The United States Mint has sold out of its 2018 American Eagle Silver Bullion Coins temporarily. It is producing more coins now.

In a press release published recently, the U.S. Mint stated that the U.S. Mint had temporarily sold out of its inventories of 2018 American Eagle Silver Bullion Coins due to recent increased demand. The memo further read that all orders received before the communication would be honoured. And that the U.S Mint was in the process of producing additional 2018 American Eagle Silver Bullion Coins. And they would make the coins available for sale shortly.

The announcement is set amidst the strongest silver sales from the U.S. Mint since the start of 2017. Meanwhile, in August, the U.S. Mint reportedly sold around 1.53 million one-ounce American Eagle Silver coins, which was up 72% from the previous month. And, in contrast, the sales of the American Eagle Gold coins dipped to a four-month low in August, which indicated a decrease in sales from the same period in 2017.

The U.S. Mint does not sell its bullion coins directly to all customers who are interested in buying. The Mint instead sells the coins to purchasers who are qualified to buy bulk quantities at prices based on the closing spot price of the precious metal on the given day, together with a $2 per coin premium. The coins can then be resold, at a markup, to other dealers, investors, and collectors.

Even though the silver coins have done much better than the gold coins, it is reported that the physical silver continues to lag in price performance. The gold-silver ratio has expanded to around 84.75, and silver has fallen to two-year lows. It was also observed that the wholesalers responded by raising premiums by around 25%. The increase was reported as temporary, with the possibility of mitigating in around two weeks.