Record Sales for American Eagle Silver Coins in January 2024
The U.S. Mint kicked off the sales of the 2024 American Eagle 1-ounce .999 fine silver dollar bullion coins with a strong start, selling 4.9 million coins in January. This marks an increase from the 3,949,000 coins sold in January 2023. In 2023, the Mint sold a total of 24,750,000 American Eagles silver bullion coins, falling short of the record year in 2015 when 47 million coins were sold.
It’s important to note that bullion coins lack Mint marks and are not burnished like collector Uncirculated coins.
Authorized Purchasers and Bullion Sales
The U.S. Mint does not directly sell bullion coins to individual customers. Instead, large bulk dealers known as authorized purchasers buy these coins in bulk from the Mint. These authorized purchasers acquire gold American Buffalo and gold, silver, platinum, and palladium American Eagles at a price that includes the spot price of the precious metal on the purchase day plus a premium. They then sell these coins to other dealers and individual buyers at a markup.
The list of the 10 firms authorized by the U.S. Mint for purchasing its bullion coins can be found on the Mint’s official website.
American Eagle Gold Coin Sales
In January 2024, the U.S. Mint reported sales of 119,500 ounces of the American Eagle .9167 fine gold bullion coins. This included 84,000 1-ounce $50 coins, 12,500 ounces in half-ounce $25 coins, 11,500 ounces in quarter-ounce $10 coins, and 11,500 ounces in tenth-ounce gold $5 coins. For the whole of 2023, sales of American Eagle gold bullion coins reached 1,899,000 ounces.
American Buffalo Gold Coin Sales
For January 2024, sales of the American Buffalo 1-ounce .9999 fine gold $50 coin totaled 46,000 coins. This was a decrease from the 59,000 coins sold in January 2023. In 2023, the Mint sold a total of 387,000 American Buffalo gold coins.
American Eagle Platinum and Palladium Bullion Coins
While the U.S. Mint saw a decrease in sales of American Eagle 1-ounce .9995 fine platinum $100 bullion coins in 2023, plans for 2024 have not been revealed. Additionally, information regarding the production of American Eagle 1-ounce .9995 fine palladium $25 coins for 2024 is still pending.