Silver finished Monday at a more than four-week high while gold, platinum and palladium declined.
Gold for February delivery shed $2.90, or 0.2%, to settle at $1,808.80 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Gold futures traded between $1,803.60 and $1,814.60. They rose 0.4% last week, ending Friday at their highest point since Nov. 19.
"Technically, February gold futures bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage. Bulls’ next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at $1,840.00. Bears’ next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,775.00," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Inc, said in a daily research note.
Silver for March delivery added 4.9 cents, or 0.2%, to close at $22.989 an ounce. The settlement was the highest since Nov. 26 when silver ended at $23.107 an ounce. Silver prices ranged from a low of $22.65 to a high of $23.15. They gained 1.8% last week.
In other precious metals futures prices on Monday:
-
January platinum shed $5.90, or 0.6%, to $969.20 an ounce, trading between $951.30 and $977.30.
- Palladium for March delivery declined $10.40, or 0.5%, to $1,946.50 an ounce, ranging from $1,934.50 to $1,998.50.
Last week platinum advanced 4.3% and palladium soared 9.6%.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2021
Published United States Mint bullion sales were unchanged on Monday. Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. Mint bullion products with columns listing the number of coins sold during varying periods. Products with an asterisk (*) are no longer available.
| US Mint Bullion Sales (# of coins) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Last Week | October | November | December | 2021 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 135,500 | 125,500 | 41,000 | 1,115,500 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 7,000 | 6,000 | 1,000 | 95,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 22,000 | 10,000 | 2,000 | 162,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 85,000 | 40,000 | 0 | 490,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 41,000 | 39,500 | 10,500 | 350,500 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 1,076,000 | 1,523,500 | 0 | 28,275,000 |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1 Oz Palladium Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8,700 | 0 | 8,700 |
| Tuskegee Airmen 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52,900 |
Sir Kaiser, Objection Overruled! Here is the evidence on just how low those premiums are that the US Mint charges its Authorized Purchasers for American Eagle Bullion Coins (source: US Mint, February 24, 2021): Prices for American Eagles are based on the prevailing price of gold, silver, platinum, or palladium plus a modest premium to cover minting, distribution, and marketing costs. Prices change on a daily basis, as the gold, silver, platinum and palladium markets fluctuate. American Eagle Silver Bullion United States Mint Authorized Purchasers are charged the LBMA Silver Price plus a $2.35 per coin premium. Minimum ordering requirement:… Read more »
Sir Kaiser, thank you for calling attention to this important concern. Now for the other half of the evidence. Here are the details of the corresponding premiums the US Mint charges the general public for precious metal numismatic American Eagle Proof and Uncirculated coins: American Eagle Silver Proof premium = $48 per coin American Eagle Silver Uncirculated premium = $42 per coin American Eagle Gold 1-ounce Proof premium = 49.3% American Eagle Gold 1-ounce Uncirculated premium = 47.6% American Eagle Platinum Proof premium = $570 per coin American Eagle Palladium Proof/Uncirculated premium = 52.1% Note: US Mint American Eagle Proof/Uncirculated… Read more »