US Mint Sales: Gold Coins and Proof Sets Excel in September

Demand for gold coins and 2009 Proof Sets is turning out to be exceptionally high this September, US Mint sales data reveals.

The latest weekly sales figures also show collector coins were mixed compared to the week prior, with very narrow up or down changes. Several highlights follow:

• For the third straight time, clad 2009 Proof Sets have outpaced their prior week sales. Collectors purchased another 42,077, which surpasses the previous weekly gains of 40.5K, 27.9K and then 18.4K. The reason for the surge? Perhaps the Fall US Mint coin catalog is reminding collectors to buy the popular annual offering. More than 1.1 million have sold.

• Bullion American Gold Eagle coins are flying high compared to the last two months. More than 30,000 were scooped up per week this month. The new total is 92,500. That is already higher than figures from August or July.

• Bullion Silver Eagles had their best week this month, surging 500,000. The month may turn out to be the slowest for the silver coins this year, but the 1.1 million already sold ranks it as the second best September ever (since ’86).

• Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coins have reached 94,464. Sales did retreat slightly. Next week’s numbers will show how the gold pieces performed with their limits removed.

• 2009 Lincoln Cent Proof Sets dropped less severely than the prior report. 8,115 were added, bringing the total to 120,957. Two-roll sets of Lincoln Professional Life pennies climbed by 7,603 to 221,718. The next round of excitement for the Lincoln pennies will be the 2009 US Mint Sets that go on sale Oct. 1, and the special Lincoln Coin & Chronicles Set scheduled for release sometime in Oct.

Major US Mint coin sales follow:

The US Mint sold 19,864,500 Silver Eagles and 931,000 Gold Eagles in 2009, as of Wednesday, Sept. 23.

US Mint Collector Coin Sales

(Data compare previous to current Mint sales reports)

*Sold out/no longer available.

Sales summations from sister sites of CoinNews follow:

• Top Weekly Sellers: Proof First Spouse Coins – FirstSpouseCoins.us
  This week, two proof versions of First Spouse Gold Coins were hot sellers in the series. Sarah Polk and Julia Tyler Proofs jumped by 339 and 218, respectively. Their uncirculated options didn’t do bad either. Polk’s climbed by 164 and Julia Tyler’s uncirculated picked up 139 …

• Silver Eagles Strong in September, Despite Struggle – SilverCoinsToday.com
  Collector silver coin sales remained mixed with a touch of unexciting, according to the latest US Mint sale figures. Bullion American Silver Eagles continue to struggle compared to prior 2009 months, but are pulling exceptional numbers for a September. On this, some clarification is needed. Despite a huge rally in silver prices these last few weeks, there’s no question that US Mint authorized dealers are buying less Silver Eagles …

• Illinois Professional Life Roll Sets Top 221K – 2009LincolnPennies.com
  Demand continues to decline for individual 2009 Lincoln Cent products as the weeks since their launch pass by, but that is pretty much the norm for most US Mint products. The Illinois Professional Life Roll Sets did top 221K, according to the latest sales stats from the Mint …

The non bullion coin sales figures above have an "as of date" of Sept. 20. The last reported sales figures are located at 2009 Proof Sets Shine, Presidential Dollar Sets Pass 600K.