Mint News Blog

News, Information, and Commentary on US Mint Products

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

2011 Proof Platinum Eagle

Tomorrow, May 26, 2011 at 12:00 Noon ET, the US Mint will begin sales of the 2011 Proof American Platinum Eagle. This coin is the third in the design series presenting the core concepts of American democracy as expressed in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution.

The reverse design for the coin was unveiled last week. It represents the concept "To Insure Domestic Tranquility" with an image of the harvest goddess emerging from a field of wheat. She holds a stalk of wheat in one hand and extends the other to a landing dove. The obverse features an image of the Statue of Liberty, designed by John Mercanti and used for each issue of the broader series.

The maximum mintage for the coin will be 15,000, with an ordering limit of five coins per household. The price of the offering will be $2,092.00 based on a platinum market price within the $1,750 to $1,849.99 range.

Can the 2011 Proof Platinum Eagle achieve a quick sell out similar to the past two issues of the series?

There are a few factors working against the offering this year. Foremost is the increased maximum mintage. At 15,000 coins, the mintage level is nearly double the number of coins minted for the initial coin in the design series. If the entire mintage manages to sell, the 2011 Proof Platinum Eagle would rank as the third highest mintage for a one ounce Proof Platinum Eagle, across all years of the series since 1997. Personally, I would rather purchase coins at the low end of the mintage spectrum, unless I have already made the decision to collect the entire series.

Second, the price is several hundred dollars higher than previous years and the coin is competing with numerous high priced offerings and the steady release of numismatic America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Coins. When the 2009 Proof Platinum Eagle was released, the popular Proof Gold and Silver Eagles had been canceled. This may have resulted in some collectors purchasing the platinum offering since it was the only proof American Eagle available for that year. This year, with a proliferation of choices, collectors may opt for other offerings.

On the other hand, there are some factors working in favor of the offering. Since late 2008, the United States Mint has not offered any American Platinum Eagle bullion coins. Initially, the reason cited for the temporary suspension was to focus production capacity of gold and silver bullion coins. However, production was never restarted and the US Mint is under no legal obligation to produce platinum bullion coins. With a lack of fresh US Mint platinum bullion coins available, precious metals investors need to turn to offerings of other world mints, prior year Platinum Eagles (which one precious metals dealer has priced at $200 above spot), or the 2011 Proof Platinum Eagle.

Another factor working in the favor of this offering is the design, which has been very favorably received by collectors. This is in contrast to the 2009 design, which was criticized by many collectors. The extent to which this might help sales may be minimal, since the price is so high.

Last, although I do not have any direct insight into the level of demand from this channel, others have written that administrators of Individual Retirement Accounts purchase quantities of the Proof Platinum Eagles each year. With increased interest in precious metals investing, this could be a factor driving continued sales, especially given the fact that there are no bullion Platinum Eagles available.

Below, I have summarized information on the 2009 and 2010 Proof Platinum Eagle offerings, including the maximum mintage, sales start date, original price, and sell out date. This might be useful for anyone comparing this year's release to prior years.

2009 Proof Platinum Eagle

The US Mint announced a maximum authorized mintage of 8,000 coins and ordering limit of five per household. Sales began on December 3, 2009 with a price of $1,792 per coin, based on a platinum market price in the $1,450 to $1,549.99 range.

The first available sales figures through December 6, showed 7,207 of the coins sold. On December 10, the US Mint began accepting orders for a waiting list, signaling that orders had been received to meet the maximum mintage.

2010 Proof Platinum Eagle

The maximum authorized mintage for the offering was increased to 10,000 coins and the ordering limit of five per household remained unchanged. Sales began earlier in the year on August 12, 2010. The price for each coin was $1,892 based on a platinum market price in the $1,550 to $1,649.99 range.

Through August 15, the US Mint had sold 8,268, representing a faster pace of sales than the previous year, but still short of the maximum mintage. A pricing adjustment took place on August 18, reducing the cost of the coin to $1,792. The following day on August 19, the US Mint began accepting orders for a waiting list, signaling that orders had been received for the 10,000 maximum mintage.

Labels:

128 Comments:

At May 25, 2011 at 12:43 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

This series looks cool but is well beyond my budget. Wish they had the same designs in the affordable 1/10 Oz.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 12:59 PM , Blogger astroguy said...

I agree with the first Anonymous poster. I enjoy the designs - I think the PAE are some of the best recent artistry by the Mint. And I enjoyed my 1/10 oz collection from 2005-2008. But with switching over to 1 oz only, they completely cut me out. I'm not spending a month's salary on this.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 1:25 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think I am going to sell some of my junk silver to help buy this. I have never acquired a Platinum Eagle before, and if I buy any of them, it's going to be this one, primarily due to the artistic appeal - for whatever reason the quality of the designs of coins this year is way better over previous years, and who knows how long it will last. I wish they'd put out this design in 2009 or 2010 back when the metal was cheaper and when there weren't so many other big-ticket offerings (such as those 2010-P AtBs).

