ATB Five Ounce Silver Coins

I know I check that out every week or so

i was thinking the same thing I'm suprised they arent listed at 199.99

This is one of those occasions I sure hope I am wrong, but it's beginning to seem like the 2012 pucks might have been scrapped from the calendar. It's already mid-May! 

A couple of reasons, first, silver is tanking, and if it stays below $30.00/oz., the demand just won't be there. Another reason is the "stable" inventory, if the Mint has enough bullion and collector coins on hand for sale during the rest of the year, they're covered since they have enough supply to cover the demand. It's immaterial what year is stamped on those coins so long as there's sufficient minted coins to meet projections, that will fulfill the obligation as stated under the authorizing legislation.

On another blog I subscribe to, someone estimated that it would take another 2 1/2 years to sellout the first of the 2011-Ps. Rather a depressing thought. This series is every bit as unpopular as the gold First Spouses, but the FS coins are different as they are required to be issued in conjunction with the circulating Presidential dollar, and the gold spouses were really never thought of as practical bullion coins. Will be interesting as the 2012 dollars aren't made for circulation, how would that affect the FS program?

Is it only just a year ago that many of us was just getting the Hot Springs-P puck delivered? The overzealousness with which the 2010 coins were ordered and hoarded caused the Mint to grossly overestimate the production of 2011s, which are fast becoming the new Bicentennial 40% proofs. I am not going to hold my breath for the 2012s, even for a short run of 10,000 coins of each of the five designs in either format as that's the base number of collectors who would definitely buy these. In the age of instant information, a strictly limited mintage on even the most unpopular U.S. Mint product would sellout in a matter of hours to marketers and flippers.

They are probably now starting to struggle minting enough bullion silver eagles to meet demand, which is required of them.

Lol. Angel, They could not do that! It would have made sense!

It is strange they don't have any mention of the 2012 ones yet, but by law, they have to mint some. There is still plenty of time left in the year to mint them. The mintage is so low, they could easily mint them all in a few days. I think they only have one press to mint them and it can probably mint thousands per hour, so they don't need much time to mint all of them.

Thanks for posting the update on them.