US Mint Sales: Gold Coin Interest Picks Up

The United States Mint headquarters in Washington, D.C. was shutdown for most of last week thanks to the two blizzards that blew through the East Coast. The wintry havoc not only closed the Mint and other federal agency doors, but left collectors high and dry when it came to the weekly coin sales figures. This week is catch-up, with two weeks worth of data combined into one. To the numbers…

The 2010 Presidential Dollar Proof Set launched on Thursday, February 11, to a collector community eagerly awaiting to place orders. A solid 224,426 were scooped up by Sunday, February 14. The 2009 sets went off sales with the release of the 2010s, but their numbers also saw an addition of 2,370 before closing. Their final tally should be 624,761. It would appear the 2010 sets, which include the popular Lincoln Presidential $1, could pass the 2009s in a few short months.

The 2009 US Mint Uncirculated Set takes honors as the biggest gainer in collectible coins. Set numbers rose by 15,244 to reach 720,106. They have been available for about 4 1/2 months now.

In the gold category, First Spouse Gold Coins shined with a 943 increase across all options. Outside new spouse coin launches, the series has not seen that type of a jump in some time. The 2009 proof Gold Buffalos advanced 1,327, which is also slightly higher than seen during the past several weeks.

The sales front is looking less spectacular for bullion American Silver Eagles. Their numbers slowly climbed 750,000 higher in two weeks. February sales are now at 1.25 million. They have a lot of ground to make up in catching the 2009 February total of 2,125,000.

Major coin sales figures follow:

US Mint Collector Coin Sales

(Data compare previous to current Mint sales reports)

*Sold out or no longer available.

Click here for an entire listing of the most recent US Mint sales report.

Notable summaries of sales articles this week from CoinNews and sister sites follow:

• First Spouse Gold Coin Sales Surge – FirstSpouseCoins.us
  The sales surge was expected since the Mint reduced gold coin prices on Jan. 27. On the other hand, the unexpected was the coins that took top sales honors. Anna Harrison’s Uncirculated was most popular, gaining 177, and Letitia Tyler’s Uncirculated hit 2nd by adding 163. Rounding out 3rd place was Margaret Taylor’s Proofs, picking up 144. Normally the newest coins or the Proof versions would be in first place. Perhaps Harrison’s Uncirculated was successful because its sales will likely end around March 4 when the 2010 Abigail Fillmore First Spouse Gold Coins launch …

• Silver Eagles Strolling at 1.25 Million – SilverCoinsToday.com
  On the bullion side of the aisle, American Silver Eagle bullion coins are strolling along at a leisurely pace. Silver prices have recently risen, so the coins could begin trotting at any time. Since the last report two weeks ago, authorized buyers ordered another 750,000. The February total is now up to …

• Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set Values Remain Strong – CoinNews.net
  It has been slightly over four months now since the Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set was released by the United States Mint. On that day, October 15, 2009, eager buyers wasted no time in snatching up the Mint’s inventory. In fact, it took less than thirty hours for the 50,000 sets created by the Mint to be sold at their issue price of $55.95. And that was with many buyers experiencing technical issues during the first few hours of availability on the Mint’s website and via their phone ordering system …

The collector coin sales figures above have an "as of date" of February 14, 2010. For an always updated reference of the latest articles, visit US Mint Sales.