Yearly Archives: 2011

The latest series of US Mint sales figures include the opening performances of several recently issued products and a mini-milestone for the 2011 Proof Sets.

The 2011 Proof Sets now have nearly three full weeks under their sales belt since they were released on January 11. Buyers ordered 253,144 during the first six days. The following week they climbed 25,879. The US Mint reports their latest weekly increase at 21,784, which lifted the 2011 Proof Sets over the 300K barrier [...]

Selling resumed in the precious metals complex overnight as the US dollar added to yesterday afternoon's gains and despite a fresh rise in crude oil, copper, and the commodities' complex overall.

In fact, during January -- a month when gold lost over 8% in value -- commodities turned in their best performance in over two years' time. Copper, rubber, and cotton recorded new all-time highs, and other raw materials did not do to poorly either [...]

More price weakness was manifest in spot gold trading as the midweek session's participants were confronted with a stronger US dollar, the apparent end of the 30-year+ Mubarak era in Egypt (amid other signs that the man is losing his grip on power: the Internet made a return to Egyptian computers following a five-day black-out), and the continuing string of quite decent news from the US economic front.

Following good consumer retail and strengthening manufacturing activity number, the ADP private employment report issued [...]

U.S. bullion prices rose Tuesday as a weaker dollar supported gold but gains were limited to a modest 0.4 percent.

Demand for silver was stronger as it advanced 1.2 percent, capping a third straight day of increases. In terms of streaks, palladium is the winner. The metal rose just 0.4 percent for the day but that was enough to cement a fifth session of consecutive increases [...]

The 2011 Silver Proof Set started out of the sales gate slower than in past years, continuing a weakened trend of demand for United States Mint annual products.

Collectors ordered 209,367 sets -- a solid number nevertheless, between their release on Tuesday, January 25, through to Sunday, January 30. At a price tag of $67.95, which was $11 more than the [...]

January concluded with the tallying of gold's poorest "start" to a trading year, since...1997. Amid slumping prices (bullion fell by over 8% during the month) and a rising appetite for other, perhaps higher-yielding assets, gold balances in the largest gold-backed ETF decline by over 53 tonnes last month, making for the second-largest such loss in bar holdings since the investment vehicle was launched in late 2004.

On Monday, the trend towards lightening up on hitherto substantial gold positions continued, with global ETP products shedding [...]

On Saturday, January 8, 2011, Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers LLC conducted their 120th sale of rare and out-of-print numismatic literature, a public auction at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City in conjunction with the New York International Numismatic Convention.

Featured were 500 lots on a great variety of topics, including rare works on Russian coins and medals from the Dr. Ira Rezak Library, highlights from the outstanding Latin American Numismatic Library formed by Alan Luedeking, and other important works covering the numismatic spectrum [...]