The US Mint has come a long way from the days of using horse, oxen, and men to power its coining presses. As of 2015, the United States Mint has the capacity to produce as many as 28 billion coins annually. The modern United States Mint consists of four primary coining facilities: San Francisco Mint, Denver Mint, Philadelphia Mint, and West Point Mint. The gold depository is considered a part of the US Mint system, as is the Mint’s headquarters in Washington D.C.
Each month the United States Mint releases sales figures with monthly, quarterly (when applicable), and annual-to-date information on its most popular programs, along with information on changing prices for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. Below is a roundup of November 2016 activity.
American Silver Eagle Bullion Coins
As of Tuesday, December 6th the last of the 2016-issued American Silver Eagle bullion coins available from the United States Mint have been sold. The total sales figure for 2016 came in at 37,701,500 coins, which is well below the last two years of sales figures but still good enough to rank 2016 American Silver Eagle bullion coins as the fifth best-selling release of the popular bullion coins.
American Silver Eagle coins finished with sales of 3,061,000, which was lower than October 2016 sales by nearly 800,000 coins but double the monthly sales volume in each of the months from July to September. An additional 240,000 were sold in early December to clear out the allotment of available 2016 American Silver Eagle coins.
All total, American Silver Eagle sales were down 19.8%, or just under 10 million units, from their all-time peak of 2015. The top-selling years for the American Silver Eagle coins, to date, are as follows:
- 47 million – 2015
- 006 million – 2014
- 675 million – 2013
- 868 million – 2011
- 701 million – 2016
American Silver Eagle Proof Coins
2016 American Silver Eagle Proof coins are moving strong so far this year, with the special 30th Anniversary edition of the American Silver Eagle featuring a smooth edge with milled lettering denoting the coin’s 30th Anniversary celebration. The proof version of the nation’s official silver bullion coin sold 12,140 sets in the final week of November to push sales for the year to 473,193. After one week of December, the coins have jumped higher to a recent total of 491,255 units sold.
American Silver Eagle Uncirculated Coins
The burnished version of the 2016 American Silver Eagle also has the smooth edge with the milled “30th Anniversary” lettering on the side, but for this year’s release only. The 2016 American Silver Eagle Uncirculated coins has total sales to-date through the first full week of December at 134,925 coins.
On the first day of issue for the 2016 American Silver Eagle Uncirculated coin it exploded out of the gates with one-day sales of 126,902 coins. That single sales day alone outperformed the opening four days worth of sales for the 2015 American Silver Eagle Uncirculated coins which reached 127,872. The only better performance overall came from the 2011-issued coins, which logged five-day sales of 184,967 after returning from a two-year hiatus in production.
There are no mintage limits for the American Silver Eagle Uncirculated coins, so demand alone will determine how high the final sales figures go for the 2016 issue of the uncirculated coins. Top performing years are listed below in order of the five-best years:
- 710,299 – 2007
- 533,757 – 2008
- 466,573 – 2006
- 409,927 – 2011
- 253,159 – 2014
American Gold Eagle Coins
Sales figures across the American Gold Eagle collection of coins from the US Mint slowed predominantly in November. For the Proof American Gold Eagle, sales were up overall in the final week of November compared to the week before, with the 1/10 oz Proof American Gold Eagle leading the charge. Increases were seen in the following coins:
- 1/10 oz up 470 coins
- 1 oz up 171 coins
- ½ oz up 73 coins
Conversely, the ¼ oz coin and the four-coin proof set of American Gold Eagles experienced a drop, with the latter taking a sharper hit. Sales of the ¼ oz coin were down just one from weeks prior, while the four-coin set was down 132 from weeks prior. Meanwhile, the American Gold Eagle Uncirculated coin gained 65 coins to move to 6,074 in total on the year.
American Gold Buffalo Coins
Celebrating their 10th anniversary, the American Gold Buffalo coins continue to gain traction with sales in the closing weeks of the year. The 2016 American Gold Buffalo Proof coin added 263 units sold in the last week of November, a 1.27% increase over the previous week, to move to 20,988 in total on the year.
American Centennial Gold Coins
Sales for the year have ceased for the Mercury Gold Dime, but the Standing Liberty Gold Quarter and Walking Liberty Gold Half Dollar continue to rise. In the final week of November, the Mercury Dime 24-karat gold coin sold 667 units to jump to 83,016 for the year and the Walking Liberty Half Dollar jumped 2,020 units to 48,976 for the year. The Mercury Gold Dime leads the way so far with a total completed sales of 116,096.
