Coins of 2016: Anniversaries and Events

This past year has seen a number of special coins that either marked significant numismatic anniversaries, or commemorated important historical and contemporary topics. MCM carries many of these coins right now, but they may not last long!

World Events Reflected in Coins

Queen Elizabeth II’s 90^th Birthday

In 2016, Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving British monarch and the longest reigning female monarch in history, celebrated her 90^th birthday. She has appeared on more coins than any other woman in history. In celebration of this event, an array of commemorative coins from all over the world were struck.

Some of the coins issued for this event include the Perth Mint’s 1 oz. High Relief Proof Silver coins, Tristan da Cunha’s 1 oz. Proof Silver coins, and the Mayer Mint’s 1 oz. Proof Silver star-shaped coin. The obverse of all these coins feature effigies of the Queen, while the reverse all show unique commemorative designs.

35^th Anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s Failed Assassination

Another event is the 35^th anniversary of the failed assassination attempt on former president, Ronald Reagan. Although the assassin succeeded in shooting the president, the attempt failed after Reagan had a miraculous recovery. Reagan went on to lead a very successful presidency, and among his many accomplishments, Reagan is responsible for signing the Liberty Coin Act of 1985 that allowed the creation of the first Silver Eagles.

The U.S. Mint issued the final coin for its presidential dollar coin series in 2016, depicting former president, Ronald Reagan. This coin was also released in a Ronald Reagan Coin and Chronicles Set that included this coin with a unique reverse proof finish, plus a Proof American Silver Eagle and a bronze medal.

Brexit

On June 23, the United Kingdom (UK) surprised the world when a vote to leave the European Union was passed. To commemorate this important contemporary event, Coin Invest Trust (CIT) released special silver and gold coins for the Cook Islands to mark the event.

These coins utilize revolutionary new technologies developed by CIT, dubbed “Smartminting” for silver and “Big Gold Minting (BGM)” for gold. It enables coins to have much larger diameters than previously possible with the same amount of silver or gold. The 1/10 oz. Brexit Gold Piece is still available at MCM.

Pearl Harbor's 75^th Anniversary

2016 also was the 75^th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This surprise attack was a historic event in U.S. history, and it marked our entrance into the Second World War.

MCM currently carries three products that commemorate this event, including the Tuvalu 1 oz. silver coin and a 1/10^th oz. gold issue. These coins show two Imperial Japanese “Zeros” above three U.S. Navy ships in the Pacific Ocean. Hawaii’s mountainous landscape can also be found in the background.

MCM also carries an ultra high relief, prooflike 2 oz. silver round from the Elemetal Mint that is the 3^rd release in its American Landmarks Series. It shows the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial created to honor the battleship’s destruction in the attack. The amazing level of relief and detail present on this round truly brings the design to life.

Numismatic Anniversaries

Centennial Gold Coins

Three of the biggest numismatic releases of 2016 came in the form of the Centennial Gold Coins. These are commemorative issued to honor the centennial anniversaries of three American classics - the Mercury Dime, the Standing Liberty Quarter, and the Walking Liberty Half Dollar.

Those three coins, which were originally selected through a design competition, were issued in 1916 to replace the Barber coinage that preceded them. At the time, these coins were not popular with many, and when they were replaced with these new Liberty-themed designs, they met with huge success! The designs of these coins are some of the best-known and most admired that have ever been used.

All three of the original silver coins have been collected since their release 100 years ago. It should come as no surprise that these gold commemoratives met with such success in 2016.

30^th Anniversary of American Eagle Program

Another massive event in 2016 is the 30^th anniversary of the world’s most popular silver and gold bullion coin series, the American Eagles! In honor of this achievement, the U.S. Mint did something entirely unexpected – they struck their 2016 Proof and Burnished American Silver Eagles with edge lettering reading “30^th ANNIVERSARY”! The edge lettering, which was done at the request of the U.S. Congress, has only been done on these specific issues, making them one-year issues.