How does one get detailed mintage and sales figures from the U.S. Mint?

While the U.S. Mint's website has some production figures, it is not that detailed. However, I find some of the numbers that Numismatic News posts even more fascinating.
i.e., http://www.numismaticnews.net/article/Milestone_passed_by_2009_UHR_gold_Saint/

But how do they get that information? I see a number of other coin blogs post other Mint numbers (usually concerning bullion coins) but nobody references how they get the information.

NN doesn't seem to have a schedule when it decides to post Mint numbers or not, otherwise I would just rely on their reporting. But what I would really like... is to be able to actively get or receive these numbers myself. Is there a subscription one can be apart of to this get information? Anybody know the details?

 

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If you think it's hard now in the old days they hardly kept

If you think it's hard now in the old days they hardly kept any accurate records or the records they did keep were combined with other series or showed evidence of "book cooking" to say the least.

The modern mintage information is probably the most accurate we've ever had albeit a bit unreliable until a couple of years go by.
The figures in N.N. or Coin World or the mint is the best you can do - they won't answer a Freedom of Information Act request, at least not this fiscal year so all you have to go on is what's already mentioned.

 

But how does N.N. get these numbers?
They look like the kind of numbers that one would get straight from the Mint?
If so, how do they get that kind of access?

Or do they track these numbers through some other means? Third party shippers? Some kind of web site traffic monitoring?

 

Elaine seems to be able to get them. She provides updates quite often.

 

Well ten years or so ago the mint was very open with mintage figures. Then they installed all new computer controled counting equipment and boasted how they would have very precise figures. Almost immediately all reports of mintage figures ceased. The hobby publications had to resort to filing Freedom of Information Requests every month to try and force the mint to release the information. After fighting the FoIA requests for about a year and a half the mint finally started voluntarily providing the information to Coin World and Numismatic News.

Interestingly the figures provided now after the precision counters were installed are now less precise than the figures from before they were installed. I suspect that was one of the reasons they resisted posting figures. Spend millions on new controls only to find they are less precise than the old methods.

 

Very interesting. Lots of good info.

So, its an exclusive deal with NN and Coin World to stop the onslaught of FoIA inquiries.

Wow. Maybe this can be one of the many efforts this new administration can add to its "make government transparent and open" initiatives.