Gold at Record High, Demand for Bullion Coins Collapses
by Sebastian Wieschowski, translated by Rosa Haseeb
According to the latest data from the Perth Mint in Australia, total sales of gold coins and bars fell to 16,442 ounces in March – a decline of 65.1 per cent compared to February 2024 and 79.6 per cent compared to March 2023. The Perth Mint sold fewer ounces than it last did in March 2019, and there has also been a sharp decline on a quarterly basis: In the first three months of 2024, the Perth Mint sold exactly 88,179 ounces compared to 197,177 ounces in the first quarter of 2023. A similar pattern can be seen in the Perth Mint’s silver bullion sales.
Decline in demand: The high gold price means that only a few investors are buying physical gold coins. Collage: Canva.
The pattern is similar for the Australians’ competitors in the United States: The United States Mint was only able to sell 12,000 ounces of gold from its American Eagle coins in March 2024. In March 2023, the United States Mint was still able to sell 215,000 gold ounces.
Currently hardly in demand: investment coins from America and Australia. Photos: Wieschowski.
The decline in demand for bullion gold coins was already predictable in the second half of 2023 – by the end of last year, many German private investors had already sold their investment products in the form of coins and bars due to the high price of gold. Even now, the major bullion dealers in Germany are talking about massive repurchases. Thomas Weiß from the German precious metals federation, Fachvereinigung Edelmetalle, told the news agency “dpa” that demand for gold coins and bars in Germany had collapsed by 75 per cent. In an interview with “dpa”, Weiß described the current price trend as “insane”.
According to the industry association, the high gold price is also leading to more recycling, as jewellers and dealers of precious metals and coins are taking the purchased gold to refineries more quickly so as not to tie up capital. Coin dealers have reported that even investment and commemorative coins such as the German 100-euro gold coins are being melted down immediately in order to ensure their own liquidity.