Michael suggested demand might be low due to the price tag. I think it's worth noting that if only a few thousand of these sell and then sales taper off to nothing, you might end up with a coin more valuable due to low availability, similar to the First Spouses.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 1:29 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Coin will only be more valuable if there is a demand for it.
Very few folks ever going to shell out more than 2k for one coin, period! Upside is limited. If platinum slides (which it may) coin could be a loser. I agree it is a nice (but not as nice as some ATBs or Liberty FS's), but platinum looks the same as silver to most. I bought last year's on the perfect day (the $100 decrease prior to sell out), but I'm skipping this one. Maybe if everyone skips it, it will have a super low mintage and more value???

 
At May 25, 2011 at 1:31 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hold on to your seats, silver is going up again (ahead of gold).

 
At May 25, 2011 at 1:49 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

wow. nice obverse and reverse1

 
At May 25, 2011 at 1:50 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think these will all sell by end of summer or sooner. People still like these for retirement accounts and there is a dedicated collector base with the means to purchase. I have neither the interest nor the financial power for this one and if I had the financial power I would get the buff or yellow eagle. Its all about what you like and can afford.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 2:03 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think it will be sold out well before the START of summer.

It's true, the retirement fund managers have ok'd these coins.
And eventually when the economy thrives and industrial demand rises...Bam !

 
At May 25, 2011 at 2:16 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

All this talk about Eagles for retirement accounts and my accountant has no idea how to actually obtain physical coins as part of my (or any) IRA.

I don't think this is really something that can be done. I'd love to be wrong if someone can post a legit link to show how this can be done.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 2:22 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Michael posted about the IRA use of the Proof Platinum, maybe he can let us know how one buys one of these beautys for their retirement account?

 
At May 25, 2011 at 2:33 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

To anonymous 2:16, obviously your accountant is not the person to talk to on this. You can google this and there are a bunch of companies that will do it for you. Your accountant doesn't have the experience for it.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 2:51 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can't find a legit way to do this, can you please provide a link? (I'm not 2:16 but my accountant who I trust, also says you can't buy any physical mint products to keep at home for retirement purposes).

 
At May 25, 2011 at 2:51 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Darn, only 5 per household? I'll have to use my wife's maiden name and my sisters again like for the ATB hockey pucks! Just kidding, one will be plenty for my collection.

But, anonymous 2:16, you need to get a new accountant. Who know what other things like deductions he knows nothing about! An accountant who doesn't know what he is doing can cost you a fortune.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 3:06 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just as I thought, no one can provide a legit link.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 3:35 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Maybe they just don't want to do your accountant's research for him. Michael already did it. Search the blog. Or look here:
http://www.apmex.com/IRABenefits/Default.aspx

 
At May 25, 2011 at 3:52 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I called APMEX, you cannot have physical Mint products in your IRA. You will never see an Eagle in your custodian's vault! Why buy a coin if you cannot see it!

 
At May 25, 2011 at 4:32 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

@4:17
Heard you the first time bro.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 4:45 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Why buy a coin if you cannot see it!"

Some people buy some coins to look at and to hold. Other people buy other coins as an investment and they keep them in their IRA in the IRA vault.

Some people think coins are a better investment than paper like GM stock or Enron or Countrywide stock. They don't have to look at their coin investments like other people don't have to look at the factories owned by their stock certificates.

Don't mix up coin collecting with coin investing.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 4:52 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure Michael intended this blog for collectors. You know folks that like to look at coins. Anyhow, I'm in for the gold products, not the platinum.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 4:58 PM , Anonymous The Dude said...

Thanks for your unbiased and informative blog Michael. We all appreciate it dude! The platinum eagle is nice but wayyyyyyyyy too expensive for this poor collector. ;o(

 
At May 25, 2011 at 5:20 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

ATB Question
Apmex is offering the 2 coin set glacier and gettysberg as a 2 coin set either in 1-9 quantities, tubes of 10 and monster boxes. They are also offering graded BU sets of the same.....my question is where did these bu coins come from are they cherry picked from their other offerings...or what are my chances of getting a nice single coin...are the tubes of 10 sorted out too....or is getting a sealed monster box the only way to get unsearched coins...and if so who can afford that

