Platinum excitement?

The 4,000 2015 proof platinum American Eagles will go on sale at the U.S. Mint website today.

Is the number available low enough to tempt people to buy, betting on future scarcity?

It is possible.

While the number seems low, it is only a bit less than 600 fewer than the 2014 sales total.

The big difference is issue price.

The price of an ounce of platinum is about $350 cheaper than it was at the beginning of this year and would-be proof buyers of the Torches of Freedom issue might be thinking the metal price makes the coin a relative bargain.

Then again, the premium that the Mint has to charge might make them gag.

No one has ever figured out how a collector coin can be offered at a bullion coin price.

So there might not be a scramble to by these coins at all.

But then again, 4,000 will be the lowest proof mintage of the entire series going back to 1997.

That just might be enough of an incentive for buyers to act.

Get ready, get set ...

Buzz blogger Dave Harper has twice won the Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog and is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."