The US Mint Resumes Sales While Silver Bars Disappear

							The	
  US	
  Mint	
  Resumes	
  Sales	
  While	
  Silver	
  Bars	
  Disappear	
  
	
  
The	
  U.S.	
  Mint	
  resumed	
  sales	
  after	
  a	
  week	
  of	
  suspension	
  as	
  silver	
  coins	
  sales	
  for	
  
January	
  almost	
  doubled	
  compared	
  with	
  the	
  month	
  before.	
  An	
  all-­‐time	
  high	
  of	
  over	
  
7.4	
  million	
  Silver	
  Eagle	
  coins	
  were	
  bought	
  in	
  January	
  from	
  the	
  U.S.	
  Mint,	
  which	
  
substantially	
  exceeded	
  the	
  former	
  record	
  set	
  in	
  early	
  2011.	
  Gold	
  coin	
  sales	
  were	
  also	
  
the	
  highest	
  seen	
  in	
  almost	
  three	
  years.	
  
	
  
All	
  of	
  this	
  excitement	
  in	
  the	
  coin	
  market	
  is	
  happening	
  against	
  the	
  backdrop	
  of	
  
currency	
  wars,	
  debt	
  ceiling	
  debates,	
  and	
  some	
  of	
  the	
  most	
  blatant	
  price	
  controls	
  
implemented	
  in	
  years.	
  	
  
	
  
One	
  can	
  almost	
  hear	
  the	
  whispers	
  about	
  the	
  end	
  of	
  QE	
  as	
  the	
  world	
  patiently	
  awaits	
  
the	
  fate	
  of	
  Europe’s	
  coming	
  recapitalizations	
  and	
  the	
  rise	
  of	
  the	
  Eurobond.	
  	
  
	
  
When	
  Industrial	
  Demand	
  Overpowers	
  Investment	
  Demand	
  
	
  
The	
  industrial	
  users	
  of	
  silver	
  have	
  benefited	
  from	
  unnaturally	
  low	
  prices	
  for	
  
decades.	
  Nevertheless,	
  the	
  artificially	
  low	
  prices	
  have	
  led	
  to	
  destruction	
  of	
  
inventory.	
  
	
  
Roughly	
  90	
  percent	
  of	
  the	
  silver	
  stockpile	
  has	
  now	
  been	
  worked	
  through	
  since	
  the	
  
demonetization	
  of	
  silver	
  in	
  the	
  United	
  States	
  in	
  the	
  early	
  1960’s.	
  	
  
	
  
One	
  can	
  only	
  wonder	
  if	
  the	
  remaining	
  silver	
  longs	
  who	
  have	
  withstood	
  the	
  
egregious	
  price	
  management	
  are	
  now	
  standing	
  for	
  delivery,	
  leaving	
  industrial	
  
concerns	
  suddenly	
  in	
  a	
  pickle	
  over	
  their	
  just-­‐in-­‐time	
  delivery	
  practices	
  they	
  have	
  
taken	
  for	
  granted	
  for	
  so	
  long.	
  	
  
	
  
Read	
  more	
  here.