 
At May 25, 2011 at 6:06 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why would you let some custodian hold your coins? Just put your IRA into some metal ETFs. Coins are for collectors. Invest in the metal and collect the coin.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 6:29 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

sorry for being off topic,but i was suppose to get my 5oz ATB yellow stone on 05/24/11 by 10.30am by UPS, well nobody showed up, today i checked and its said out for delivery, still noboday came, i called UPS customer service, they told me to called us mint, i called them, they told me to check with UPS, finally i went to ups office and ask for my package, and they donot have no idea either, they said they got it scan at there location but donot know where it went, it just seems nobody wana take responsiblilty, no wonder America is going down.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 6:37 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

this guy reminds me of the tail end of a pencil.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 6:40 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yosemite scheduled for 6/9

 
At May 25, 2011 at 6:59 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

APMEX will cherrypick any graded coins. Therefore, if you are going to buy ATB coins from them make it bullion. Don't be sucked into their game of selling scratched coins in slabs. It just is stupid to do so. Take it from one that knows.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 7:06 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

One would want platinum proof coins in a retirement account (even though they can't be physically held or seen) because they believe the value is going to increase faster than regular bullion or anything else. Or they are willing to take the chance they will. The mint states proofs are made for collectors but some people are better than others at picking investment collector coins and it usually is riskier than bullion.

The standard investment strategy is to have some of everything stocks, bonds, and metal (usually bullion) with mostly stocks. Although many commenters claim they are only interested in collecting coins and not about investment there seems to be a lot of discussion on "how much can I make by getting this coin." Is this investing or gambling?

 
At May 25, 2011 at 7:25 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

To: "APMEX will cherrypick any graded coins. Therefore, if you are going to buy ATB coins from them make it bullion."

Duh, hello, I think it is the ungraded coins that are cherrypicked...once graded, you know a lot more of what to expect than from an ungraded coin...I guess you work for APMEX in the bullion department!

 
At May 25, 2011 at 7:43 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

According to U.S. mint website, only the 1997 one ounce proof had a mintage higher than 15,000. That would make this coin the second highest mintage IF it sells out, which is questionable at the current sales price.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 8:18 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

eleven down, eighty-nine to go.

 
At May 25, 2011 at 8:23 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why would anyone expect to buy a few bullion coins and get unpicked ones? If you were in business and you bought a bunch of coins in different grades would you sell them all for the lowest price? Of course not, you would sort them by quality and price them by grade. Why does anyone expect to pay bullion prices for a coins and get a Christmas present of a MS70 coin? Dream on!

Of course if you want to be a dealer and invest in a sealed monster box, then you might get lucky.

No, I don't work for APMEX, but I sure feel sorry for them having to deal with some people's children!

 
At May 26, 2011 at 7:10 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Keeping my fingers crossed that the price of platinum drops under $1750 so I can get a discount!

 
At May 26, 2011 at 7:37 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Without getting into a discussion on who has a smarter accountant, I personally think buying precious metal numismatic coins for a retirement account where you just get a document saying your custodian is keeping them safe for you goes against the pricipals of why people like to own physical gold/ platinum/ silver.

Most people want a tangible numismatic coin (that you can hold in your hand) with intrinsic value, otherwise save for retirement with mutual funds, a much more predictable way of growing your money for the long term.

If there is a national emergency (sorry to sound like an alarmist, just theoretical), I seriously doubt your "custodian" will be able to deliver your Proof Platinum or Gold Eagles to you on demand.

-JBL

 
At May 26, 2011 at 7:50 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

$32 drop in platinum today. NOT HAPPENING. This beauties are going to sell for $2092.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 8:23 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Paying the additional expense for a custodian is rather pointless when you can buy the GLD ETF for very little transaction expense. The only thing you are protected against is the fraud risk between the custodian you are using vs. the custodian of the GLD. Frankly, if you are skeptical of the GLD, why wouldn't you be skeptical of another custodian?

 
At May 26, 2011 at 8:31 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Seems like a catch-22 in the making or in reality. Perhaps if the PM holdings are left with an institution then they are the keepers and you, the investor, are the "custodian." Simply stated they are pulling in your funds, while also holding the PM, theoretically for your retirement. It is a win-win for the institution since they will profit with both your funds as well as the PM's, which they purchase low and sell high.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 8:46 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would own physical gold or purchase the GLD, but I would never use a custodian. My preference is to own physical and if I want exposure to gold in my IRA, I buy the GDX, the gold miner ETF. I don't currently own the GLD and do have a bit of an aversion to it, but I wouldn't absolutely rule it out.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 9:02 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Got it! Order #37543XXX. Wonder if I'm the first.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 9:03 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

1 oz Platinum Eagle
No problem ordering done by 1201.
Order Number: 375436XX

 
At May 26, 2011 at 9:03 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Platinum proofs on sale with no lag time/ slow down at all.
I didn't actually buy one (doubt folks will fork over more than two big clams for any coin), but wanted to see how fast the site was running. Prediction: 3-4k sold today at most.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 9:04 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

my order went smoothly and fast. order #37543xxx

 
At May 26, 2011 at 9:19 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fast ordering this time. In for 2 at 12:00 (mint website shows the time in the order status section). Email confirm came at 12:01. Showed as backordered when it went on sale - I'm guessing that is normal?

