The Mint’s year-end effort to promote Bald Eagle commemoratives is not having much effect yet on the sales totals. The proof $1 actually went backwards this week. But it is still a long way until New Year’s.
The American Legacy Set has been added just days before Bald Eagle coins go off sale. With a possible 50,000 available sets, it does not look like they will sell out, but might reach the halfway mark.
Collectors can sometimes be very predictable. This week, the first sales total for the 2011-W uncirculated collector silver American Eagle goes in its place further down on this page. The 184,967 pieces sold since it went on sale Sept. 15 seems to be on the strong side until you compare it to the first sales of the proof version. Demand for the uncirculated coin is running at approximately half the rate recorded by the proof in its first few days after it went on sale June 30. That’s a standard collector demand pattern when there are no special factors distorting basic preferences.
No sellouts to report yet for the proof gold American Eagle coins. The rate of sales has also fallen off from the frenzy of the first three days.
The “sold out” sign has been placed on the proof one-ounce gold American Eagle coins as of the end of October.
The United States Mint’s 2008 Bald Eagle Commemorative Coins celebrating the comeback of this great bird and the 35th Anniversary of the ESA have been on sale for nearly eight months now. They have already raised over $6 million in surcharge monies that will be dedicated to preserving this precious national treasure. But it will still take many more millions of dollars to monitor and secure thousands of eagle nests located mostly on private lands coast to coast.
While we don’t have sales numbers yet, we will see how quickly the U.S. Mint will be able to sell out the 10,000 proof platinum Eagles for 2010.
The Mint really has collectors well trained. When it says a coin is available, we jump. The uncirculated 2012-W silver American Eagle went on the charts last week at a strong 135,104.
The new 2011 proof gold American Eagle coins went on sale April 21 and the chart below has the numbers of each sales option sold by April 25 when these numbers were compiled.
