Bullion American Eagle Gold and Silver Coins ended September in shining fashion, but recent demand has mostly weakened for collector proof and uncirculated coins. That is, except for uncirculated 2009 Presidential Dollar Sets. Their sales inexplicably blasted off like a rocket.

These and more highlights follow:

• Bullion American Gold Eagles marked the end of the month by registering the 3rd best September since 1986 with 115,500. The month was also the 4th best of this year — just missing the 3rd slot by a mere 501. At year’s end, 2009 annual eagles sales should rank 4th or 5th best of all time. One million is within very close reach. 954,000 is the current count.

• 2009 bullion American Silver Eagles have already assured their place in history. It is the second best September ever for the coins, but more impressively, annual sales are locking in to a record all time high. 20,467,500 silver eagles have already been sold this year. 2008-dated eagles earned the top spot last year with 20,583,000. Say goodbye to that, and soon.

• For no apparent rhyme or reason, Presidential $1 Coin Uncirculated Sets exploded. The tally soared 11,217 to 85,478. At $15.95 a pop, the Mint pulled in a cool $179,000. Last week’s report showed a sleeping increase of just 1,278. As mentioned before, the US Mint Fall catalog arrived on collector’s doorsteps to help boost sales, but other coins/sets didn’t have similar astronomical, above and beyond increases. This one is a bit of a mystery.

Read the rest of this entry »

Precious metals were on fire Wednesday as a weakened US dollar helped gold jump back above $1,000 an ounce. The yellow metal also benefited from a huge rally in crude oil prices. By day’s end, gold and silver recorded their biggest gains in nearly four weeks. US stocks were less fortunate, falling slightly on the day but still ending 15 percent higher for the quarter.

New York precious metals figures follow:

• Silver for December delivery soared 48 cents, or 3.0 percent, to $16.658 an ounce.

• Gold for December delivery advanced $14.90, or 1.5 percent, to $1,009.30 an ounce.

• October platinum climbed $24.70, or 1.9 percent, to $1,295.60 an ounce.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to gold prices that have consistently fallen under $1,000 an ounce during the last seven days, the United States Mint on Wednesday, the final day in September, cut prices on Ultra High Relief Double Eagles and First Spouse Gold Coins by $50 and $25, respectively.

The declines come exactly one week after the US Mint raised gold coin prices by the same amounts in response to a gold average that had moved above $1,000.

US Mint collector gold coin prices are subject to change weekly based on the the Mint’s pricing policy which links the market price of gold to the selling price for the precious metal coins. The average price for London gold since last Thursday was $997.28. The price fell between $950- $1,000 and dictated coin price updates. Read the rest of this entry »

James K. Polk Presidential $1 Coin Covers will be available Thursday, Oct. 1 at 12:00 noon (ET), the United States Mint announced in a press statement Monday.

These 40,000 limited edition covers include two James K. Polk Presidential dollars that were struck on the first day of minting.

One dollar is from the Mint’s Denver facility and was produced on June 15, 2009. The other is from Philadelphia and was minted on June 1, 2009.

The Presidential $1 coin covers are priced at $14.95, plus $4.95 for standard shipping and handling. No household order limits are in place. Read the rest of this entry »

A stronger US dollar was troubling for commodities on Tuesday but gold managed to swing slightly higher during a volatile day of trading. Other precious metals declined, as did crude oil. US stocks ticked down due to lower than expected consumer confidence numbers, according to reports.

New York precious metals figures follow:

• Silver for December delivery slid 1.7 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $16.178 an ounce.

• Gold for December delivery inched 30 cents higher to $994.40 an ounce.

• October platinum fell $15.10, or 1.2 percent, to $1,270.90 an ounce.

Read the rest of this entry »

Four numismatic news or coin blog articles are referenced on CoinNews every Tuesday and Thursday. These articles are not authored by us, but we recommend coin collectors read them for their unusual or interesting content. Here are today’s coin articles:

U.S. Attorney’s Office Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint in Case of 10 Double Eagle Gold Pieces
Department of Justice | PRNewswire

The Office of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has filed a civil forfeiture complaint against 10 1933 Double Eagle gold pieces, consistent with U.S. District Court Judge Legrome D. Davis’ order dated July 28, 2009. The pieces were surrendered to the U.S. Mint by the descendants of Israel Switt. In addition to forfeiture of the 1933 Double Eagles, the government asks the court to declare that, with the exception of a single 1933 Double Eagle monetized and auctioned for more than $7.5 million in 2002, all other 1933 Double Eagles are the lawful property of the United States government …

Go to story »   

Read the rest of this entry »

The Royal Australian Mint is now offering the 2009 $1 Inspirational Australian Steve Irwin Uncirculated Coin. This coin is the second in a series of Inspirational Australians that last year featured Mary MacKillip, who was beatified by Pope John Paul I in 1995.

Steve Irwin was a well-known celebrity who met an untimely fate in 2006. Host of the popular Crocodile Hunter series, Irwin was enthusiastically supportive of Australia’s wildlife.

His parents started the Australia Zoo and Irwin grew up around exotic creatures. He is attributed with wresting with his first crocodile at the age of nine. Not content with merely putting on a show, Irwin was adamant about educating the public about wildlife as well. Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Mint on Monday updated its 2009 Product Release Schedule and added several specific dates for early October coin and set releases.

The Mint has firmed launch dates for the 36-coin 2009 US Mint Set, the Braille Education Set, the James K. Polk $1 Coin Cover and the Lincoln Coin & Chronicles Set.

Earlier this month, the Mint improved its "2009 Scheduled Product Listing" interface, making it much easier for customers to see upcoming releases. It also added direct links to product information pages within the schedule, which is the best part of the update. Check out the new interface here.

Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Mint introduced the Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set to its online store on Monday, in preparation for its launch on Oct. 15, 2009, at noon ET.

The much anticipated set includes proof versions of the four 2009 Lincoln Cents and a proof Lincoln Silver Dollar — the same commemorative dollar that sold out earlier this year under the pressure of enormous collector demand.

The Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set is priced at $55.95, with just 50,000 available to buy. The price is a current steal considering single silver dollars are going for more on the secondary market. (See proof Lincolns Silver Dollars on eBay.)

The 50,000 limit is mandated given the act authorizing the silver dollars permitted a total of 500,000 across both proof and uncirculated options. Collectors already scooped up 325,000 of the proof and 125,000 of the uncirculated Lincoln dollars earlier in the year, forcing the US Mint to halt sales and list the individual coins as "sold out" just six weeks after their launch.

With such anticipation for this offering, the Mint has set an order limit of 1 per household. Even with that in place, many expect the set could sellout on the first day of issuance, leaving many collectors empty-handed. Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Mint began selling U.S. Virgin Islands quarter bags and rolls on Monday, Sept. 28, at noon ET. On the same day, the quarter-dollars officially entered circulation.

The US Mint’s two-roll set offering includes 40 commemorative coins with the "P" mint mark for Philadelphia and a roll of 40 coins with the "D" mint mark for Denver. The set price is $32.95.

Each is wrapped in specially designed paper coin wrap," the Mint states. "The packaging is marked with a "P" or "D" representing the mint of origin, "$10" representing its dollar value and "VI," the United States Postal Code for the United States Virgin Islands."

Also available are 100-coin and 1,000-coin bags from each US Mint facility for $32.95 and $309.95, respectively. Read the rest of this entry »