 
At May 26, 2011 at 9:26 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just about all the Mint's products seem to be backordered when they first go on sale, anon @ 9:19am. I would not be surprised if they mail out early next week, given how low sales are likely to be. I expect these to be sent out faster than the hockey pucks, and my Yellowstone came pretty fast.

Heck, I would not be surprised if my platinum eagle ships as soon as tomorrow since I got my order done at noon exactly.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 9:28 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is anyone surprised that there's not a crush of people lining up to buy a $2100 platinum coin?? A big difference from a limited $280 ATB silver coin...

 
At May 26, 2011 at 9:32 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

At 12:28 I got order No. 37545xxx, so about 2000 sold in a half hour. I hope this has terrible sales so they are rarer.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 9:34 AM , Anonymous Rich said...

Well bit the bullet and placed a order 375448xx. Their goes my money saved for the quad 4x4 I been wanting to get for the last few years.Must be hooked on numismatic.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 9:36 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The US Mint should stop using good artists like Joel Iskowitz and go back to crummy ones for awhile. My bank account can't handle the pain of buying all the good coins he's designed!

 
At May 26, 2011 at 10:09 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

That guy Joel Iskowitz is an artistic genious. 99% of his stuff is awesome. Eliza Johnson (the 1%) must have been heinously ugly to get the relief he disigned for her coin! Gonna skip the Platinum because of the high price point.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 10:23 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

6/9 on next ATB

 
At May 26, 2011 at 10:41 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would of bought 2 if the mint didn't get greedy and bumped up the mintage to 15000. So I just bought One.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 10:52 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The '06-'08 burnished plat. eagles are the rarest US coins issued in the last 100 years hands down, rarer than even the spouses. Several have sub-3000 mintages.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 11:03 AM , Blogger alrprairie said...

Altho this is off topic, if I purchased from the Mint a 'Mint roll', of, say, quarters, and compared a quarter from that to a BU quarter from a BU bank roll, could I see the difference?

 
At May 26, 2011 at 11:07 AM , Anonymous Dreama said...

anon. 10:52 AM

I hate to sound stupid, but were all 06-08 plats. burnished? Thanks

 
At May 26, 2011 at 11:07 AM , Blogger alrprairie said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 12:02 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have finally heard from the Diamond State Depository and it will about two weeks until I get my 2010 ATB set from PB.I do not know what to expect. Has anyone received a set from PB,and could you tell me what to expect? Thanks.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 12:07 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have several sets of burnished Pt sets. Only the 2006 burnished set hold about a $1000 premium over the proof set. The 2007 burnished versus the proof is even money. Finally, the rarest set of the burnished 2008 set sell for about $1000 less than the proof 2008 set. In conclusion, mintage rarity does not equal higher value. Biggest case in point, 2009 UHR. PEACE

 
At May 26, 2011 at 12:12 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Burnished platinum eagles were stuck using the regular die process and doesn't have the cameo, shiny look to them. They're similar to the business strikes but differ because of a "W" mint mark and the same proof reverse. They only made them from 2006 to 2008. I wish they had continued the burnished strikes as they are very attractive and doesn't have the rock star bing to them like cameos. I like simple.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 12:36 PM , Blogger smirish said...

Hi. Newbie collector here. I'm confused about one thing after reading all these posts. If the mintage on the Platinum Ealge is set at 15000, wont the mint just keep selling them until they are sold out? Some comments here suggest if they dont sell out the coins will be rarer and more valuable. So it sounds like the mint might make less than 15k? dont they already have them made? or do they make them per order?

thanks. bought mine today without any problems at noon.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 12:42 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Smirish,

Michael might be able to answer better than me, but my understanding is they typically declare a maximum mintage and then sell them. Generally if a year passes and they haven't sold out yet, they usually de-list them. I don't know whether they mint all 15K coins ahead of time and then melt whatever they don't sell, or whether they mint them based on demand or through some other process.

This is why you have situations like the First Spouses having a much lower population than their maximum mintage.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 2:11 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Personally, I would not purchase a one-ounce Platinum coin for $2,000. Wouldn't it be better to purchase a rare, key date coin in grade MS 63, 65, 66, or 67?

