US Mint Sales: Bullion Coins Soars, 2010 Silver Eagles Hit Mintage Record

The recent pullback from record gold and 30-year high silver prices has had the opposite effect on bullion coins, US Mint sales figures indicate.

Demand for bullion American Gold Eagles and American Silver Eagles is searing, with the latter hitting an all-time mintage record. U.S. Mint numismatic coins were mixed, with the collector version of the Gold Eagles sparking their own fire.

First up for review are current sales of United States Mint bullion coins. These do not have the production West Point "W" mintmark nor the special finishes of the collector proof coins. They are also less expensive than the collectible versions.

2010 Silver Eagle bullion coins shouted in the last sales report when their numbers picked up by more than 1.3 million. This week the .999 fine silver bullion coins are screaming with a 7-day increase of nearly 1.6 million, which:

• Lifted their November sales over October, making this month the 4th best in 2010
• Improved their annual sales record
• Gave 2010 Silver Eagles the all-time mintage record

Sales of the bullion coins reached an annual record earlier this month after passing the 28.7 million level set in 2009. However, since a significant number of 2009-dated coins were sold in late 2008 and into 2010, the 2009 Silver Eagle held the mintage record with a total of 30,459,000 — more than the actual number of coins that were sold in 2009.

The U.S. Mint began selling 2010-dated bullion coins on January 19. Despite their late start and the extended selling period given to the 2009s, buyers have now purchased 31,438,000 of the 2010 Silver Eagles. That gives them the new, and what will become an even higher mintage record as the weeks go by — a significant feat for a series that dates back to 1986

American Gold Eagle bullion coins are enjoying their own rally. While the fractional one-fourth ounce and one-tenth ounce sizes remained unchanged, the one-half ounce added another 3,000, bringing them to 43,000 for the year.

One-ounce Gold Eagles advanced 28,000 versus the 24,000 gain reported in last week’s US Mint sales report. The more expensive 22-karat gold pieces are not yet surpassing prior monthly sales like their silver coin counterpart. However, if their momentum is maintained, November will end up as their third best month this year.

Finally, and touching briefly on collector coin sales which are broken out in the tables below, annual proof and uncirculated sets were mixed, 2010 America the Beautiful Quarter bags and rolls were up nearly across the board, coin and medal sets all performed better and collectible 24 karat gold coins improved.

All 2010 Proof Gold Eagles are moving even faster than last week’s accelerated pace. The one-half and one-tenth ounce sizes showed marked gains. The four-coin set continues to be the Mint’s best seller following the sell out of the single one-ounce option. Buyers snapped up 5,233 more compared to the previous 4,639. As of Sunday, 58.1 percent of the maximum 39,000 have been sold.

The following tables show the latest coin sales figures as reported by the US Mint:

US Mint Collector Coin Sales

*NLA – No Longer Available.

The collector coin sales figures above have an "as of date" of November 14, 2010.