Mint News Blog

News, Information, and Commentary on US Mint Products

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

2011-W Uncirculated Gold Eagle

The United States Mint will begin sales of the 2011-W American Gold Eagle Uncirculated Coin on May 5, 2011 at 12:00 Noon ET. This will mark the return of this collector version of the popular bullion coin, following a two year gap.

The coins are struck on specially burnished blanks and carry a finish similar to the bullion version. The collector versions carry the "W" mint mark on the obverse of the coin, while the bullion versions do not carry a mint mark.

The collectible uncirculated American Gold Eagles were introduced by the United States Mint in 2006, first issued as part of the 3-coin 20th Anniversary Gold Eagle Set. In the following month, the US Mint began sales of the coins on an separate basis, with individual one ounce, half ounce, quarter ounce, and tenth ounce coins, and a 4-coin set available. At the time, the Mint stated that these collector versions were "priced at the relative mid-point" between the proof coins and bullion coins.

For the following two years in 2007 and 2008, the US Mint also issued the uncirculated Gold Eagles in four individual denominations and the 4-coin set. As part of a sweeping elimination of products near the end of 2008, the Mint announced that the individual half ounce, quarter ounce, and tenth ounce coins, as well as the 4-coin set would be discontinued. In 2009 and 2010, the remaining one ounce version was not issued, as the US Mint canceled the product in order to meet demand for bullion coins.

The one ounce 2011-W Uncirculated Gold Eagle will be priced at $1,778.00. (This price is only $7 cheaper than the individual one ounce proof version, which went on sale a few weeks ago.) The US Mint has indicated that the collectible uncirculated coins will be minted to demand, and there will be no household ordering limits. Each coin will come encapsulated in plastic and mounted in a presentation case with a certificate of authenticity. Pricing may fluctuate weekly based on the market price of gold.

Some previous year collectible uncircualted Gold Eagles carry large secondary market premiums due to their low mintages. In fact, the 2008-W Uncirculated Gold Eagle quarter ounce coin has the lowest mintage for any coin of the series, across all versions, at 8,883 coins.

How will the 2011-W Uncirculated Gold Eagle fare? Even though the product is returning after a two year gap, there doesn't seem to be much excitement brewing for the release. There is certainly not the impression of pent up demand that existed for the return of the Proof Gold Eagles after their one year gap.

When these "W" mint marked uncirculated coins were last available a few years ago, I was always very favorable about them. With more collectors opting for proof coins, the uncirculated coins remained overlooked and under ordered. This led to the low mintages, which eventually led to higher premiums. Could the same thing happen again?

I'll be watching the sales numbers closely to see what happens.

Labels:

71 Comments:

At May 4, 2011 at 12:05 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I usually buy only proofs but why not. I'm in.

 
At May 4, 2011 at 12:13 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wish the fractionals were still available, they were so much more affordable, and they had great potential to increase in value. Unfortunately the 1 ounce is out of my budget, :(

 
At May 4, 2011 at 12:41 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The price and the unlimited mintage will make this a dud unlike the 2006-2008 coins.

 
At May 4, 2011 at 12:46 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gold is overpriced for my pocketbook. I will not buy.

 
At May 4, 2011 at 1:03 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

this year 2011. all uncirculated collector's version will not be burnished uncirculated. just like the bullion uncirculated one. so the mint just keep on reducing the cost. for me. just buy the bullion one. cause it is the same. beside. bullion one is much cheaper than the collector's version.

affected were the following:
2010p ATB 5 oz collector's version.
2011p ATB 5 oz collector's version.
2011w AGE 1 oz unc gold coin.
2011w ASE 1 oz unc silver coin.
2011 uncirculated mint set.

note: 2006w to 2008w were all burnished unc gold and silver coins.

 
At May 4, 2011 at 1:28 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

the mint should hire persons know how to grade all collector's version coins produce from the u.s. mint. slabbed it, grade it. sell it directly to the collectors and general public. so the mint could earn more instead of passing those profit to the grading companies.

 
At May 4, 2011 at 1:41 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

mintage for the following:

American eagle 1 oz burnished unc gold:
2006w - 45,053
2007w - 18,606
2008w - 11,908
American eagle 1 oz burnished unc silver:
2006w - 466,573
2007w - 711,500
2008w - 535,598

2011w gold and silver with an unc finish same with those bullion gold and silver coins.

 
At May 4, 2011 at 2:41 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

i like the obverse of these gold coins, but the reverse has to go.
the rev of the orig st gaud is much much better

 
At May 4, 2011 at 3:24 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree. The baby eagles as well as the eagle itself looks cheesy.

 
At May 4, 2011 at 4:04 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like cheese.

And these eagles are a lot more beautiful than the eagle on the Peace dollar or Washington quarter.

