The year 2017 saw a huge decrease in the sales of gold, silver and platinum while palladium was the big winner of the year.
Gold-
Gold was mostly range bound between $1,250 and $1,350 even though gold showed a nearly 20% gain for the year. Government sales of gold bullion coins – Eagles and Buffalo’s – were down over 50% from the year before. Gold buyers were the big winners because “premiums” on nearly all gold coins from Eagles to $20 Liberties and Saint Gaudens plummeted. A lower premium means you play less for a coin. For example: Today’s Gold Eagle “premium” or the cost of the coin over its actual gold value is $30 LESS than normal. It is like buying gold at a discount. Premiums on pre-1933 U.S. Gold coins all but disappeared in many cases. A $20 Saint Gaudens in MS-63 now goes for about $100 over spot!
$25 Gold Eagles-
The final mintage of the 2017 $25 Gold Eagle was only 37,000 pieces. I recommended these coins as a great way to buy “bullion” coins which may end up with a collector premium based on the low mintage figures. To put a 37,000 coin mintage in perspective consider this, the mintage for the 1986 $25 Gold Eagle was just shy of 600,000 pieces. The rarest coin 1991 $25 Gold eagle has a mintage of 24,100 and sells in the $3,000 a coin range. The 2017 $25 Gold Eagle has the third lowest mintage of “bullion” ½ oz gold eagles.
I am encouraged that the premium will increase because the production was so small. I will keep you informed if the premium increases this year. The following chart shows the mintages and “wholesale” prices of various $25 Gold Eagles. The chart clearly shows that the 2017 $25 Gold Eagle appears to be undervalued compared to other low mintage coins.
