By Hubert Walker for CoinWeek ….
The 2016 Gold Mercury Dime and Other Top Stories
The 2016 U.S. Mint Silver Proof Set debuted last week, with 176,733 units sold.
But the big story at the United States Mint this April was the debut and speedy near-sellout of the 2016 Mercury Dime Centennial 24k Gold Coin. Within 15 minutes of its release, the Mercury dime commemorative was on back order; before the hour was out, it was listed as “Unavailable” on the Mint’s website. As of Sunday, April 24, the Mint had sold 122,510 pieces out of an authorized mintage of 125,000.
CoinWeek will keep you posted when and if the U.S. Mint announces that the 2016 Mercury dime 100th anniversary gold coin is officially sold out.
American Gold Buffalos
Sales of the 2016 American Gold Buffalo 1 oz Bullion Coin were the second-highest monthly sales of the year so far, with 19,500 coins purchased. This beats February’s sales of 19,000 and March’s total of 7,000. Only the coin’s debut in January fared better, with 34,000 sold that month.
Year-to-date coin sales for the bullion version total 79,500.
The one-ounce Proof coin, in only its fourth week of availability, has sold a total of 14,300 pieces. It is currently on back order.
American Gold Eagles
April was a good month for the 2016 American Gold Eagle Bullion Coin as well.
Sales of the one-ounce coin totaled 93,500 pieces – the highest monthly total so far this year. This brings the coin’s YTD sales to 279,000.
The half-ounce coin sold 6,000 units, tying for the second-highest monthly total with February (23,000 coins were sold in January). 36,000 of the 2016 issue have been sold to date.
Quarter-ounce Gold eagles saw 14,000 pieces sold in April. This was the second-highest total for the year, with 36,000 sold in January. A total of 66,000 coins have been sold this year.
And finally, 55,000 one-tenth ounce American Eagle gold bullion coins were sold, for a total of 375,000 sold for the year. In what is perhaps an informative reversal of the previous pattern, April was the lowest-selling month for the tenth-ounce coin.
Proof versions of each denomination haven’t been as successful, but the Mint has sold out of its initial stock in a couple of instances. The one-ounce Proof Gold Eagle has sold 10,614 coins to date and is currently unavailable from the Mint’s website.
The one-tenth ounce Proof coin has sold 10,316 pieces and is on back order.
The half-ounce Proof Gold Eagle has sold 2,776. The quarter-ounce proof has sold 3,377. The four-coin Proof Set of American Gold Eagles has sold 8,170 units.
And by the end of its third week, the Uncirculated 1 oz. American Gold Eagle coin has sold 3,933 units.
American Silver Eagles
The 2016 American Silver Eagle 1 oz Bullion Coin sold 4,072,000 pieces in April, the lowest monthly sales so far in 2016 for the U.S. Mint’s perennial best-seller. Going into the second quarter of the year, the Mint has sold 18,914,500 ounces (coins).
America the Beautiful
The 2016 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set has sold 62,848 units.
Meanwhile, the 5 oz Shawnee National Forest Silver Bullion Coin has sold 105,000 pieces YTD. The Uncirculated version has sold 16,323 units since its February 25 debut. This is slightly more than half its authorized mintage of 30,000.
The 5 oz Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Silver Bullion Coin has sold 64,000 pieces. The Mint will release the Uncirculated version on Thursday, May 5.
First Spouse Gold Coins
The Nixon and Ford First Spouse 1/2 oz Gold Coins continue to see light sales similar to previous coins in the series. The Betty Ford Proof coin has sold 1,634 out of an authorized mintage of 10,000 across all products (including multi-coin sets), and the Uncirculated version has sold 1,001. The Patricia Nixon Proof coin has sold 2,000 out of a mintage of 10,000, and the Uncirculated Nixon First Spouse coin has sold 1,161.
2016 Commemoratives
The Mark Twain Gold Proof Coin has sold 11,419 pieces out of an authorized mintage of 100,000 across all products. The Uncirculated version has sold 5,030.
The Mark Twain Silver Proof has sold 58,910 out of 350,000. The Uncirculated silver coin has sold 21,966.
The National Park Service 100th Anniversary Gold Proof Coin has sold a mere 3,159 units out of a possible 100,000 across all products. The Uncirculated version has sold even less, with 2,467 purchased YTD.
The Silver Proof National Park Service Coin has sold 34,152 out of a mintage limit of 500,000. Uncirculated Silver Park Service coins have sold 13,558.
The National Park Service Centennial Clad Proof has sold 24,781 coins out of a mintage of 750,000. The Uncirculated clad coin has sold 13,049.
10,446 National Park Service three-coin sets have been sold out of a product limit of 15,000.