 
At May 4, 2011 at 4:08 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yellowstone 5 oz available 5/17.

Sell-out of Hot Springs prior to this. 27k mintage for both.

These products will command premiums even if silver falls more.

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

I agree with Michael -- I think these coins might be sleepers. But there will be plenty of time to cherry pick nearer to the end of availability, and even if gold is not a lot lower, how much higher could it really be??

 
At May 4, 2011 at 6:26 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Does this mean that the finish on the 2011 gold 1oz with w mintmark will be different than the 2006-2008 1oz gold with w mint mark, because they are not using burnished blanks this time

 
At May 4, 2011 at 6:29 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you've ever taken a good look at a burnished unc gold under magnification, you know the detail is considerably better than a regular bullion coin. In my humble opinion, the mint really screwed up by not calling the coins what the really are, Matte Proofs.

 
At May 4, 2011 at 6:45 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

When I visit the US Mint website I can find the ATB 5 once page only if I create a search of same. The 5 oz coins are NOT listed under ANY sub-heading such as "ATB quarters", "Special Collectibles" or "Medals" that I can see. Seems to me that a sellout is made very difficult if customers cannot easily find them on the website. Am I missing something?

 
At May 4, 2011 at 7:09 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

This might be a good one to keep an eye on especially if you are already a gold eagle collector and since interest is "lackluster." Unlimited mintage might be an issue if it continues to be available well into 2012. Right now price is too much for me as I want to collect the 5 oz'rs and can't do both.

 
At May 4, 2011 at 7:21 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I guess it won't be burnished because mint say finish "similar to bullion counterparts".Thats too bad because,although on some it was hard to tell the difference but on others, particularlly the 07half, one could see a colorful cool looking pinkish purpleish glimering haze coming out of the cartwheel.
But I can't afford this one anyway I just don't know why they aren't burnished?

 
At May 4, 2011 at 7:42 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gold is overpriced for my pocketbook. I will not buy

Gold is still free.

Demise of the “Yankee Dollar”

Seriously.

 
At May 4, 2011 at 8:31 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

this is the worst time to buy anything made of gold. buy low, sell high. this coin will flop its not the proof special editions one.

 
At May 4, 2011 at 8:31 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The biggest difference b/w both coins is a little mark "W"
Bullion coins do not carry a mint mark; the difference in price is obvious especially when the coins are graded; "W" coins carry a premium over bullion.

 
At May 4, 2011 at 9:47 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Burnished is just a fancy word for polished.

 
At May 4, 2011 at 9:48 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Watch out buying opportunity for silver may be short lived!

 
At May 5, 2011 at 12:55 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Silver is now less than $40 per ounce.

Reuters, Thursday, May 5th.

Silver was set for its biggest
weekly fall in over 20 years on Thursday, after the U.S. futures
exchange operator raised margins again and exchange-traded funds
saw their largest daily outflow this year.

POP! POP! POP! The freefall continues! Those who greedily sought silver coins to hoard will now have stash of over-valued coins. Do I feel sorry? (!)

Be wary -- the only folks who want you to buy, buy, buy are those who want to make a profit from unsuspecting collectors.

Remember the Housing Market!

 
At May 5, 2011 at 12:58 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Hot Springs coin will have been on sale for one week later today. It is still on sale and there is no waiting list.

Should I keep or cancel my order?

 
At May 5, 2011 at 1:16 AM , Blogger Hidalgo said...

I enjoy collecting coins because of the thrill of finding and holding onto something I really like. Bullion value has always been secondary to me.

I am really pleased that silver prices are falling, since there are a number of silver coins that I really enjoy collecting, like the American silver eagles. Lower silver values means that I can enjoy the thrill of collecting coins again.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 3:43 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

High silver prices were killng our hobby.
Clad coinage now has a fighting chance.
Hot Springs will be a long term winner with low mintages, don't kid yourself.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 3:57 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

This morning (7:00 am, EST) gold is below $1500. and silver below $38. It seems the market price simply increased too much, too fast - but this "correction" is really strong. Oh well, most of us purchased silver at lower prices and therefore we might not be as rich as we were last week, but we certainly have not lost our initial investment.

TMM

 
At May 5, 2011 at 4:02 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

@ May 5, 2011 3:57 AM

POP! POP! POP!

I told y'all so!!!! The bubble has burst. Greed rules common sense here. LOL!

----------
This morning (7:00 am, EST) gold is below $1500. and silver below $38. It seems the market price simply increased too much, too fast - but this "correction" is really strong. Oh well, most of us purchased silver at lower prices and therefore we might not be as rich as we were last week, but we certainly have not lost our initial investment.

