Consider the statistics of the two leading mints in the world - Perth (Australia) and American.
Perth Mint
Gold sales at the Perth Mint fell to a 4-month low. Neil Vance, CEO of the Mint, noted that wholesale demand for yellow metal products began to decline in the middle of the month. The sales rate of gold coins and bullion decreased to 91.2 thousand ounces. This is 10% less than the April figure, but 44% higher year-on-year.
Kyle Rodda, an analyst at the British financial company IG Market, attributes the decline in gold sales to rising precious metal prices. For a long time, such products were relatively cheap and the demand for them was constantly increasing. However, due to a sharp jump in quotes in May, investors reduced the volume of purchases, expecting a favorable price situation. Yellow metal quotes in May jumped 7.7%, which was a high monthly increase from July 2020.
Sales of gray metal products in May decreased by 5.4%. The total volume of physical silver sales decreased to 1.7 million ounces, however, which is 71% higher than last year. According to Vance, May was still an extremely successful month in terms of demand for silver investment coins. The level of demand in key markets, such as Germany and the United States, was so high that the Mint barely kept pace with shipping consignments.
US Mint
Sales of ounce gold and silver investment coins "American Eagle" doubled in 2019-2020. Demand for these popular series of coins continued to grow in the first quarter of 2021. The sales rate of the golden Eagle increased from 108 thousand ounces in 2019 to 747.5 thousand ounces in 2020. In the first four months of 2021, more than 400 thousand ounces were bought. The silver "Eagle" recorded a similar success. In 2019, sales amounted to 15 million ounces, and in 2020 it increased 2 times - to 30 million. In the first quarter of 2021, 13 million ounces were sold. At the same time, it should be noted that the price of silver has almost doubled since May last year, reaching $27.8 per ounce.
Robert Wilkie, director of marketing at Asset Marketing Services (USA), said that over the past few months, demand for investment coins, including gold and silver American Eagle, has increased sharply. The expert explains the current increase in Eagle purchases and predicts the continuation of this trend based on two factors - economic and aesthetic. Let's talk about them in more detail.
Recent instability in financial markets has prompted many investors to purchase gold and silver coins to preserve their savings. Investment coins are an easy way to diversify assets. An additional incentive for ordering products will soon be the release of Eagles with new designs.
The American Eagle is one of the most popular series of gold and silver coins among investors and collectors around the world. Since 1986, everyone admired their classic design, but in 2021 we are all waiting for a great update. Buyers are looking forward to new coins on sale. The redesign of coins is considered an important event for many collectors and numismatists. At the moment, the US Mint is pre-accepting orders for new versions of the gold and silver Eagle. Coins are planned to be delivered with certificates that include information about those who worked on the new design.