Mint Stats: Thinking about gold or holiday buys?

If you read the story on the front page, you will know that in two weeks’ time, the 2012 First Spouse coins will begin appearing on the page below. The Mint had difficulty striking up the details of several of this year’s designs necessitating a sales delay. Now the Mint will begin to offer them at intervals of 3-4 weeks in order to get all four 2012 designs into the marketplace by the end of the year. Will the Mint succeed? Will collectors have the funds to buy so much gold so quickly, or will we see availability of the 2012 designs last even longer than what has been the case for prior issues?

Obverse of the 2011-W Lucy Hayes First Spouse uncirculated gold coin

It is important that the spouse of a coin collector knows what is involved when that collection becomes part of an estate.

Gold bullion buyers made September the best month for American Eagle 1-ounce coins since January, achieving sales of 63,000 coins. Distributors are apparently refilling their sales channels. There was a smaller surge in tenth-ounce gold coins, but little evidence of a demand surge for the other sizes or the Buffalo bullion coin.

At this time of year collectors start thinking about their holiday purchases. The 2012 proof sets should get a sales boost as a result in the next 60 days.