Melt Values for Silver Coins Jump through Q3 2012

Fiery gains for silver in July and August have boosted the melt values of silver coins in the third quarter 2012 and for the year.

After boisterous gains during the January-March period, silver prices plunged in the second quarter to such an extent that silver was in the red through the first half of 2012. A modest turnaround in July and then sharp increases in August and September brought silver well back into the black for the third quarter and for the year — up in London with respective increases of 28% and 23%.

Melt values for silver coins, naturally, shot higher with silver’s gains. Holders of bullion and junk silver coins, such as 90% silver coin bags or older US silver coins, watched their values rise sharply. For example, a 1964 Kennedy half dollar went from a melt value of $9.79 at the end of June to $12.53 just three months later — a change of $2.74.

In the same vein, melt values for modern silver coins jumped to make their prices much more attractive. Looking at several silver products from the United States Mint highlights the changes. In the table below are U.S. Mint products with columns that show how melt values have changed from their release date to the end of September when the London Fix price for silver was $34.65 an ounce.

2013 Silver Kookaburra Bullion Coins Available Now - 1oz 1 Million

The Perth Mint of Australia unveiled the 2013 design and release date of one of its most popular annual bullion products. Beginning Monday, September 3, 2012, three sizes of the 2013 Australian Kookaburra Silver Bullion Coin series will become available.

On the reverse of the newest silver issues are two young kookaburras sitting on a tree branch above flowering foliage. Inscriptions atop the artwork include AUSTRALIAN KOOKABURRA and below it are 2013, the corresponding coin size, and 999 SILVER. The Perth Mint’s mint mark, P, is to one side of the design.

2013 Australian Kookaburra Silver Bullion Coins come in three sizes. All feature the same reverse design. Shown in the image above is the one-ounce size.

As with all Australian legal tender coinage, the obverse design has Ian Rank-Broadley’s effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and inscriptions that include the face value of the coin, ELIZABETH II and AUSTRALIA.

Investors and collectors alike may purchase the $30 denomination one kilo coin, the $10 ten ounce coin, or the $1 one ounce 2013 Kookaburra silver bullion coins with the assurance that all three are composed of 99.9% pure silver with weights and purities guaranteed by the Government of Western Australia.

The sizes are the same since 2010, but the 2013 one ounce coin is limited to 1,000,000 while the one kilo and ten ounce coins will be minted to meet demand. Previously, mintages for the one ounce size was limited to 300,000 in 2010 but was raised to 500,000 for the 2011 and 2012 issues.

Kookaburras first appeared in The Perth Mint’s silver bullion coin series in 1990 and were well received. Kookaburras are iconic Australian bush birds known for their cry that almost sounds like human laughter. When The Perth Mint introduced the series, the policy of rotating new designs annually was put into place and a fan following developed soon after.

Below is a table of mintages for past one-ounce issues in the series prior to this years remintings.

Mintages of 1 Oz. 1990 – 2012 Kookaburra Silver Bullion Coins

YEAR	MINTAGES	YEAR	MINTAGES
1990	300,000	2002	81,160
1991	283,766	2003	93,596
1992	198,356	2004	79,732
1993	180,473	2005	84,448
1994	164,327	2006	76,943
1995	134,535	2007	202,506
1996	146,642	2008	300,000
1997	149,219	2009	300,000
1998	92,902	2010	300,000
1999	104,433	2011	500,000
2000	99,388	2012	500,000
2001	164,480	2013	TBA

The above mintages were last updated by the Perth Mint on April 13, 2012.

2013 $1 Australian Saltwater Crocodile - Bindi 1oz Carded Silver BUNC

Produced by the Royal Australian Mint in coalition with Australia Zoo, established by world-renowned conservationist, the late Steve Irwin, this sparkling new Australian legal release will enhance any world crown collection. 

Distinguished by a striking design upon its broad 40mm diameter flan, this dramatic .999 fine silver Frosted Uncirculated coin portrays ‘Bindi’ – a resident of Australia Zoo and Steve Irwin’s favourite crocodile, named after his daughter. 

An official Australian legal tender issue, crafted from a troy ounce of pure .999 silver, the Uncirculated 2013 $1 Bindi Saltwater Crocodile is strictly limited to a worldwide mintage of just 10,000 – each presented in an official Royal Australian Mint pack.