Sales of the briefly offered 2009 fractional Gold Eagle bullion coins have now concluded. The mintages for the 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz 2009 Gold Eagles have ended up on the high end, as measured by the total reported sales figures for each denomination.
Typically, the fractional weight Gold Eagles are available throughout the year. This year the situation was different, following a late 2008 announcement that the US Mint would focus production on one ounce Gold Eagles only and delay offering fractional weight versions until later in 2009. The first batch of fractional Gold Eagles was finally offered to authorized purchasers on December 3, 2009 with a second and final allocation available beginning on December 14, 2009.
After the December 3 debut, the US Mint had already recorded sales of 56,000 of the 1/2 ounce coins, 58,000 of the 1/4 ounce coins, and 260,000 of the 1/10 ounce coins. These numbers were already high enough to place each coin above the respective mintage lows for each bullion denomination.
The second batch of coins offered for sale have pushed the totals for the 1/2 and 1/4 ounce coins much higher, but only added slightly to the total for the 1/10 ounce coins. The final sales figures for the 2009 fractional Gold Eagles are shown below.
| 2009 Fractional Gold Eagle Sales | |
| 2009 1/2 oz. Gold Eagle | 110,000 |
| 2009 1/4 oz. Gold Eagle | 110,000 |
| 2009 1/10 oz. Gold Eagle | 270,000 |
The total sales for the 1/2 oz coin actually place it as the fifth highest mintage for a 1/2 oz Gold Eagle bullion coin. The 1/4 oz. Gold Eagle ranks as the sixth highest for its denomination. Only the 1/10 oz coin ends up with a mintage which is below average.
For further comparison, in 2008, the US Mint had sold 50,000 1/2 oz coins, 58,000 1/4 oz coins, and 270,000 1/10 oz coins.
The rapid pace of sales for long suspended products that the US Mint briefly offered near the end of the year has been interesting to witness. Before I attributed this to pent up demand, but is the US Mint inadvertently creating greater demand by delaying products and then offering them for very limited time periods? This year's "flash offerings" of Gold Buffalo coins, fractional Gold Eagle bullion coins, and Platinum Eagle coins all generated greater sales than previous years when the products were available throughout the year.
On a final note, I wanted to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to Mint News Blog readers! Thank you all for your readership and comments throughout the year.
Today on Coin Update News: 2010 Silver Eagle Availability
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