To say that this is a popular coin for collectors and investors would be a bland understatement. Both the 2015 and 2016 productions sold out in a matter of hours on the first day they came out (the 2015 coin in only ten minutes). The two formed the “Torches of Liberty” set. There is no reason to believe the 2017 coin will be any less appealing, as it celebrates the 20th anniversary of the U.S. Mint’s first platinum release. To reflect this landmark occasion, its design reprises the original of that 1997 minting. The coins’ future looks bright also, as years 2018 through 2020 will depict, respectively, the themes of “Life”, “Liberty” and “The Pursuit of Happiness.” This 2017 edition serves as a fitting linchpin between series, as well as perhaps the final foreseeable time we’ll see the John Mercanti Statue of Liberty design.

The reverse side of the coin (with the original 1997 design by Thomas D. Rogers) shows a bald eagle in flight before a rising sun. Above it are engraved the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and, to the right, .9995 PLATINUM 1 oz. The $100 denomination is centered at the bottom of the design. The obverse (as it has in each of these 20 years) bears Mercanti’s face of the Statue of Liberty with the words LIBERTY above it, 2017 IN GOD WE TRUST to the right, and E PLURIBUS UNUM along the edge of the bottom left quadrant.
The Platinum Eagle is perhaps the most exciting coin series to have come out of the U.S. Mint. This 20th anniversary edition marks a turning point from an illustrious past to a promising future.