For a second straight year, starting sales for newly released proof American Gold Eagle Coins improved over the sales starts of the prior year’s issues. Last year’s increases were modest over the previous year while this year’s 2014-W Proof Gold Eagles nearly doubled debut sales from 2013.
2014-W $50 Proof American Gold Eagle
22-karat American Gold Eagle products include coins in four sizes — one ounce, half ounce, quarter ounce and tenth ounce with respective denominations of $50, $25, $10 and $5. The United States Mint also sells a four-coin set with all the coins in one blue velvet, satin-lined presentation case.
Released on April 3, 2014, coin collectors by April 6, 2014 scooped up 18,309 coins for a total of 9,301.10 ounces. In contrast, last year’s Gold Eagles opened with sales of 9,370 coins for a total of 4,480 ounces and 2011 Gold Eagles started with sales of 8,369 coins for a total of 4,235 ounces.
Supporting the stronger debut was less expensive coin prices as a result of a weaker gold market. The U.S. Mint’s ounce-ounce 2014-W $50 Proof American Gold Eagle at $1,610 was $200 less than when last year’s coin debuted. In 2012, the same coin opened with a price tag of $1,935.
As is normally the case, this year the largest one ounce coin had the best starting unit sales at 3,676. Last year was atypical as the one-tenth ounce opened strongest at 2,000 units.
Here is a table with various categories showing how the 2014-W Proof Gold Eagles debuted:
| Debut Sales for 2014 Proof American Gold Eagle Coins | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRODUCT LIMIT | MINTAGE LIMIT | DEBUT PRICES | DEBUT SALES (UNITS) | DEBUT SALES (COINS) | DEBUT SALES (OUNCES) | DEBUT SALES ($) | |
| 1 oz | 20,000 | 35,000 | $1,610.00 | 3,676 | 6,211 | 3,676.00 | $ 5,918,360.00 |
| 1/2 oz | 10,000 | 25,000 | $820.00 | 833 | 3,368 | 416.50 | $683,060.00 |
| 1/4 oz | 10,000 | 25,000 | $422.50 | 1,019 | 3,554 | 254.75 | $430,527.50 |
| 1/10 oz | 20,000 | 35,000 | $180.00 | 2,641 | 5,176 | 264.10 | $475,380.00 |
| 4-Coin Set | 15,000 | N/A | $2,982.50 | 2,535 | N/A | 4,689.75 | $7,560,637.50 |
| Totals | 10,704 | 18,309 | 9,301.10 | $15,067,965.00 | |||
Coins and the set may be ordered from the United States Mint online store at www.usmint.gov/catalog or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).
