The 2023 American Silver Eagle Proofs Congratulations Coins.

John, Your West Point Proofs, Mine are Exceptionally Struck, They are Sweet Too. I am talking about the West Point Proofs in the Congratulations Packages..... Mine received are Not up to Par.......

Wouldn't the 'W' ASE's that were sold individually be taken from the same 'stock' that was used for the congrats package?


I'm not too sure how the mint set up the dies for a proof with a deep cameo (DECAM) in 1994, but later on in years they started using a computer guided laser to etch the die to achieve the DCAM. Is it possible that the laser was applied a bit too harshly?
I have a Roosevelt dime in my hands that is a rare error (Mike Diamond did a write up on it) of a 2015 Dime that had a normal 'frosting' but the reverse nothing but some sputtering's of the 'frosting' on it.
2015-S Dime - no reverse frosting

Hi MD, The congratulations W ASEs are the same as the regular release with just the added packaging. Unfortunately to grade for the special label you have to send sealed in mint package as well so people cant switch them out if the quality looks poor with a better one and I guess makes it hard then to cherry pick also for that specific one (only for grading wise I mean, fine to open to check as a gift for someone.)

When quality fluctuates too much for your liking otherwise, one option is to just start to buy them from coin shows/dealers directly so you can inspect them before purchase (so long as its not a very limited edition where the price will be much higher). In some cases like the 2021-D morgan it appears most are not MS-70 and so the price for those in MS-70 are far higher. In other cases like the uncirculated versions of the American Innovation Dollars it may also be harder to find the top quality examples as you might expect just buying rolls or bags as another example. Yes the mint should not have these issues as you stated and I agree, Similar issues also with the 2022 Liberty Medal. Normally you can exchange/return but its a hassle.

Hello DD, I use to attend a Bi Monthly Coin and Stamp Show, Here on the Island, Local VFW Hall set up for Seeing Coins . Decades ago, the Vendors were Packed in. Everything was for sale... I use to Shadow Shop, I would Listen and learn Then Cherry Pick, the vendors Knew Us, they were quite Kind.

The excitement Sundays were Wonderful, Collect the $$$ and Check out whats available. Things have changed, The vendors Pre Pandemic were Few and Measly Pickings, My have things have changed, IMO, I hope the shows return, For Us, The New and Forever learning Collectors Too I have been ordering from the Mint Forever, Like Most Here. I'm just Frustrated by the direction of The Issues .


DD, Your correct about the ONLY difference between the Congrats and Proofs offered from the Mint are the packaging !! My Gifts are Flawed Too......

@Khromtau: are you talking about the mark on the obverse? If so, then that is the designers initials. The MM on the reverse looks just fine to me.

@Khromtau, The obverse of the American Eagle Silver Coin is based on another iconic early 20th century design, Adolph A. Weinman's 1916 Walking Liberty half dollar. It features the figure of Liberty in full stride, enveloped in folds of the flag while the sun rises in the background. Her right hand is extended and she carries laurel and oak branches in her left. Mint medallic artists used original assets from the 1916 half dollar to refresh the design. Starting with the redesign in 2021 the coin returns some of the elements to their original positions, such as the folds of the flag and the sun's rays. The font matches that used on the 1916 coin and the design returns Weinman's artist initials to their original position. Liberty's eye and the cap she wears are also modified to reflect Weinman's intent. (Quoted from the USMINT)

Thanks Datadragon! I learned something!

Yes, these days due to videos and websites/forums you will generally learn about any issues which is good in that you are more informed and may even learn about errors/varieties as well, but since the negatives tend to post while the positives are typically quiet, you may sometimes get a wrong impression such as quality when there can be tens of thousands to millions of a coin produced.

Some collectors are chasing labels or slab grades due to registry sets or the rarity based on the population reports, while others may do so just because its what they chose to collect. Its good to see some people have bought a few interesting labels, but I completely understand those who dont. Population reports also can be a problem such as with moderns where its mostly that people dont send them in due to costs and where only the top pop is high value, so collecting modern top pops over time is a poor investment since usually others will show up in those grades or better reducing overall values as time goes by.