American Eagle Silver Coins Log Second Strongest November Sales

Sales of bullion American Eagle silver coins remain remarkable as last month was the second strongest November in the series 27-year history, data from the United States Mint shows. 2012 is within striking distance of over-taking the second place slot for annual Silver Eagle sales.

The U.S. Mint recorded November sales of 3,159,500 for the 99.9% pure silver coins. The total is 6,500 more than the previous month and more than double sales of 1,384,000 in the same period last year.

Demand was highest early in the month as sales of the American Eagle had already hit nearly 2.2 million by the 15th. Although orders cooled, the only better November occurred in 2010 when sales reached 4,260,000. The table below shows the top ten November’s for Silver Eagles.

Top 10 November Sales for American Eagle Silver Coins

 

The U.S. Mint indicates 32,107,500 of the silver coins were ordered so far this year, painting a strong picture of demand. This maintains the year as the third best for the program — a slot it already held after the sales posted in October, but the bullish trend is on pace to make 2012 the second-all time selling year. To accomplish this, U.S. Mint distributors will need to order at least 2,555,001 coins in December. They have been ordering more than 3 million each month since September.

The table below offers the top five years of sales since the American Eagle series debut in 1986.

Best Ever Sales Years for American Eagle Silver Coins

 

For the sake of keeping track, November sales established the month as the fourteenth all-time highest. As a sign of the relatively recent increase in interest, all but one of the coin’s top fifteen sales months have occurred within the last three years. The standout was when 3,696,000 sold in December 1986, the first full month of sales for the silver American Eagle.

Sales of America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins

Silver investors, as well as collectors, were also interested in the U.S. Mint’s America the Beautiful 5 Ounce Silver Bullion Coins. The table below shows November sales of the silver coins still offered by the U.S. Mint.