Demand for U.S. Mint bullion products soared in November as tumbling precious metals attracted buyers.
American Silver Eagles rallied to break last year’s record and three of four American Gold Eagle products sold out. With major Gold Eagles gone for the year, sales of American Gold Buffalo coins jumped to their highest level in nearly two years.
American Eagle Silver Bullion Coins
American Silver Eagles scored an annual sales record on Nov. 30, hitting 44,666,500 coins to top the previous record that was set in 2014 at 44,006,000 coins. The U.S. Mint has been annually producing the one-ounce, .999 fine silver coins since 1986. This year’s record will continue to climb since the U.S. Mint is making 2015 American Silver Eagles through next week and selling them until at least Dec. 14. Newly dated 2016 American Silver Eagles go on sale Jan. 11.
In November, buyers scooped up 4,824,000 coins, the most in three months. The tally is 27.4% higher than October sales of 3,788,000 coins and 40.8% more than the 3,426,000 coins delivered a year earlier.
The U.S. Mint has rationed American Silver Eagle sales for most of the year because of planchet shortages.
American Eagle Gold Bullion Coins
American Eagle gold coins have a 22-karat gold composition and come in four size options — 1 ounce, 1/2 ounce, 1/4 ounce and 1/10 ounce. Every size posted gains for a ninth straight month. That won’t happen this month with all but the least popular 1/2 ounce size selling out in November. Buyers will have to wait for more of the others. The U.S. Mint will begin 2016-dated Gold Eagle sales on Jan. 11.
Last month and across all sizes, the coins totaled 97,000 ounces to mark increases of 185.3% from the 34,000 ounces sold in October and 61.7% from the 60,000 ounces delivered in November 2014.
Year-to-date sales at 801,000 ounces leapt 58.1% over the 506,500 ounces ordered through the same time last year. This year’s 11-month sales are 52.7% higher than the 524,500 ounces moved through all 2014.
American Buffalo Gold Bullion Coins
American Buffalo gold coins gained 38,000 ounces last month to more than triple the prior month’s 10,500 ounces and the 12,500 ounces sold a year earlier. The monthly total was the highest since January 2014.
Sales of the one-ounce, .9999 fine gold coins for the year at 219,000 ounces climbed 26.6% from the 173,000 ounces sold through the same stretch of time last year.
ATB Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins
America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins advanced 35,800 in November. Sales came entirely from the Nov. 30 release of the newest coin commemorating Saratoga National Historical Park in New York. Five ounce bullion sales were muted in October with the first four 2015-dated issues selling out earlier. Here’s a breakdown of sales this year by design:
- 2015 Saratoga Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins opening at 35,800*.
- 2015 Bombay Hook Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins selling out in September at 45,000.
- 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 the 99.9% pure silver coins reached 203,400 coins or 1,017,000 ounces through November 2015. Last year’s issues through the same time posted sharply slower sales of 123,200 or 616,000 ounces.
*Note: Saratoga coins sold out at 45,000 on Dec. 1.
US Mint Bullion Sales by Product
Tables below offer U.S. Mint bullion sales by product. The first table offers sales in November of last year and the months between July and November 2015. The second table presents 2015 monthly sales figures between January and June. Totals are in the number of bullion coins sold.
| United States Mint Bullion Coin Sales (# of coins) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last Year Nov | July 2015 | Aug 2015 | Sept 2015 | Oct 2015 | Nov 2015 | YTD Sales | ||
| $50 American Eagle 1 oz Gold Coins | 49,000 | 144,400 | 78,500 | 98,500 | 26,000 | 80,500 | 626,500 | |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 oz Gold Coins | 8,000 | 10,000 | 8,000 | 9,000 | 4,000 | 7,000 | 74,000 | |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 oz Gold Coins | 12,000 | 28,000 | 24,000 | 20,000 | 4,000 | 12,000 | 158,000 | |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 oz Gold Coins | 40,000 | 135,000 | 130,000 | 175,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 | 980,000 | |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 oz Gold Coins | 12,500 | 32,000 | 20,000 | 22,000 | 10,500 | 38,000 | 219,000 | |
| ATB 5 oz Silver Coins | 29,600 | 10,000 | 0 | 45,000 | 0 | 35,800 | 203,400 | |
| 2015 American Eagle 1 oz Silver Coins | 3.426M | 5.529M | 4.935M | 3.8045M | 3.788M | 4.824 | 44.6665M | |
| United States Mint Bullion Coin Sales (# of coins) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2015 | Feb 2015 | March 2015 | April 2015 | May 2015 | June 2015 | YTD Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 oz Gold Coins | 51,500 | 12,500 | 35,000 | 23,500 | 13,500 | 62,500 | 626,500 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 oz Gold Coins | 18,000 | 2,000 | 5,000 | 4,000 | 3,000 | 4,000 | 74,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 oz Gold Coins | 36,000 | 0 | 8,000 | 4,000 | 10,000 | 12,000 | 158,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 oz Gold Coins | 115,000 | 50,000 | 70,000 | 30,000 | 40,000 | 85,000 | 980,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 oz Gold Coins | 34,500 | 12,000 | 9,500 | 10,000 | 9,500 | 21,000 | 219,000 |
| ATB 5 oz Silver Coins | 600 | 20,000 | 15,000 | 30,000 | 12,000 | 35,000 | 203,400 |
| 2015 American Eagle 1 oz Silver Coins | 5.53M | 3.022M | 3.519M | 2.8515M | 2.0235M | 4.84M | 44.6665M |
The U.S. Mint sells bullion coins to authorized distributors who resell them to the public and to 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.
Its a real joy just to own a box of silver no matter what the spot price is.
william flick – Isn’t silver a great buy now at any price since its all-time record high price of approximately $50.35 in 1980? I remember the lines outside coin shops in the state Capital of Austin here at the time with people selling anything made of silver, even Proof common modern coins too ! It seems cheap now & the average person has no idea what the spot price of silver is on any given day or year for that matter. Silver bullion has a low perceived value & according to a recent study/experiment reported on CNN, people offered either… Read more »
The US Mint uses silver markups to cover all it’s sins. That’s why they don’t include silver in the pricing guide.
Silver Eagle VS 5 OZ ATB silver which one is better bet ?
Jim – You got it exactly right! The U.S. Mint has never to my knowledge explained why they do not use a precious metals grid pricing structure for all its silver coin products but does for all its gold & platinum coins products. My guess has always been kind of like yours, being that silver is the least expensive precious metal they sell & therefore more people can afford them versus gold & platinum pricier coins. So the Mint makes more profit off its silver coin programs & doesn’t want to get stuck to a weekly pricing tier grid. Basically… Read more »