The United States Mint will begin taking orders for 2013 American Silver Eagle Bullion Coins on January 7, 2013.
This was the release date in a notice sent by the U.S. Mint to its distributors, a memo that began by saying all of the remaining inventories of 2012-dated American Silver Eagles had sold out, and that no additional coins will be struck.
Next year’s sales start on the 7th is several days later in the month compared to this year’s coin when it kicked-off on January 3, 2012. January has proven to be a monster sales month for the U.S. Mint as buyers eagerly await to order newly dated coins.
As for sales this year, the 2012 American Silver Eagle ended at 33,742,500 for the third highest annual sales total since the series debuted in 1986. The following table offers a breakdown of 2012 sales by month.
2012 Sales of American Silver Eagle Bullion Coins
| Month | Sales |
|---|---|
| January | 6,107,000 |
| February | 1,490,000 |
| March | 2,542,000 |
| April | 1,520,000 |
| May | 2,875,000 |
| June | 2,858,000 |
| July | 2,278,000 |
| August | 2,870,000 |
| September | 3,255,000 |
| October | 3,153,000 |
| November | 3,159,500 |
| December | 1,635,000 |
| Total | 33,742,500 |
The leading annual sales year for the 99.9% pure silver bullion coins remains 2011 at 39,868,500 coins. The second best year is 2010 at 34,662,500. The fourth highest annual sales total is 2009 at 28,766,500. Rounding out position number five is 2008 at 19,583,500.
Most buyers will not get their hands on a 2013-dated American Silver Eagle until several days after January 7, 2013. That is because the U.S. Mint only sells bullion coins through a channel of distributors who buy in bulk and later sell in smaller quantities to coin and bullion dealers or to the public. The coins will eventually be available for $2-$3 over the current spot price of silver.
