Mexico: 35 is the new 25

Libertad collecting is a joyous hobby that rests somewhere between the adrenal-stimulating activity of cliff diving and the patient detail-sifting of prospecting sand. This year’s surprise offering from Mexico’s mint is a first. Like the Reverse Proof set of two years ago, it has a precedent: the collecting of bullion silver bars. It also pays homage to the Libertad’s roots as a bullion coin. This silver Proof set is issued in honor of the 35th year of the Libertad’s being offered by the mint as a bullion coin (and silver Proof, gold bullion, gold Proof, and even a rare platinum all exist). The set comes in a wooden case, complete with a certificate of authenticity.

The set, which totals 3 ounces of silver, consists of a 2-ounce ingot and a 1-ounce Brilliant Uncirculated silver coin that has been fused to the silver bar. On the obverse (shown above), the words 35th Anniversary OF THE MEXICAN SILVER LIBERTAD COIN is placed to the left of the coin on a background of mountains and desert that continues the background of the Libertad obverse. In the upper right corner is the set’s unique ID number.

On the reverse, the background is an Aztec-inspired pattern, with a large number 35 to the left of the coin and, below the number, the words ANIVERSARIO DE LA SERIE LIBERTAD PLATA. Above the number is an Aztec warrior in a feathered eagle helmet, with the date of the Libertad’s first issue, 1982, to the left.

The mintage for the set is 5,000, and as most Liberated collectors expected, it sold out from the mint before it has even been announced. Secondary markets and primary insiders who have an in with the mint still have the set close to the offering price, but that price is creeping upwards as the sets have been drying up. (Two vendors who are currently offering the sets are Bullion Exchanges, in New York, and MūnzDachs, in Germany. The latter offers shipping within Germany only. Some ebay vendors have the sets as well.) It seems to be trending around $50–$100 over issue price, and who knows what the graded versions will sell for. The sets should be shipping toward the end of the month, so for now, it’s pre-sales only. In other words: happy hunting!

In other Libertad news: the gold BU release figures have all come in at 1,000 mintage or less for 2017, so don’t expect to see these offered. The mintage for the 1-ounce is just 900, and the 1/10-ounce gold has a mintage of just 300. The 1/20-ounce gold has the highest mintage of just 1,000, so although the gold bullion Libertad has yet to take off like the silver Proofs or even the silver bullion, it remains ripe for the picking!   ❑

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Comments

  1. Koichi Ito says

    Silver coin on silver bar ingot is real silver coin or a picture of silver coin on silver bar ingot?

  2. World Mint News Blog says

    Thanks for your question! I asked a reputable vendor who also sells on ebay. The vendor said the bar and the coin are minted separately, and that the bar is designed so the coin fits into the hole precisely and snugly.

    Diana Plattner
    Editor

  3. Mintman says

    This doesn’t look like a Mexico Mint product, other than the coin inserted into the bar
    Is the bar just produced under license by some other firm? I’ve seen these bars with coin inserts made for other coins

  4. Steve Wroblicky says

    I wonder why they would put a 2010 Libertad into a 35th anniversary set?

  5. Gabriel says

    The box and COA are from the Mexican Mint and the set is authorized by the Mexican Mint, but if the question is whether they actually mint the bar themselves there or outsource it to a specialty company, I don’t know the answer.

  6. Mintman says

    I’ve seen the same type bar and coin for the 50th anniversary of Krand
    So I suspect it’s made under license by outside vendor
    That is not appealing
    Just a 2 oz bar with a regular bu libertad

  7. Buzz Killington says

    Watch them pull the same BS with the gold Libertads as last year — promoting them as “limited” and then making more later in the year.

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