Although sales totals vary from month to month, annual sales of the U.S. Mint American Eagle gold bullion coins are running at triple the levels prior to 2008 when the wheels came off the world financial system and central banks began an orgy of money printing.
From 2000 to 2007 the average yearly purchases of the American Eagle gold bullion coins totaled 341,500 ounces per year. From 2008 to 2013 annual purchases of the gold coins have spiked by 300% to an average annual rate of 1,011,000 ounces.
After lackluster sales of gold coins in the slow months of August and September sales soared in October as investor demand for physical gold surged. Total sales of the American Eagle gold coins for October 2013 came in at 48,500 ounces, an increase of 273% over the September total of 13,000 ounces. October sales of gold bullion coins for the comparable prior year period totaled 59,000.
The U.S. Mint American Eagle gold bullion coins remain the premier method of building wealth through periodic purchases. The American public can’t seem to get enough of the bullion coins and the desperate actions of global central banks to keep the financial system afloat with a deluge of paper money can only cause more financial anxiety and more gold purchases going forward.
2013 sales through October 2013
With two months still remaining in 2013, investors have already purchased almost the same amount of gold bullion coins that were sold for all of 2012. Year to date sales of the American Eagle through October total 752,500 ounces compared to 753,000 ounces for all of 2012.
| Gold Bullion U.S. Mint Sales Since 2000 | ||
| Year | Total Ounces | |
| 2000 | 164,500 | |
| 2001 | 325,000 | |
| 2002 | 315,000 | |
| 2003 | 484,500 | |
| 2004 | 536,000 | |
| 2005 | 449,000 | |
| 2006 | 261,000 | |
| 2007 | 198,500 | |
| 2008 | 860,500 | |
| 2009 | 1,435,000 | |
| 2010 | 1,220,500 | |
| 2011 | 1,000,000 | |
| 2012 | 753,000 | |
| 2013 | 752,500 | |
| TOTAL | 8,755,000 | |
| (above 2013 totals through October 2013) | ||
The American Eagle gold bullion coins cannot be purchased by individuals directly from the U.S Mint. The coins are sold only to the Mint’s network of authorized purchasers who buy the coins in bulk based on the market value of gold and a markup by the U.S. Mint. The authorized purchasers sell the gold coins to coin dealers, other bullion dealers and the public. The Mint’s rationale for using authorized purchasers is that this method makes the coins widely available to the public with reasonable transaction costs.
The public is allowed to purchases numismatic versions of gold coins directly from the U.S. Mint. One of the most popular numismatic gold coins is the American Buffalo, available in both one ounce gold reverse proof and one ounce gold proof.
Long term gold and silver investors who have gradually accumulated physical precious metals over the years have seen the value of their holdings increase substantially when measured against the value of the paper dollar. Astute investors realize that a large part of the “gains” on their precious metals have merely preserved purchasing power compared to paper money which has been consistently debased by the monetary and fiscal policies of the government and federal reserve.
Currently, the United States Mint has three bullion products available to its network of authorized purchasers. The American Silver Eagle is struck in one ounce of .999 fine silver. The American Gold Eagle is struck in 22 karat gold and comes in one ounce, half ounce, quarter ounce, and tenth ounce bullion weights. The American Gold Buffalo is struck in 24 karat gold and available in one ounce size only.
Earlier this week the United States Mint began sales of the 2011 American Gold Buffalo coins to their network of authorized purchasers. So far, sales are off to somewhat of a tepid start compared to the high initial demand experienced in recent years.
Amidst increased demand for physical gold and silver investment products, the United States Mint achieved record revenue from the sale of bullion coins during their 2010 fiscal year. Annual sales totaled $2.86 billion, which yielded net income of $55.2 million for the segment.
The United States Mint sold less gold bullion during 2010 than the previous year, as measured in ounces. Across their offerings of American Gold Buffalo and American Gold Eagle bullion coins, sales reached 1,429,500 in the current year compared to 1,625,000 in the prior year.