I can think of numerous rare coins that would be more appealing to me to own than a coin that is valued primarily for its bullion.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 2:24 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Will they be making the unc silver eagle with mint mark at san fran. FOR 2011

 
At May 26, 2011 at 2:38 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Will they be making the unc silver eagle with mint mark at san fran. FOR 2011"

Unless it's part of a special 25th anniversary set, I would doubt there will be a silver eagle with an S Mint mark this year. There are 2011 bullion versions being minted at San Fransisco, but the only way to know they came from there would be to buy a green monster box sealed with "San Fransisco Mint" straps.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 2:57 PM , Anonymous VG said...

"Altho this is off topic, if I purchased from the Mint a 'Mint roll', of, say, quarters, and compared a quarter from that to a BU quarter from a BU bank roll, could I see the difference?"

The only difference is the wrapper and the $10 extra the Mint charges for it. Coins are identical in either roll.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 4:19 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

122 STAT 5043 Public law 110-456 Dec 23 2008 Paragraph 1B For all ATB products, May only be avaible for sale during the year in which such circulating quarter dollars is issued.Isnt it 2011 and they are still selling the 2010p ATB Coins. whats up with that.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 4:22 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Personally, I would not purchase a one-ounce Platinum coin for $2,000. Wouldn't it be better to purchase a rare, key date coin in grade MS 63, 65, 66, or 67?

I can think of numerous rare coins that would be more appealing to me to own than a coin that is valued primarily for its bullion."

Couldn't agree more!
You can buy a beautiful classic St. G in MS-63 for less than the platinum or maybe a higher grade silver Pan Pac. or maybe an early 1800s silver half (the list goes on).

 
At May 26, 2011 at 4:30 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Im starting to see allot more people buying ultra grade 69/70 moderns, than much lower grade 63/67 older issues

 
At May 26, 2011 at 4:37 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I cant keep any years of the silver eagles in ms/pf 70 in my store for more than a few days.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 4:44 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like full figure coins the best. Much better than looking at some dudes head.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 5:12 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

4:19 could you give a link to that specific part...I googled what you had and it's a huge bill to go thru.

But, without having the benefit of reading it, I think you may of missed something. I mean, it's 2011 and the Mint is still selling the regular ATB', in Proof sets(clad and silver) and in 2010 Mint sets.
But anyway, what difference does it make?

 
At May 26, 2011 at 5:15 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

To: "Will they be making the unc silver eagle with mint mark at san fran. FOR 2011"

Well no, the mint has NEVER made a 1 oz silver eagle with a "S" Mint mark.
Are you referring to the "W" Mint mark silver eagles made 2006-2008?

 
At May 26, 2011 at 5:43 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Yellowstone P silver coin is still for sale. It's taking longer for this coin to sell out. Is this the start of a trend?

 
At May 26, 2011 at 5:46 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think the early year proof silver eagles had an "S" Mint mark, but there has never been an uncirculated or bullion finish coin with an "S" Mint mark.

There should be a 25th Anniversary set of 12 silver eagles: proof, burnished uncirculated and reverse proof coins, one each from West Point, Philadelphia, Denver and San Fransisco, all with their respective Mint marks.

Sure, the sets would likely cost upwards of $900 each. However, with a limit of 30,000 sets and a 1 per household ordering limit, collectors would go completely ga-ga for that offering.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 5:52 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

just wait 5 more years for the 30th anniversary.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 6:01 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

You are right, my bad...the first few years of the Prook Silver Eagle was minted in SF.
But again, I think this guy was referring to the unc SAE, and probably the 06'08' burnished SAE with the "W" mint mark.

However, I don't want to say what someone else meant to say...I would rather they clerify what they meant.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 6:04 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

1986, the inaugural PR Silver Eagle, and several other PR ASE coins were struck at the SF Mint.

Recent discussions had considered striking 2011 ASE Bullion coins at the SF Mint, supporting increased investor demand for ASE Bullion while also freeing up West Point manufacturing assets to support 2011 commemoratives, ASE PR coins, AGE PR and UNC Coins, Buffalos, etc.

Supposedly, test strikes were under way, with the very specific decision to avoid the use of the "S" Mint mark so as to keep the coins identical and avoid a secondary collector demand. As someone else had stated, the only way to ensure receipt of an "S" strike would be to buy the monster box and have a TPG put their certification on them.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 6:08 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey 6:01. Apparently you and I were writing at the same time. Sorry about the double-up!!

 
At May 26, 2011 at 6:16 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anyone ordered a plat eagle in the last hour or two and are willing to post part of their order number? I'm curious to see how many eagles have sold today.

