1999 1 Oz NWTM Y2K Official Barter Unit Round BU

The calendar rollover from the year 1999 to 2000 was the source of anxiety for some. Y2K Silver Company sought to allay fears by producing silver rounds specifically for bartering in case the financial markets locked up in early 2000. The company was based in Naperville, Illinois, and was in operation during 1999 and 2000. During that period, it commissioned NWTM to create two rounds. Both rounds were "Official Barter Units" with one focused on the US market and the other destined for the Asian market. Mintage on the Asian market round was 20,000, while the mintage for the US market round is unknown. The low mintages make both rounds difficult to locate. 

Obverse: The obverse features a pair of interlocking globes positioned above a silver bar. Text around the outer rim states "GLOBALLY ACCEPTED SINCE THE YEAR 2000 BC". The URL "WWW.Y2KSILVERCOMPANY.COM" is inscribed in small print near the bottom.

Reverse: The reverse displays the image of the year "2000" along with its Roman Numeral counterpart "MM". Text underneath the central image reads "SILVER THE STORE OF VALUE FROM MILLENIUM TO MILLENIUM". The year of issue "1999" is located immediately below. An upper inscription reads "OFFICIAL BARTER UNIT" while the lower one denotes the weight and composition of "ONE TROY OUNCE .999 FINE SILVER".