Maine, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii, and Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska

• 2012-S Kennedy silver half-dollar

• 2012-S Roosevelt silver dime

As speculated, the silver coins are the same as those found within the 2012 Silver Proof Set.

A mintage or production limit of 50,000 is in place. Household limits of two are in place for at least the first week.

When released on November 27, 2012 at noon ET, orders for the limited edition set may be placed online through the United States Mint product page located here. Shipping is expected to start in late December.