 
At May 26, 2011 at 6:31 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

its at the end of the leg. where it says bullion. last paragraph

 
At May 26, 2011 at 6:35 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

SORRY i was only referring to the 5 OZ COINS ,Dated 2010

 
At May 26, 2011 at 11:56 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anyone know where there are so few 2010 Yosemite P 5 ounce silver coins on eBay? There are many Hot Springs coins, but very few Yosemite coins.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 1:43 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's because Yosemite is NOT ON SALE YET! Silly!!

 
At May 27, 2011 at 3:47 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think people are starting to lose interest in the ATB P coins. The buzz seems to have died down. The Yellowstone is still available with no wait list! So many thought it would sell out quickly because it is a well-known place. Dealers are now only paying spot silver for them, just like the 2010 bullion ATB coins.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 4:19 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Who is selling their ATB P coin for spot to a dealer? so you buy it for $279 and sell a few days later for $175?!

I agree with buying numismatic pre 1933 gold. Premiums are low compared to years past. Solid investment and great collecting.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 4:39 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

if you selling to a right dealer. abp should be around $330.00. but the smaller dealer. abp should be $300.00 for all ATB 5 oz with p mint mark. if not you can easily sell it at e-bay for $340.00 to $390.00.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 4:41 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

only the ATB 5 oz bullion silver coin is traded at near bullion value. just like the ASE bullion coins.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 4:53 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

if the u s mint set the price of ATB 5 oz today and at $37.90 per ounce of silver. the prices will be as ff:

25% mark up - offer price $249.95
60% mark up - offer price $314.95
80% mark up - offer price $354.95
100% mark up- offer price $389.95

i think the mint is using the 60% mark up for ATB 5 oz water vapor blasting silver coin. the mint use 80% mark up for burnished uncirculated and 100% mark up for proof ASE.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 6:30 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Following up on the discussions related to striking additional ASE coins at the SF Mint, the following article was posted to the Mint's News & Media page sometime w/in the last 24 hours.

http://www.usmint.gov/pressroom/?action=press_release&id=1251

They are going to add ASE Bullion production, the coins WILL NOT have an "S" mint mark and, supposedly, no distinguishable differences from the unmarked, West Point bullion.

So, how much time will pass before someone starts marketing the "rare" SF ASE Bullion Coins, and which of the TPGs will support the farse?? I expect to see them on QVC, HSN and the CSN by late June!!

 
At May 27, 2011 at 7:23 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is the yellowstone 5oz sold out yet ?

 
At May 27, 2011 at 7:32 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Is the yellowstone 5oz sold out yet ?

Why don't you go to their website and check yourself?

 
At May 27, 2011 at 7:32 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

4:53 AM - Not sure what kind of numbers you're running, but there is a huge difference between final product pricing and the component costs - material, manufacturing, indirects, and margin / profit - that go into that pricing.

When the first 2010 ASE PR coins went on sale 11/05/10, the sale PRICE of the ASE PR coin was $46, as silver was spotting at $25-$27 per ounce at the time. The metal COST alone represents 55% of the final PRICE. And, the $20 you are leaving on the table as "mark-up" also includes those additional, component COSTS. The actual mark-up, i.e., MARGIN / PROFIT, is approximately 20% of the sale PRICE, or $9.60 per ASE PR Coin.

Similarly, when the first 2008 ASE UNC coins went on sale 03/13/08, the sale PRICE of the ASE UNC coin was $26, as silver was spotting at $18-$20 per ounce at the time. I'll let you do the rest of the math, but the Mint didn't clear a whole lot of profit on those coins.

Please make sure you understand the subject before you speak to the subject.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 7:48 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

i am sure you don't know the subject either.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 7:50 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

the mint set the price long before the release date. only when the silver price go up near or over its melt value. then the mint will suspend selling. otherwise the mark up is huge and the mint just let it go unless the above mentioned hit.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 8:00 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Michael, Time to start screening the posts again. There are some rude and childish comments being posted.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 8:32 AM , Anonymous VG said...

Can we all PLEASE refrain from posting inappropriate comments on this site?? It is invaluable for us collectors/enthusiasts/flippers who come here for timely and informative information. DO NOT ruin it for us!!!

 
At May 27, 2011 at 8:56 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

There will be no markings on west point or son fran monster boxes starting may 31 2011

 
At May 27, 2011 at 9:29 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Where's pop pop boy in all this when we need to mock him? Gold up to $1536.00! Woot! Silver holding its own too.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 9:29 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Maybe, we should have to register to post. Then we could eliminate some of the rif raf.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 9:31 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I figure the Yellowstone P coin is almost sold out, but even so I think I'm going to bail out of this series. There may well be future financial rewards for collecting them, but I don't believe I want to tie up the funds in these waiting for that day.