TMM

 
At May 5, 2011 at 4:22 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rediculous rises always leads to pop, pop, pop.
25% fall in a few days is rediculous also.
Hope govt steps in to investigate if all these extreme movements are legal.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 4:31 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

$10/oz fall in silver means $50 fall in intrinsic melt value of coin.

Common guys, I'm willing to bet there is a lot more long term (even short term) up-side than $50!

Why the panic?
I was "in" (as was Michael) for the coin lasr year when silver was even lower. Just consider it a higher initial premium. The Mint will NEVER offer the coin again.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 4:43 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with above comments from anon 4:31am.

Hope they raise household limits, but doubt they will. Anyone collect the numismatic coin for "bullion value" anyhow?

 
At May 5, 2011 at 5:13 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

do not buy anything from the mint. wait for another drop on average gold price to below $1,500.00. to prevent return those coins to the mint.

2011w ASE unc 1 oz will then be $1,728.00 instead of $1,778.00.
first spouse 1/2 oz gold proof will then be $904.00 instead of $929.00. and unc at $891.00 instead of $916.00.

lastly. just cancel my 5 oz ATB.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 5:22 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

what do you think is the better route. picking up one of these uncirculateds hoping for a low mintage or pony up the extra $$ and splurge for the 2006W 3 coin set with the reverse proof in original packaging, not graded.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 5:47 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The fundamentals have not changed a tad; all this "show" is called "shakin' the tree; somebody wants in cheap-long term investors are buying more of everything; shorts, well......no comment

 
At May 5, 2011 at 7:20 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Crashing and burning, PM's are crashing and burning... We are in the midst of a PM melt down, next stop $30.00 silver...

 
At May 5, 2011 at 7:30 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Apparently, there were many cancellations; dun think the limit will be lifted thou'.

SO this may be the longest time (weeks) to sellout a 27K mintage for modern coins.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 7:31 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bring it on! I only hope it falls to $20 or less. Then I can correct the mistake of not buying another monster box when I had the chance. The price will go back up. I only wonder how low it will go first.

The next time it approaches $50, I'll unload the monster box for a nice profit.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 7:36 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Mint had better price the Yellowstone 5 oz. coin no higher than the Hot Springs, and even less really. At the current price of silver, the coin shouldn't cost any more than $259.95 issue price.

The thing is though, the pricing has probably been in the works for a while, and they might price it using the $48 silver as a benchmark. That would probably make it $309.95.

One thing's for sure if it's priced that high in this time of free-fall, though. You won't have to worry about a quick sell-out!

 
At May 5, 2011 at 7:54 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Mint today will "re-evaluate" the ordering limit.
My guess is that they will extend this limit of 1 per HH.
But if they "adjust" it even by 1 more coin, then they are gone today. Gauranteed.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 7:58 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Michael, any info on the mint's sales report for ATB Hot Springs(P)

 
At May 5, 2011 at 8:00 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

No way this dog is gone today, even if the 1 per household limit is lifted. This sleeping dog will be asleep for a long, long time. No sellout in the near future.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 8:00 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just checked my APMEX order for the ATB's

Order Status: Order Wrapped

still a good deal since they are PCGS slabbed

 
At May 5, 2011 at 8:03 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

How does APMEX send the ATB's

Is it overnight ?

 
At May 5, 2011 at 8:17 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Look who is behind the bust !

Major players, including George Soros, are reportedly pulling back from gold and silver has recorded yet another collapse.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/42910386

 
At May 5, 2011 at 8:32 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I do not understand why the mint wouldtake the statemint off on product update about being made on burnished blanks. anyone no the answerfor 2011 1oz gold unc

 
At May 5, 2011 at 9:14 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yeah, the website still shows the limit of 1 is still in effect. I figured it would hold.

I wonder how many coins are left to sell? If those posting here are telling the truth, there have been several cancellations recently, and most likely even more from people who do not post here.

I was going to order more if the limit had been lifted, but I guess I won't get to.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 9:15 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

My APMEX order status: Order Pulled
What does that mean?

 
At May 5, 2011 at 9:23 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

They are not burnished this time.
They are just like the bullion coin but has a "w" mintmark for the collector.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 9:26 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I guess thet means '06-'08 burnished are "special" now.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 9:43 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Everyone remember how much fun it is to have hedge funds investing in things for speculation now?

These hedge funds are blowing up the silver market this week!

With price action like this, no one out there can continue to pretend that gold/silver trade based on ant sort of "fundamentals" anymore, if they ever did - this price action is only explainable by the fact that hedge funds have been speculating like crazy to increase prices, and now crash them! Come to terms with it.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 9:43 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

2006-2008 must be unc proofs,whatever that means

 
At May 5, 2011 at 10:59 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

POP! The bubble has burst! Do I feel sorry for those who greedily sought to increase their stash of overpriced silver? Hmmmmm, I wonder what they plan to do, now that everyone is panic selling?

