Watch those final sales numbers

I’ve been getting more calls lately about Mint Statistics. It is a welcome break from an ongoing focus on the prices of precious metals.

Some collectors are trying to figure out if certain items will have value based on scarcity due to low mintages. How novel is that?

Well, we don’t get too far away from precious metals. The questions are about the 2008 uncirculated “W” platinum American Eagle coins. These coins are sold directly to collectors for a premium price.

So far, the totals are indeed low. There have been only 326 one-ounce uncirculated “W” platinum coins sold. It is not cheap. The Mint has it priced at $1,214.95 with platinum currently trading at $825 a troy ounce.

The half-ounce sales total is at 769. It is priced at $619.95. The quarter ounce is 2,115 and it is priced at $319.95.

The tenth ounce has been especially scrutinized because it has gone off sale as an individual coin. The Mint has sold 2,538 of those.

The four-coin set has a sales total of 1,053. It is priced at $2,219.95.

The Mint will release updated sales figures this week.

It is refreshing to see a little speculation built upon projections of scarcity rather than what a coin is made of. It shows the inner collector still lurks in many of us.

Are you among those watching these numbers?