I don't know how many buyers feel this way yet, but there could be a big demand drop-off for Yosemite.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 9:33 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

No markings on monster boxes? Ah, well, if you're an AP in the west and just show your shipping invoice to the TBG that they were shipped from SF, then if you just pay an extra $10 per slab, they will be glad to slab them "San Francisco Minted" and you can sell them for double spot.

Everybody's happy! The TPG gets an extra $10 for a sticker, the dealer gets double for his bullion, and the fool who buys it thinks he has something rare.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 9:35 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

then what are u gonna put your funds into? other than ATB P series?

 
At May 27, 2011 at 9:35 AM , Anonymous DeLoitte said...

As a finance type who spends the better part of the day performing cost / price analysis and preparing large scale, return-on-investment determinations, the person at 7:32 AM appears to have captured everything.

The product pricing and the metal costs can be verified through several sources, to include the US Mint, London Market archives, KITCO Metal Quote archives and others. And, the Mint has provided examples of the typical cost considerations and distribution percentages in their precious metals pricing grid. However, only the Mint can speak to how they actually spread the internal costs and margins, and I have no doubt that those vary from product to product.

Other than that, the snyde remark was very childish and completely unnecessary!!

 
At May 27, 2011 at 10:25 AM , Blogger Tony said...

I don't know why I just don't like the 5oz ATB as much as I like the smaller coins. Maybe it's just me. As a collector, I just don't care to go back and look at them again after seeing them once. I have a 1kg. silver Panda that looks much much better and impressive by comparison. I hope I am just the few people who feel like that, otherwise the popularity of the 5-oz ATB will be just that, a bullion.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 10:54 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Buy all the old American gold coins you want... buyer beware...some may be counterfeit.

That is why I buy directly from the good, old U.S. Mint.

Olive Oil

 
At May 27, 2011 at 11:04 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Where do those hideous "copy" gold buffalo coins you always have to filter out of your search for auctions come from? I wish they would just go away!

 
At May 27, 2011 at 1:37 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, my Yellowstone finally showed up, I didnt see any flaws at all. Very nice. To the person who asked earlier, and I dont recall under what post, the mint packaging did have a sleeve over the product box, just as the Hot Springs did. Sorry yours did not. Maybe call the mint to see if you can get just that part of the packaging. IDK myself.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 1:46 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yeah, my Yellowstone also had the outer sleeve with product code on it like the Hot Springs did.

I would definitely let the Mint know if it didn't have that and do my best to get it. Collectors are funny about stuff like that, and if you choose to sell the coin later the missing sleeve would most likely either subtract from the sales price or make potential buyers avoid it altogether.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 2:01 PM , Blogger Mint News Blog said...

Responses to some questions:

On the Precious Metals IRA's:

This is not something that I have ever done, or spent any amount of time researching. Dave Harper, Eric Jordan, and others have written about the demand for proof American Eagles from IRA administrators, so I thought it was worth mentioning, especially since has been cited as one of the factors in the quick sell outs in 2009 and 2010.

Here's another article on precious metals IRAs (which actually recommends against purchasing proofs): http://www.coinlink.com/News/gold-silver-bullion/considering-a-gold-ira-choose-wisely/

"I'm confused about one thing after reading all these posts. If the mintage on the Platinum Eagle is set at 15000, wont the mint just keep selling them until they are sold out?"

The US Mint typically does not produce the entire maximum authorized mintage at once. They will produce an initial batch and then subsequent batches at levels based on demand trends. So if demand is very low, it's possible that a coin with a high maximum mintage can have a low final mintage.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 2:15 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

INVOICE WILL NOT SAY ANYTHING BUT US MINT IN MONTER BOXES.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 2:23 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why not mix it upfor 2011 proof silver eagles.200,000 from each mint .with a total of 4 mints.W,S,P,D, mint marks.these would make a nice set for the 25th year.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 2:29 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

That sounds great. Maybe they could do the same thing with the2011 burnished coins.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 2:32 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

@ May 27, 2011 2:23 PM

Nice thought, but let's be real. It won't happen.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 2:55 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like my idea of 30,000 sets similar to the 20th anniversary (proof, burnished unc and reverse proof), but this time have one of each from all four Mints with respective marks: W, P, D & S.

What an awesome, hot item that would be! $900+ price tag or not, it would be mine. Oh yes. It WOULD be mine! :)

 
At May 27, 2011 at 3:10 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The US Mint is still taking orders for the Yellowstone P 5 ounce silver coin.

The following order was received when the order was placed in the past hour:

37552##

 
At May 27, 2011 at 3:22 PM , Blogger Mint News Blog said...

"INVOICE WILL NOT SAY ANYTHING BUT US MINT IN MONTER BOXES. "

That would be great. Do you have a source?

