What is an Enhanced Uncirculated Coin?

There is a type of finish known among some United States coins that remains largely unfamiliar to many collectors yet has gained fantastic popularity in recent years. This would be the so-called enhanced uncirculated finish, and it is one of the most recent additions to the lineup of numismatic strikes offered among U.S. coins.

The 2013-W Enhanced Uncirculated American Silver Eagle became the first official “enhanced uncirculated” offering from the U.S. Mint. It was followed up by a variety of other similar coins, including enhanced uncirculated Native American Dollars and the 2017 U.S. Mint 225th Anniversary Enhanced Uncirculated Set, the latter of which contains 10 coins bearing a similar, multifaceted finish.

But what exactly is an enhanced uncirculated coin? Essentially, it is one in which laser-engraving techniques are employed to create frosted, polished, and unpolished fields and devices that provide sharper contrasts between various elements of the design details. Each type of enhanced uncirculated coin has its own characteristics that exemplify this relatively new die-creation process.

To better understand the special effects an enhanced uncirculated coin may boast, consider the following synopsis by the United States Mint describing the design technique seen on the 2013-W Enhanced Uncirculated American Silver Eagle, which formally inaugurated this newfangled finish:

“On the obverse (heads side) of the enhanced uncirculated coin, the mountains, red stripes, and blue parts of the American flag; the year; and Liberty's sandals have an uncirculated finish. The remaining elements and lettering on the obverse have a heavy frosted finish. On its reverse (tails side), the ribbon in the eagle's beak, arrows, olive branch, alternating stripes in the shield, and the border around the shield have an uncirculated finish. The lettering and other design elements on the reverse have a heavy frosted finish. The fields on both sides of the coin have a new light frosted finish. All these enhancements – unique to this coin – add sharp definition to the designs.”

The special enhanced uncirculated minting process has created an entire new subset of collectible coins in the American numismatic canon. This can attract new ranks of collectors into the hobby who appreciate the classic beauty of longstanding coin designs made new with state-of-the-art minting technology.