Yearly Archives: 2012
Gold Dips Below $1,700 as Silver Falls 2.3%, US Bullion Coins...
Gold prices dipped below $1,700 an ounce on Monday after climbing for three straight days to only register a modest weekly increase of 0.1%. Commodities were pressured, say analysts, as demand concerns were raised after China posted its largest trade deficit in at least a decade.
Gold prices settled down $11.70, or 0.7%, to $1,699.80 an ounce in the April futures contract on the Comex in New York. Gold moved from an intraday low of $1,692.50 to a high of $1,717.40 [...]
US February Coin Production: 2012 Arthur $1’s, El Yunque Quarter Mintages...
February 2012 circulating coin production figures from the United States Mint have been published. Of particular note to coin collectors, mintages were revealed for the Chester Arthur Presidential $1 Coin and the El Yunque National Forest Quarter for Puerto Rico -- each coin is scarcest in their respective series.
In terms of the production pace, the U.S. Mint delivered 579.86 million coins for circulation in February, representing a 27.2% slowdown from the previous month but a 10.8% pick-up from the same time a year ago [...]
BEP 2012 Intaglio Prints Commemorate 150th Anniversary
On Monday, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) made available its Intaglio Print Subscription Program for the commemorative "150th Anniversary Series" which features three unique intaglio prints in 2012.
"This year's commemorative program is dedicated to 150 years of pride, craftsmanship and innovation of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing," the BEP states on its website.
Using the BEP's subscription program, this year's three intaglio print cards may be [...]
In The Lead – Minding The Gaps
Monday's New York spot dealings opened with gold sliding under the pivotal $1,700 mark once again and giving up all of and more than Friday's hard-fought gains.
Mind you, absent the possibility that the specs bought up some metal in the wake of the news that a ratings agency had basically declared Greece in a technical default, it was hard to find a good motivation for the gains seen on the last trading day of last week. The non-farm payrolls report and dollar strength had initially led the metals to significantly lower value levels as perceptions that the Fed might not have to ease any further gained traction [...]
Gold Ekes Out Weekly Gain as Silver Dips, 1 Oz Gold...
Gold on Friday advanced for a third straight day after prices plunged below $1,700 an ounce and to a six-week low on Tuesday -- that occurred closely on the heels of its biggest weekly loss this year when it fell 3.7% last week.
In a modest turnaround during the first full week of March, gold eked out a weekly gain of 0.1%. But other precious metals registered losses, albeit slight, with platinum and palladium each down 0.4% and silver off 0.9% [...]
2012 Star-Spangled Banner Bicentennial Silver Dollar Set Details
A limited-edition Star-Spangled Banner Bicentennial Silver Dollar Set is "coming soon," according to the United States Mint.
First mentioned along with a series of product pricing cuts in February but not released with the other commemoratives this past Monday, the 50,000 limited edition collectible set will include one silver dollar and materials related to the bicentennial writing of the Star-Spangled Banner.
Although information about the set is not yet available on the U.S. Mint website, details were revealed [...]
Canadian 2012 Collector Coins Feature Historic Anniversaries and Events
In a year of historic anniversaries, the Royal Canadian Mint is pleased to release exquisite new collector coins which add to the ongoing celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. New coins from the Mint also respectfully remember the sinking of RMS Titanic, a historic tragedy which occurred near Canada's shores 100 years ago.
Other coins feature new releases in popular series such as the Mint's Birthstones silver coins; the annual 50-cent circulation coin roll; the Full Wolf's Moon niobium and sterling silver coin; and a 2012 Welcome to the World $20 silver coin [...]
In The Lead – Inflation-Sanitized For Your Protection
The mere mention in the same sentence of the words "Fed" and "bond purchases" gave rise to a fresh, albeit somewhat hesitant spree of risk asset purchases that was manifest on Thursday. Some newsletter scribes were quick to declare that "QE3" by any other name was upon us, and that the resultant hyperinflation would certainly send certain assets (but gold and silver mostly) into deep-space.
Of course, as is often the case, had the aforementioned pundits bothered to actually read the news releases on the subject at hand, they might have come to a slightly... different conclusion, based on comments such as [...]
Perth Mint’s 100th Anniversary RMS Titanic Coin Nears Sell Out
"Sales are running hot" for a silver proof coin commemorating the 100th Anniversary RMS Titanic, the Perth Mint of Australia told its customers Friday. The Perth warns that it expects the limited 5,000 mintage to sell out soon.
Like other mints from around the world, the Perth Mint on behalf of the Government of Tuvalu is paying tribute to the centennial sinking of RMS Titanic with its own unique coin which is composed of 99.9% silver to a weight of one ounce [...]
El Yunque Quarter Ceremony Scheduled
Ceremony launch details for the El Yunque National Forest Quarter were published today by the United States Mint. The event is scheduled to take place at the El Portal Rain Forest Visitor Center on Wednesday, March 14, at 10:00 a.m. AT.
The El Yunque quarter, which is the first in 2012 and the eleventh in the America the Beautiful Quarters® series, honors the national forest located on the Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico [...]