 
At May 27, 2011 at 4:56 PM , Blogger PsychDr said...

Michael, I know it's early in sales with the PE's but do you have any news or sense on how intial sales have gone?

 
At May 27, 2011 at 5:10 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I,m sorry Mike, I would lose my job, and be locked up for a long,long time if I gave up my source.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 5:15 PM , Blogger Mint News Blog said...

"Michael, I know it's early in sales with the PE's but do you have any news or sense on how intial sales have gone?"

I will have some numbers early next week. Will post as soon as available.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 5:22 PM , Blogger Mint News Blog said...

"I,m sorry Mike, I would lose my job, and be locked up for a long,long time if I gave up my source."

Thank you for your anonymous unsubstantiated tip.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 7:48 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I told you that APMEX was momitoring this site. They want us to forget that they cherrypick our 2010 ATB coins and they love to spread mis-information.

Be careful.

 
At May 27, 2011 at 8:04 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well they cherry picked me a good set. I'm in Jersey and they sent me 2 MS68DMPL's and 3 MS68PL's.

But we're not going to have to listen to the sore losers...again?

 
At May 28, 2011 at 7:10 AM , Anonymous joe said...

~WARNING~VENTING NOTICE~

It's not a good practice for the APs to cherry pick or foist other unethical practices on their customers or potential customers. Many of us purchase more than just 5 ounce silver coins, and we have long memories and forums such as this to inform others of our experience.

We all remember the EXTREME markup of many APs on the original 5 oz bullions coins before the Mint slapped a few wrists. AMPMEX comes to mind. I canceled my account and vowed never to do business with them again after that slight of hand on their part.

Jack Hunt (and by extension Gainesville Cons (pardon the pun)) is the worst when it comes to cherry picking. While Gainesville probably just sold what they received from Hunt, they are complicit just by doing business with Hunt. Also, their customer service (at least by email) was non-responsive. Hunt probably doesn't give a rip about the everyday collector/purchaser and is more interested in the big boys; hence, using Gainesville to sell their allocation.

Anyway, APMEX, Jack Hunt, and Gainesville coins are off my list. Never again!

There are so many other sellers out there that VALUE their reputation. Those will get my money...

 
At May 28, 2011 at 8:06 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I took the plunge and ordered one of the first ATB sets and got a $500 refund and was able to flip it to Gainesville coins for $2500. So I'm happy with both of them.

 
At May 28, 2011 at 8:43 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Joe, I'm glad you got that out of your system.

Now, will it make a difference? You decide.

 
At May 28, 2011 at 8:12 PM , Anonymous joe said...

"Joe, I'm glad you got that out of your system. Now, will it make a difference? You decide."

Perhaps not...but I do appreciate when fellow collectors warn me of their experience with certain companies and like to return the favor from time to time.

As a follow-up (and it may already go without saying), I would also suggest not purchasing raw coins on eBay. That is the ultimate gamble when making coin purchases.

 
At May 28, 2011 at 9:16 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just cancelled my 2011 Platinum order; I agree with the above posts that a $2000 coin seems crazy in this economy. I will continue collecting So Called Dollars, far more interesting and historic in my opinion (and less costly). Since I have so much platinum purchased when platinum was $1200, why bother... I also decided to forget trying to collect all the ATB 5oz and mint sets from here on out. Again, why bother, this is all crazy, especially when you see the poor quality coins coming out of the mint in many cases. Seriously, we all need to stop and take a sanity check.....

 
At May 29, 2011 at 3:54 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

On the 5 ounce silver quarters I decided I will only buy one for each year not five. It would be nice to buy all of them in the next few years but it is not in my reality or affordability. So I will pick what I think is the best design for that year. I agree with Post 9:16PM.

 
At May 29, 2011 at 8:18 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I also agree with above; 15,000 mintage for a $2000 platinum coins doesn't really make for a long-term investment ** as a coin collector **; those who spectulate platinum will go up should buy, but you might consider parking your money in some of the previous lower-mintage platinum in this series, assuming you think it is "collectable"; if platinum goes down (which it might if you think there is a bubble in metals), you can always buy the 2011 at a later date; obviously we will all be watching the sales figures over the next few weeks/months, but I agree that quality is a problem; seriously, imagine how unhappy you will be when you coin comes with a scratch or discoloration, something happening more these days...

 
At May 30, 2011 at 7:22 AM , Blogger Stevieladeek said...

I love the design on the reverse of the 2011 Platinum proof coin...I also liked the the 2010 reverse...but, as others have stated, the cost is too much for me.

I'd love to see those designs on a one oz silver coin....I'd snap that up!

 

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