If you were hoping to get your hands on the 2019-S American Eagle Reverse Proof, chances are you’ve missed out. The latest iteration of the bullion silver coin went on sale today at Noon Eastern. All indications are that it sold out in less than 20 minutes.
Only 30,000 of the coins were produced so it was an automatic that it would be a quick sellout. But many users on Reddit and Twitter reported unable to confirm their purchase after just five minutes. It also appears that the US Mint’s site was struggling to keep up.
Issues with the Mint’s site have been a common problem on high demand products such as the American Eagle Reverse Proof.
If you missed out on buying the coin today, chances are it is going to cost you a small fortune going forward. Early listings for the coin on eBay have it upwards of $700. Those prices will likely go down in time of course but it gives you a sense for the demand for the coin.
A standard reverse proof coin is one featuring an “inverted” proof finish. The background is frosted, while the design elements are polished to a mirror-like finish, creating a magnificent contrast. This enhanced reverse proof coin has the same frosted background as a reverse proof coin, but what sets it apart are the multiple polished and frosted finishes applied to different isolated design elements. The selective polishing and frosting dramatically enhances the visual impact of the design.
While it is certainly a positive sign that the limited production coin sold out so fast, it also highlighted once again the challenges with the United States Mint’s website. In previous situations, and again today, users who thought they had made the purchase actually ended up not doing so as the site required their payment information multiple times. This, in spite of the fact that it was stored on their user profiles.