The 2009 Ultra High Relief $20 Double Eagle Gold Coin is one of the most exciting US Mint offerings this year with collectors jumping in to purchase 102,311 as of Nov. 1.

Nothing highlights the coin’s popularity better than the sizzling sales of 28,173 on their Jan. 22, 2009, launch day. And that was in spite of a recession, a one coin order limit preventing bulk buying and gold hovering around $860 an ounce making the double eagle’s issue price $1,189 — a hefty amount for the average collector.

Flash forward 10 months… The economic picture continues to be cloudy — worse for some with the unemployment rate now at 10.2%, and gold has touched $1,100 pushing the UHR price up $250 more to $1,439 (and knocking at the door of $1,489). Despite the US Mint lifting order limits, it’s not surprising that only 1,607 more were purchased during the last two weeks of October. Throwing aside all the negative factors, it would be rare indeed for sales to be thrashing for months on end.

However, an analysis (see chart below) of eBay completed auctions from September 1 through October 31 shows there is still excitement in the air. Graded MS70 UHRs continue to command solid premiums in the secondary market. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 $20 Ultra High Relief Gold Double Eagle sales exploded with a sizzling 28,183 purchased by the end of its Jan. 22 launch day. Action continued to be strong despite the initial $1,189.00 price, which is now considered a dreamy bargain for buyers in today’s market. By the following Tuesday, Jan. 27, the number jumped to 41,664. How have they done since? A week-by-week analysis paints the picture.

After Jan., orders settled. As spring started, summer began and then July ended, there were only four times when UHR orders rose above 1,000 a week. In fact, average weekly sales were hitting 875 — a far cry from the early days.

A higher price for the coin — up $100 by now — and the US Mint’s mandated one order limit per household was stifling sales. The former was a result of surging gold prices. The latter was proven true on July 27 when the Mint increased household limits from one to ten. Following the change, sales shot up another 3,800 in less than a week. The numbers later moved with several peaks and valleys, but weekly gains easily topped 2,000 until the final days in Sept., or for nearly two months. (In between, the Mint increased order limits to 25 on Aug. 31 and lifted them entirely on Sept. 21.) Read the rest of this entry »

UHR $20 Gold Coin order limits will be eliminated on Monday, Sept. 21, the United States Mint announced Wednesday. It is the third change in recent months in a US Mint effort to smartly ratchet up order limits to "ensure the broadest and most fair product access."

The US Mint has added a new message to its online store that states:

Effective September 21, 2009 at 9:00 am (ET): The United States Mint will remove the household order limit on the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin.

UHR coin sales spiked immediately after July 27 when the Mint raised the limit from one to 10 UHRs per household. They began declining following the second limit increase of 10 to 25 on Aug. 31, however, indicating a top order threshold was no longer needed. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 UHR $20 Gold Coins will be much easier for coin dealers to purchase going forward. The US Mint is increasing the order limit from 10 per household to 25, according to the following message posted earlier this week on its Web site.

Effective August 31, 2009 at 12:00 noon (ET): The United States Mint will adjust the household order limit on the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin from a limit of ten (10) coins per household to twenty-five (25) coins per household. The household order limit will be re-evaluated on a regular basis and the United States Mint will either extend, adjust or remove the limit as needed.

This is the second consecutive month the US Mint has increased the amount of coins the public can buy. In late July, the household limit was raised from one to ten. Prior to the change, coin sales had averaged to less than 1,000 new orders a week. The biggest excitement turned to watching realized prices of graded examples on the secondary market. (See current eBay auctions.)

Sales were obviously slowed by the household limit. By Aug. 16, UHR sales topped 80K, compared to the 70,385 sold as of July 19 and prior to the first limit increase. The following table highlights how demand picked up: Read the rest of this entry »

2009 Ultra High Relief (UHR) Double Eagle Gold coins have topped a new milestone and demand is stronger than ever in the month of August.

New United States Mint sales figures reveal several thousand of the 24-karat gold coins have been sold during the last few days alone. And since the US Mint began offering them on January 22, 2009, a total of 80,700 have been sold.

