Proof Palladium Eagle Takes Market By Storm
On September 6th at precisely 12 pm eastern time, the U.S. Mint released the first ever Proof Palladium Eagle coin with a strict one coin per household limit and a maximum mintage of just 15,000 coins. 270 seconds later, it was marked "Currently Unavailable" on the U.S. Mint's website. That means the new 2018-W $25 Palladium Eagle Proof coins were being sold at an astounding rate of fifty-five coins per second! Hands down one of the quickest sell-outs ever seen.
There are plenty of reasons why collectors are going crazy for the newest collectible bullion coin from the U.S. Mint. Obviously, owning the first ever is extremely significant, and its limited 15,000 coin mintage is also very alluring. However, the new Palladium Eagle Proof is one of the best-looking coins of my lifetime (my opinion of course) and demand is high. Granted, the U.S. Mint used the same design from last years Palladium Eagle bullion coin, but seeing this coin in a proof finish really makes the design pop.
The obverse (heads) of this design features a high-relief likeness of “Winged Liberty” from the “Mercury Dime” obverse designed by world-renowned designer Adolph A. Weinman. The reverse (tails) design features a high-relief version of the 1907 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal reverse, also by Weinman, which includes an eagle and a branch. The sheer detail in this coin is absolutely incredible.
The demand for this coin seems to be coming from both sides of the aisle (collectors and investors) as well. Understandably collectors want to own the first ever, and possibly the only, Palladium Eagle proof coin. Collectors also love the artistic design. Palladium, the metal itself has outperformed both Platinum and Silver over the last two years and is now the second most valuable precious metal.
With so many eager buyers and such a limited mintage, prices on the secondary market are rising quickly. Many of the individuals who were lucky enough to purchase these coins directly from the Mint have already sold their coins to dealers for a quick 15 to 25% profit. Dealers, like us, can't get enough Palladium Eagle Proof coins to feed the demand from current customers.
It's up to you as a collector to decide if this coin should be apart of your collection. This coin has it all, first year of issue, high-relief design, and low mintage and I believe the collectors of the future will see the 2018-W $25 Palladium Eagle Proof coin as one of the more important modern coins of this era.