Gold and silver American Eagle and gold American Buffalo bullion coins dated 2024 began entering the numismatic and investment marketplaces during the first full week of the calendar year.

Although the Mint’s authorized purchasers began receiving their shipments of the bullion issues Jan. 4 for sale and distribution to secondary market dealers, collectors and investors, none of the coins reportedly surfaced in Orlando, Florida, during the recently completed Florida United Numismatists Convention Jan. 3 to 7.

The Mint’s bullion coin releases are not sold directly to the general public, but through authorized purchasers who purchase the coins in large quantities from the bureau at prices based on the spot price of the metal each coin contains plus a premium. These bullion purchasers then sell the coins into the secondary market, to dealers, collectors and investors, at a markup.

In June 2021, as a deterrent to counterfeiting, the U.S. Mint introduced new designs in both the silver and gold lines of their American Eagle program. The redesigns featured enhancing obverse details on both the silver and gold coins and introducing completely new reverse designs on both, as well as adding a notch in the reeded edge of the 1-ounce coins as a security device.

The location of the edge notch is moved annually. For the 1-ounce gold and 1-ounce silver bullion American Eagles of 2024, the notch is at the 9 o’clock position in relation to the obverse. The notching for the 2023 issues is at the 3 o’clock position.

The notch also appears on the 2024-W Uncirculated finish 1-ounce gold and silver American Eagles, which bear the West Point Mint’s W Mint mark, and on the 2024-W Proof strikes of the 1-ounce gold and silver coins. These Proof and Uncirculated coins are sold directly from the Mint to its customers.

The anti-counterfeiting edge notches do not appear on fractional versions of the American Eagle gold bullion coins, nor fractional Uncirculated or Proof versions — the half-ounce gold $25 coin, quarter-ounce gold $10 coin and tenth-ounce gold $5 coin. Nor do notches appear on the bullion, Proof or Uncirculated releases of the 1-ounce gold $50 American Buffalo coins.

The American Buffalo coins are composed of .9999 fine gold, the American Eagles silver coins are .999 fine, and the American Eagle gold coins’ .9167 fine gold composition is an alloy that also includes 5.33% copper and 3% silver.

The Mint’s list of authorized purchasers can be found online at https://catalog.usmint.gov/coin-programs/bullion-authorized-purchasers.html. Currently 10 firms are listed as authorized to participate in the Mint’s bullion purchasing program, with nine of them on American soil and one located in Germany.

December 2023 bullion sales comprises predominantly 2023-dated bullion coins, and January 2024 sales reflect 2024-dated coins (https://www.usmint.gov/about/production-sales-figures/bullion-sales).

December sales include orders placed near the end of 2023 for 2024-dated coins, which couldn’t be shipped to authorized purchasers until after Jan. 1, 2024.

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