Two major series of bullion and collector coins - the America the Beautiful (ATB) five-ounce silver quarters from the U.S. Mint, and the Royal Mint's Queen's Beast series - will soon end. Both have helped to reshape the market for modern bullion and collector coins in recent years and have been major sources of revenue for their respective mints.

Examining the similarities and differences between the two series may shed some light on what modern coin buyers are looking for and on what kinds of coins do well in the marketplace. This information may also be useful to world mints contemplating similar series that run for an extended period - something already happening in the U.S.

The ATB series with 56 designs of U.S. national parks and monuments ran for 11 years, while the Queen's Beasts ran for only five years and included 10 stylized designs of the heraldic beasts made into statues which were present for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. The Queen's Beasts series consists of more coins in total because it has so many variants.

The ATB coins, issued in bullion (frequently with Prooflike and deep mirror Prooflike surfaces, especially as the series continued) and vapor-blasted collector versions with a "P" mintmark, were first struck late in 2010 (and released the following year), will end early next year with the coin for the Tuskegee Airman National Historic site in Alabama designed by Chris Costello.

The Queen's Beasts have been issued in silver and gold bullion since 2016 and since 2017 in platinum and in a wide range of sizes in silver and gold Proofs also since 2017. The 10th and final design, the White Greyhound of Richmond, was released recently in silver and gold bullion versions.

To read the complete article, see:
The Queen's Beasts vs. America the Beautiful: Comparing and contrasting two iconic modern coin series(http://news.coinupdate.com/the-queens-beasts-vs-america-the-beautiful-comparing-and-contrasting-two-iconic-modern-coin-series/)