Silver Bullion Coins on Allocation at Major National Mints

Due to strong demand, the U.S. Mint, the Royal Canadian Mint, Australia’s Perth Mint, the Austrian Mint and the British Royal Mint have put their silver bullion coins on allocation, where the volume of distribution of coins is controlled due to bottlenecks in the manufacturing process. This is an unprecedented industry-wide phenomenon. In recent history, putting bullion coins on allocation has only occasionally been done by the U.S. Mint. The practice points to considerable tightness in the silver coin business at the moment.

Silver Bullion Coins on Allocation at Major National Mints

Silver bars are also experiencing a slight shortage, although confined to bars under 100 ounces, specifically one ounce and ten ounce bars. Delivery times have increased from immediate to a 10 day delay in the most extreme cases, especially in the U.S. and Canada.