I found this chart on another website, reproduced here just for general info; 2015E is the estimated total for 2015, based on 7 months' sales data:
Proof that silver is gaining popularity compared to just a handful of years ago. The mint also had brief shortages in Eagles. Something that apparently hasn't happened there before I would assume.
Actully it is proof of just the opposite, and Silver is fading in popularity. In 2011, at the height of all the hype, 40 million eagles were produced but the average spot price of silver was $35 according to wiki So, not counting premiums, 1.4 Billion dollars woth of Silver was bought in the form of ASE's Jump to 2014 It looks like 44 million silver eagles were produced but spot averaged $19 that year so 836 million dollars were sold in the form of Eagles. Sooo, stackers were much less eager to exchange their fiat for silver to the tune of almost 600 million dollars. That a big difference and it even gets worse in 2015. Mike
I don't think it wasn't the mint doing the advertiseing. In 2008 that was the beginning of the Great Recession, the Bullion pumpers were starting their fledging buisnesses and were pushing it hard. They created the birth of the stacker. Before 2008 there were no stackers, the only folks who bought bullion were some value investors who were looking for some diversification. The ALL-In mentality did not exist.
I would say the stackers still bought the same amount of silver and diversified the rest of their fiat in other prepper items(ammo comes to mind). In 2010, the mint sold 1,220,000+/- ounces of gold. In 2014, the mint sold 522,000+/- ounces of gold. To me it looks like people switched from gold to silver and that would account for the increase in silver eagle sales.
It's interesting to note that the first major increase in 2008 coincided with the first major variety, the "Reverse of 2007". Chris