It is quite an accomplishment and a testament to the popularity of the UHR, given the hefty price tag of nearly $1,300 a piece to acquire one.

The special coin, a digitally reproduced version of Saint-Gaudens’ original ultra high relief 1907 Double Eagle gold piece, has been greatly helped by the elimination of the one-coin order limit. On July 27, the UHR limit was raised to ten per household. Since then, weekly sales have more than tripled, as the following table highlights: Read the rest of this entry »

An earlier year Senate bill calling for .995 pure palladium one-ounce UHR $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle coins was joined by a House version introduced Thursday, July 30, by Rep. Dennis Rehberg [R-MT]. Both bills seek to produce "coins in palladium to provide affordable opportunities for investments in precious metals."

House Resolution 3405, the Original Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Ultra-High Relief Bullion Coin Act of 2009, is nearly identical to the same named Senate bill, S. 758, brought forward by Sen. Max Baucus [D-MT] on April 1.

The legislation states the coins must "bear exact replicas of the original obverse and reverse designs by Augustus Saint-Gaudens which appear on the famous 27-millimeter version of the 1907 Double Eagle ultra-high relief gold piece and the edge of the coin shall have all appropriate raised lettering in the same manner as the original coin."

H.R. 3405 would have the Mint strike up to 15,000 of the $20 gold coins in both proof an uncirculated options. The legislation mandates that these collector coin may: Read the rest of this entry »

2009 UHR $20 Gold Coins will become easier for collectors to buy Monday. Order limits increase from one per household to ten, the US Mint announced this week with the following message on its Web site.

Effective July 27, 2009 at 12:00 noon (ET): The United States Mint will adjust the household order limit on the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin from a limit of one (1) coin per household to ten (10) coins per household. The household order limit will be re-evaluated on a regular basis and the United States Mint will either extend, adjust or remove the limit as needed.

The gorgeous coin launched with great excitement on Jan. 22 and to exploding sales — despite the 1-coin limit and initial $1,189 price tag. 28,173 were purchased on day one, 40,727 by day four. The US Mint generated nearly $50 million in new sales during those first few days alone. Read the rest of this entry »

Legislation has been reintroduced in the Senate that would authorize the United States Mint to produce Saint-Gaudens Ultra High Relief bullion coins in palladium.

Details are sparse since the legislation has yet to be published by the Government Printing Office (GPO). The bill, S. 758, was only introduced Wednesday.

History, however, provides insights. Senators Max Baucus [D-MT] and Jon Tester [D-MT] sponsored S. 758 and they also introduced S. 2924 for the same purpose last year. That bill was similar to an earlier and unanimously passed House version, H.R. 5614. The Senate failed to take action on either before the new year, and both died with the end of the 110th congress.

The previous bills would have authorized one-ounce proof and uncirculated palladium coins that were digital reproductions of the famed Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ designed 1907 $20 Double Eagle — often described as the most beautiful coin ever minted in the U.S. Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Mint on Wednesday sent e-mail updates to customers who purchased a 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold (UHR) coin. The e-mail expands on the Mint’s shipment notice recently placed on its online store, and includes additional information such as return details.

The Mint has been under considerable heat from customers wondering when their coins will be shipped. The problem was compounded when the Mint sent out several notices with differing delivery dates. And of course, is worsened by a long delay between ordering and receiving.

To add to the Mint’s woes, apparently some orders may have been shipped ahead of others. If reality, and the Mint has not verified the possibility, production problems with UHR companion books may account for the disparity.

Here is the Mint e-mail in its entirety: Read the rest of this entry »

For those wondering when, if ever, their 2009 Ultra High Relief $20 Double Eagle gold coin would ship from the United States Mint, the answer looks to be sooner versus later, based on a new Mint notice posted at its online shopping center. In fact, the Mint says the coins are now shipping:

Many collectors who purchased the modern day recreation of the famed Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ designed 1907 $20 Double Eagle have expressed strong displeasure with the Mint over the confusion, delay and mystery surrounding their order. The latest announcement may help Read the rest of this entry »