The price of gold has been on a five-day price slide, but ironically the timing of the decline was slightly off in helping collectors pay less for US Mint gold collector coins.
The US Mint uses a London Fix weekly gold average to determine whether to keep gold coin prices the same, or adjust them up or down. The average came in 28.8 cents higher than the threshold needed to cause a reduction of UHR Gold Double Eagles by $50, First Spouse Gold Coins by $25, and 2009 Gold Buffalo Proof Coins by $50.
The Buffalos go on sale Thursday at noon ET. Since the London Fix five day average is $1,050.278, the coins will launch with a price tag of $1,360.00. Had the average been at or below $1,049.99, the coin would have been released at $1,310.00.
Now collectors must decide whether to delay their proof Buffalo order until a potential price cut next week. In a typical year, the decision to wait and possibly save a quick $50 would be an easy call. However, this year demand is expected to be heavy, and there is absolutely no indication as to how many the Mint has on hand to sell. Given recent history and the current circumstances, there is at least some risk in delaying.
The following are the figures the US Mint used to arrive at the $1,050.278 gold average:
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London Fix Gold Prices
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| AM | PM | |
| 10/28/2009 – Wednesday | 1035.50 | – |
| 10/27/2009 – Tuesday | 1040.75 | 1036.50 |
| 10/26/2009 – Monday | 1055.00 | 1054.00 |
| 10/23/2009 – Friday | 1061.25 | 1061.75 |
| 10/22/2009 – Thursday | 1054.75 | 1053.00 |
The London gold-fixing is a benchmark for gold traded directly between big institutions.
Is this a cover up?! Doesn’t any body check facts or the math?! While I don’t have access to exact LME AM Fix pricing, I can add the LME AM fix pricing for the last five days, and then divide by 5 so as to get the 5-day average. The sum total of the AM Fixes used by the Govt is $ 5,247.25. This isn’t rocket science. This produces an average of $ 1,049.45 and means, and the US Mint’s own PRICING POLICY states that the coin should be priced at $1,310.00 per coin and not the $ 1,360.00 it… Read more »
“While I don’t have access to exact LME AM Fix pricing, I can add the LME AM fix pricing for the last five days, and then divide by 5 so as to get the 5-day average.”
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No. You add the 9 price fix numbers together, and then divide by 9.