LOL!

---------

"It's going to be a long time before silver can find a
bottom to turn higher again," said Dennis Gartman, publisher of
the Gartman Letter.

Spot silver fell as much as 8 percent to a six-week
low of $35.82 an ounce, down about 25 percent so far this week.
It was off the day's low at $36.26 by 12:25 p.m. EDT

 
At May 5, 2011 at 11:21 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

How often has Gartman been dead wrong. Get the price of silver lower so I can pickup more. Thank you day traders. Leave the commodity play to the experts. Buy the coins because you love collecting. The daily ups and downs are for the short-term guys.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 11:25 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gartman is an analyst.... he will say whatever that makes him look smart so that his letters sell.

Nice hindsight Gartman... wish we could all trade in hindsight like you!

 
At May 5, 2011 at 11:32 AM , Anonymous Rich G. said...

"How does APMEX send the ATB's

Is it overnight ?"

They are sent UPS Ground. My package weighs 7 pounds according to the tracking info. Supposed to arrive 5/9. Those PCGS holders are heavy!!

 
At May 5, 2011 at 11:45 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

To the POP POP POP guy:

There is no PM's bubble dear, the one and only big bubble that I see is The US Economy and The World Economy.

POP POP POP POP....there goes the Worlds' Currencies....POP POP POP

Paper currency is useless

 
At May 5, 2011 at 11:47 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

No more hand loaded into presses, no more burnished, cutting back on costs i guess.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 5:00 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

@ May 5, 2011 11:45 AM

Hi Delusional.

There is no PM bubble. Everything is rosy. The sky is blue. The grass is green. The world is perfect.

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

I have to dissagree with the bullion prices ruining the hobby. When silver went over $45, I went to the local coin shop and pulled quite a few AU/BU coins from the "junk" bucket. Actually, it was a lot of AU/BU coins (nearly a complete set of Franklins). The beauty of it was, the guy bought all of my original junk for just a tad less than the sell price. There is nothing like upgrading an AG Morgan to an AU for just a buck or two.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 5:54 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

To May 5, 2011 5:00 PM
For once you are correct, yes, there is no PM bubble.
I'm glad you finally see the light.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 6:42 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

TO May 5, 2011 5:54 PM

Hi Delusional.

I hope you will continue to buy silver at $50 an ounce. With silver continuing to go up price in the long term, what is there to lose?

The world of PMs is so rosy.... LOL

 
At May 5, 2011 at 9:09 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am dreaming about $20.00 an ounce silver. I am dreaming that I have a beautiful house and a beautiful wife. I am dreaming that I have not a problem in the world.

Where is that pop boy, I want his life. I bet his life is a dream.

POP! I just woke up.
Popboy wake up, its not a dream.

 
At May 5, 2011 at 11:50 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Hot Springs ATB 5 ounce coins are now shipping....!

Order #: 3735#### - 1 Order Date: 4/28/11

Sold To:

Ship To:

Date Shipped: 5/05/11

Amount Charged : 284.90

Tracking ID

29562287130774016
953210362468
1ZE1988X2421355847

Items included in this shipment:


1. 2010 ATB SILVER COIN - HOT SPRINGS (NP1) Qty : 1

 
At May 6, 2011 at 6:04 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

UPS does'nt have it yet, maybe later this am. Your tracking reflects this.

 
At May 6, 2011 at 6:07 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Maybe Bubble Pop Head will buy on this dip? Nah, he's a bit delusional.

 
At May 6, 2011 at 7:11 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

@ May 6, 2011 6:07 AM

Hi Delusional Coin Flipper.

Continue to tell people that silver will rise in value indefinitely.

Guess what? KABOOOOOM!

Get a life. LOL!

 
At May 6, 2011 at 1:00 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

there were 0.032727 ounce of silver or more than a dollar worth of silver content within an AGE. and never calculated dealing in buying and selling american eagle one ounce gold coin.

 
At May 7, 2011 at 5:48 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Now that silver has adjusted, will pophead learn three new words?

 
At May 7, 2011 at 5:50 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thru the ceiling.

over the top.

out of control.

glad I did.

Silver is king.

 
At May 7, 2011 at 9:41 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

To POP POP POP

For investors who purchased silver at $10/ounce, who cares about POP POP POP?????

Yeah, silver will see $2/ounce soon.

rosy what now?

 
At May 8, 2011 at 6:35 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Man, I would buy all I could carry at $2/oz. Demand would be so heavy though, the premiums for bullion coins would be out of this world. So, we really couldn't capitalize on $2 silver. Not that it will happen anyway, but it's fun to think about!

 

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