2013-S Fort McHenry, Silver, Limited Edition Proof Set Proof

Joseph Menna's reverse for the 2013 Fort McHenry design depicts the 15-star, 15-stripe garrison flag flying over the star-shaped masonry fort in Baltimore Harbor, the same flag that inspired Francis Scott Key's lyric during the September 1814 British naval bombardment. The Limited Edition Set version of the 2013-S Fort McHenry silver proof is the same coin as the standard 2013-S Fort McHenry silver proof: same San Francisco strike, same 90% silver and 10% copper planchet at 6.25 grams under the .900 fine standard, same dies, same 24.26-millimeter reeded edge. The catalog separates them because the U.S. Mint sold the issue inside two different products. The 2013 Limited Edition Silver Proof Set bundled the five ATB silver quarters with the silver Kennedy half dollar, silver Roosevelt dime, and American Silver Eagle dollar in a black presentation case with a certificate of authenticity. The 467,961 figure is the 2013 silver-proof distribution anchor.

Authentication on the issue runs the standard silver routine plus a packaging check. Weight separates silver from clad cleanly at 6.25 grams versus 5.67 grams on a calibrated jeweler's scale, and the reeded edge reads solid silver without the copper-core line a clad strike shows at an angle. PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company, attach a Silver label to the slab insert. Cameo (CAM) is moderate frosted-device contrast and Deep Cameo (DCAM) is the higher tier and the default outcome on the issue. Strike-grading diagnostic points are the flowing-stripe texture on the garrison flag and the brick-and-mortar detail along the fort's bastions, both fine-relief elements that require full press pressure to render cleanly.

Collector value sorts the issue by set context. Limited Edition Set sales ran roughly 50,000 to 75,000 across 2013, well below the 467,961 silver-proof anchor, so the premium attaches to original packaging and complete-set buyers rather than to the coin. A loose Fort McHenry quarter shed from a broken set trades at the standard 2013-S Fort McHenry silver-proof level at PR69-DCAM and PR70-DCAM. Maryland regional collectors and War of 1812 specialists provide topical crossover demand on the design itself, parallel to the buyer base for the standard 2013-S silver proof. For the broader story of the ATB Silver Proof program, the 2012-2013 Limited Edition Set, and the series' production arc, see the Washington ATB series history.