Critics of the US Mint and its seemingly arbitrary approach to release dates and sell-outs beware: there’s a new sheriff in town! Yes, it’s the time of the year when collectors look at the empty holes in their albums and hearts where 2014 is lined up, and say: Hey, what’s going on down in Mexico at North America’s oldest Mint?

Well, some things never change, and for collectors of these chupacabras of the numismatic world, this is an exciting time. The 2014 Silver Libertad coins are finally being released! Of course, this wouldn’t be a true libertad release without some confusion to go along with the excitement.

This year, for the first time ever, the Banco de Mexico is releasing a 7 coin silver proof set, with a mintage of 250 and a unique wood box and COA. They are releasing the full complement of silver fractional proofs: 1/2 ounce, 1/4 ounce, 1/10 ounce, and 1/20 ounce, available with the 1 ounce proof in a 5 coin set in the wood box (liberated collectors pay big premiums for the wooden boxes with COAs). The 5 ounce proof and 2 ounce proof will finish the 7 coin sets.

For the BU (non-proof) silver coins- there will be fractionals in the same denominations, but no sets with limited numbers. There will be a kilo silver as well.

So what does this mean for Libertad collectors? Since the mintages for each year are a crapshoot (2012 was a low proof year with no proof fractionals, and 2013 was not, comparatively), the excitement will come later in the year when the mintage numbers are released.

One thing is certain: the limited number sets will retain their values, as the 2012 and 2013 sets have done, while the proof silver coins will fluctuate in price as demand outstrips supply- which tends to be most of the time.

As Mexico licks its wounds from a last second World Cup loss, 2014 is as unpredictable as ever. The gold libertads (all 5 BU and Proof denominations were released) have been available since the end of March, and the silvers still haven’t been released to the public. The beautiful liberated: the only coin where silver glitters more elusively than goal-d!

