Summer months are usually humdrum for United States Mint bullion sales but they’ve screamed along this year.
American Gold Eagles scored their second highest month of 2015, right behind July, which was the highest in 2-1/4 years, and American Silver Eagles posted their third highest month of the year, right behind January and July.
As far as Augusts go, there is no better one for American Silver Eagles and just three stronger for American Gold Eagles — in 1998 and 1999 when demand soared during the Y2K scare and in 2011. These are considerable marks for an aged American Eagle coin series that launched in 1986.
American Eagle Silver Bullion Coins
American Silver Eagles are running at a record pace. Since their return after temporarily selling out in July, the U.S. Mint has rationed their sales each week to prevent suspensions. Totals, as a result, are actually lower than what they could be. Rationing of the .999 fine silver coins is not new, but usually it’s not needed around this time of year.
In monthly comparisons, Silver Eagles closed the month at 4,935,000 coins, sliding 10.7% from the furious July total of 5,529,000 coins while leaping 136.4% higher than the year-ago level of 2,087,500 coins.
American Silver Eagles through the first eight months of the year total 32,250,000 coins, advancing 14.4% from the same period in 2014 when 28,191,000 sold. The .999 fine silver coins are on track for a more than 48 million sales year. Last year, Silver Eagle sales ended at an annual record of 44,006,000 coins.
American Eagle Gold Bullion Coins
American Gold Eagles spurred ahead in August by 101,500 ounces, or more than four times the amount of sales than the 25,000 ounces sold a year earlier, though down 40.3% from the 170,000 ounces delivered in July — the highest for a month since April 2013.
In the January to August period, Gold Eagles total 544,500 ounces for a 69.6% pick up over the 321,000 ounces ordered through the same time in 2014.
American Eagle gold coins have a 22-karat composition and come in four size options — 1 ounce, 1/2 ounce, 1/4 ounce and 1/10 ounce. These correspond to denominations inscribed on the coins of $50, $25, $10 and $5. For a sixth straight month, all sizes advanced in August. A breakout for each coin is available further below.
American Buffalo Gold Bullion Coins
American Buffalo gold coins moved up 20,000, slowing 37.5% from the prior month’s 32,000 ounces yet ran 150% faster than sales of 8,000 ounces in August 2014.
Orders of the one-ounce, .9999 fine gold coin through the first eight months of this year total 148,500, up 18.8% from the 125,000 ordered during the same eight months of last year.
ATB Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins
August sales of America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins logged in at zero because they weren’t available. The first three 2015-dated coins sold out earlier and the next one won’t launch until Sept. 30.
Five-ounce bullion sales this year by design breakdown with:
- 2015 Blue Ridge Parkway Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins selling out in July at 45,000.
- 2015 Kisatchie National Forest Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins selling out in May at 42,000.
- 2015 Homestead National Monument of American Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins selling out in March at 35,000.
- 2014 Shenandoah National Park Five Ounce Silver Coins advancing 600 in January and selling out at 25,000.
Orders of 99.9% pure silver coins total 122,600 coins or 613,000 ounces through the first wight months in 2015. Last year’s coins posted slower gains of 78,700 coins or 393,500 ounce through August.
US Mint Bullion Sales by Product
Tables below offer U.S. Mint bullion sales by product. The first table lists August 2014 sales for comparison and then monthly sales between May and August of this year. The second table offers monthly sales figures between January and April. Totals are in the number of bullion coins sold.
| United States Mint Bullion Coin Sales (# of coins) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last Year Aug | May 2015 | June 2015 | July 2015 | Aug 2015 | YTD Sales | ||
| $50 American Eagle 1 oz Gold Coins | 21,000 | 13,500 | 62,500 | 144,400 | 78,500 | 421,500 | |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 oz Gold Coins | 0 | 3,000 | 4,000 | 10,000 | 8,000 | 54,000 | |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 oz Gold Coins | 6,000 | 10,000 | 12,000 | 28,000 | 24,000 | 122,000 | |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 oz Gold Coins | 25,000 | 40,000 | 85,000 | 135,000 | 130,000 | 655,000 | |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 oz Gold Coins | 8,000 | 9,500 | 21,000 | 32,000 | 20,000 | 148,500 | |
| ATB 5 oz Silver Coins | 9,200 | 12,000 | 35,000 | 10,000 | 0 | 122,600 | |
| 2015 American Eagle 1 oz Silver Coins | 2.0875M | 2.0235M | 4.84M | 5.529M | 4.935M | 32.25M | |
| United States Mint Bullion Coin Sales (# of coins) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2015 | Feb 2015 | March 2015 | April 2015 | YTD Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 oz Gold Coins | 51,500 | 12,500 | 35,000 | 23,500 | 421,500 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 oz Gold Coins | 18,000 | 2,000 | 5,000 | 4,000 | 54,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 oz Gold Coins | 36,000 | 0 | 8,000 | 4,000 | 122,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 oz Gold Coins | 115,000 | 50,000 | 70,000 | 30,000 | 655,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 oz Gold Coins | 34,500 | 12,000 | 9,500 | 10,000 | 148,500 |
| ATB 5 oz Silver Coins | 600 | 20,000 | 15,000 | 30,000 | 122,600 |
| 2015 American Eagle 1 oz Silver Coins | 5.53M | 3.022M | 3.519M | 2.8515M | 32.25M |
U.S. Mint bullion coins are sold to authorized distributors who resell them to the public and other companies like bullion and coin dealers. Bullion coins, whether gold or silver, are usually available for a few percentage points above the latest value of their precious metal content.
Michael, Why can’t the US Mint sell bullion directly to non bulk buyers? Is there a law that specifically prohibits the Mint from doing so? Right now only authorized/approved big boy buyers are able to buy bullion ASE(for example) directly from the Mint and then they turn around and re-sell to folks like me at a huge markup over the spot price of silver. I see some selling 2015 ASE at $21 each plus shipping while spot silver is at less than $14.75. And since only a few big buyers are authorized they can control the bullion market for the… Read more »
compare other country like Canada, we are cheap/lowest to buy Silver bullion coin, if you go to UK, Germany ,France, they have much higher than USA. Specailly the 5oz silver
Unfortunately that might be true for those countries, maybe their bullion market is not efficient or controlled by a few or maybe the products being sold there might be of limited mintages and maybe they are specifically marketed as collector items (like the US Mint does with the proof ASE for example). Or perhaps the VAT there is also high (if bullion is taxable… probably) These ASE are bullion products sold in the millions in the US and are put into the hands of a very limited group and of course when one is in business one will maximize profits… Read more »
Remember next year is the 30th anniversary of the Silver Eagle. Being September, why bother minting anymore when hopefully they’ll come out with jaw dropping coins in 2016, like a Proof Fractional set like the Litiberdad set Mexico just released in a minting of only 1000. At $250.00 ea.I got 2 and they are beautiful. I can only hope the Mint will do the same. Can you imagine how stunning that would be? Let’s all hope the Mint produces some very eclectic and stunning items for the Silver Eagle’s 30th Birthday. Just use your imagination and hope the Mint does… Read more »
I know the Mint is supposed to come out with gold (?) 2016 versions of the 1916 dime, quarter and half. The dime and quarter would be my purchases and they’re going to come out with the Mark Twain and National Park Service commemoratives and I like the chosen designs for the gold hopefully the Mint won’t mangle the images when they get transferred to a coin.