2015-S Saratoga, Silver Proof

San Francisco struck 472,828 pieces of the 2015-S Saratoga silver proof to close the year's five-design ATB silver-proof slate, the figure matching U.S. Mint product-sales records for the 2015 Silver Proof Set. The coin sits in the steady high-470-thousand band that defined the 2015 run and represents the final entry in the program's 2013-2015 stable era before the 2016 silver-proof figure dropped below 400,000. Barbara Fox's reverse depicts American General Daniel Morgan accepting British General John Burgoyne's sword at the surrender that followed the October 17, 1777 Battle of Saratoga, the engagement that brought France into the Revolutionary War on the American side and is widely considered the war's strategic turning point. 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.

Authentication on the coin anchors on weight and edge appearance. A calibrated jeweler's scale resolves 6.25 grams against 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 a clad piece shows. 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) is moderate frosted-device contrast and Deep Cameo (DCAM) is the higher-contrast tier and the default outcome on the issue. Grade distribution clusters at PR69-DCAM and PR70-DCAM with population counts running into the thousands at the top tier across both services. The design-specific diagnostic is the detail on both officers' uniform coats and the parallel swords that occupy the visual center of the composition, all elements that require full press pressure to render cleanly against the figural relief.

The coin trades in the modern silver-proof band with pricing that follows silver spot for most of its movement and a small set-completion premium on top. 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 472,828 silver-proof print run is roughly 40 percent of the 1.18 million 2015 clad-proof figure for the same design, which gives the silver version a structural scarcity edge against the clad sibling. The Saratoga design has constituencies beyond standard ATB silver-proof buyers, including Revolutionary War collectors and New York regional specialists, since the surrender scene depicts one of the most consequential moments in American independence history. For the broader story of the ATB Silver Proof program and the series' production arc, see the Washington ATB series history.