2013-S Fort McHenry, Silver Proof

San Francisco struck 467,961 pieces of the 2013-S Fort McHenry silver proof for that year's Silver Proof Set, the figure matching U.S. Mint product-sales records for the 2013 silver-set distribution. The coin is the fourth of five 2013 designs and lands in the stable high-460-thousand band the program held through 2015 before sliding lower in 2016 and 2017. Joseph Menna's reverse depicts the storm-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 90% silver composition (.1808 troy ounces of pure silver inside a 6.25-gram quarter at 24.26 millimeters with a reeded edge) is the pre-2019 standard alloy for ATB silver proofs and the same alloy the Mint had used since 1992 for Silver Proof Set quarters.

Authentication on the coin anchors on weight and edge appearance. A calibrated jeweler's scale separates the 6.25-gram silver coin from the 5.67-gram clad-proof reading without ambiguity, and the edge reads as a uniform silver-gray reeded band rather than the copper-nickel-and-copper-core sandwich visible on a clad piece. PCGS and NGC apply a "Silver" attribution to the slab label on top of the numeric grade and Cameo or Deep Cameo contrast designation, where Cameo (CAM) marks moderate frosted-device contrast and Deep Cameo (DCAM) marks the higher-contrast tier and is the default outcome on the issue. Grade distribution clusters at PR69-DCAM and PR70-DCAM with population counts in the thousands at the top. The design-specific diagnostic is the texture of the flag's flowing stripes and the brick-and-mortar detail on the fort's bastions, both fine-relief elements that require full pressure to render cleanly.

The coin trades in the modern silver-proof band with pricing that follows silver spot for most of its movement. Raw certified PR69-DCAM examples sell for a small step over melt plus slab cost, and PR70-DCAM examples in NGC or PCGS holders carry a modest tier above that. The 467,961 silver-proof print run is roughly 38 percent of the 1.23 million 2013 clad-proof figure for the same design, which gives the silver issue a structural scarcity edge but does not separate its pricing from the four 2013 silver-proof sister designs. Maryland regional collectors and War of 1812 specialists provide topical crossover demand, with bicentennial-era buyers driving a modest secondary market peak in 2014. For the broader story of the ATB Silver Proof program and the series' production arc, see the Washington ATB series history.