Demand surged for American Gold Eagle Bullion Coins in August 2011. The Eagles’ sales pace was the quickest since January, superior to the same period last year and more than doubled the level from July.
United States Mint authorized purchasers ordered 112,000 ounces of bullion Gold Eagles last month, making it the third best August ever for the series which debuted in 1986.
Available from the Mint in four sizes and in terms of the number of gold coins sold, the 22-karat bullion coins were split with sales of 103,500 for the one ounce ($50 denomination), 3,000 for the half ounce ($25 denomination), 6,000 for the quarter ounce ($10 denomination) and 55,000 for the tenth ounce ($5 denomination).
The following table shows how each American Gold Eagle bullion coin performed over the past year. The topmost number in each cell is in ounces while the second number represents the total amount of coins sold.
August 2010 – August 2011 Gold Eagle Bullion Coin Sales
| Month | One ( oz. / # ) |
Half ( oz. / # ) |
Quarter ( oz. / # ) |
Tenth ( oz. / # ) |
Total ( oz. / # ) |
| August 2010 | 39,000 39,000 |
500 1,000 |
500 2,000 |
1,500 15,000 |
41,500 57,000 |
| September 2010 | 82,500 82,500 |
1,000 2,000 |
1,500 6,000 |
3,000 30,000 |
88,000 120,500 |
| October 2010 | 89,500 89,500 |
1,500 3,000 |
500 2,000 |
2,500 25,000 |
94,000 119,500 |
| November 2010 | 107,500 107,500 |
3,000 6,000 |
1,000 4,000 |
500 5,000 |
112,000 122,500 |
| December 2010 | 58,500 58,500 |
500 1,000 |
500 2,000 |
500 5,000 |
60,000 66,500 |
| January 2011 | 130,500 130,500 |
500 1,000 |
500 2,000 |
2,000 20,000 |
133,500 153,500 |
| February 2011 | 72,500 72,500 |
6,000 12,000 |
4,000 16,000 |
10,000 100,000 |
92,500 200,500 |
| March 2011 | 60,500 60,500 |
4,000 8,000 |
5,000 20,000 |
4,000 40,000 |
73,500 128,500 |
| April 2011 | 94,500 94,500 |
6,000 12,000 |
3,500 14,000 |
4,000 40,000 |
108,000 160,500 |
| May 2011 | 93,500 93,500 |
11,000 22,000 |
1,000 4,000 |
1,500 15,000 |
107,000 134,500 |
| June 2011 | 56,500 56,500 |
0 0 |
2,000 8,000 |
3,500 35,000 |
61,500 99,000 |
| July 2011 | 61,500 61,500 |
1,500 3,000 |
0 0 |
1,500 15,000 |
64,500 79,500 |
| August 2011 | 103,500 103,500 |
1,500 3,000 |
1,500 6,000 |
5,500 55,000 |
112,000 167,500 |
Year-to-date Gold Eagle sales now stand at 752,500 ounces. The eight-month total is down 13.2 percent from the same stretch of time a year ago.
In total ounces sold and as mentioned, last month ranked third best as compared to the previous twenty-four August’s. The following table illustrates:
Top 5 August Months for Gold Eagle Sales
| YEAR | RANK | SALES TOTAL |
| 1998 | 1 | 255,000 |
| 1999 | 2 | 186,500 |
| 2011 | 3 | 112,000 |
| 2008 | 4 | 86,000 |
| 2009 | 5 | 82,000 |
The American Gold Eagle was introduced in October 1986 in both bullion and collector versions. The bullion coins are different than the collector proof or uncirculated counterparts. Each is struck in .9167 fine gold and features the same designs. The collector coins feature a West Point "W" mint mark while the bullion coins do not.
American Gold Buffalo and American Silver Eagle Bullion Coin Sales
The United States Mint also reported 28,000 ounces of the American Gold Buffalo bullion coin sold last month. That compares to 12,000 in the previous month and 15,500 during the same time a year ago. The one-ounce, 24-karat Buffalo has a year-to-date total of 119,500 ounces.
Combining the Buffalo and Eagles, the Mint delivered a total of 140,000 ounces of gold bullion coins in August and 872,000 ounces for the year.
Additionally, the Mint sold 3,679,500 ounces of the .999 fine American Silver Eagle bullion coin. The Eagles broke a record, scoring the best August ever and ranking fourth place in all-time monthly sales. The silver bullion coin was also introduced in 1986.
This site’s bullion coins section offers information on U.S. and world bullion offerings from government mints.
