For the second time this year the US Mint has halted the sale of Gold Coins offered on its web site as the result of increasing Gold Prices.

On Sept 13, the US Mint suspended sales of the “W” uncirculated gold American Eagles and bulk sales of four-coin gold American Eagle proof sets. These have yet to be re-offered, though new prices were supposed to be published in the Federal Register today, Oct. 11

The most recent suspension of sales came yesterday when all Platinum “W” uncirculated American Eagle coins sales stopped. A message on the US Mint website read: “Due to the increasing market value of platinum, the American Eagle Platinum Uncirculated Coins are temporarily unavailable while pricing for this option can be adjusted; therefore, no orders can be taken at this time.” The OLD Price was : $1,489.95

This came on the heels of the 2007 Proof Gold Buffalo Coins sale suspension on Oct 9th. A similar statement read: ” Due to the increasing market value of gold, the American Buffalo Gold Proof One Ounce Coin is temporarily unavailable while pricing for this option can be adjusted; therefore, no orders can be taken at this time.” The OLD price for the Proof Gold Buffalo’s was : $825.95. Gold bullion was trading in the $730s per ounce when Buffalo coin sales were suspended.

The price of gold is up 17 percent this year, heading for the seventh straight annual gain as the dollar dropped to the lowest ever against the euro.

Gold futures for December delivery rose $5.60, or 0.8 percent, to $748.70 an ounce at 11:33 a.m. on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The metal reached $755.70 on Oct. 1, the highest for a most-active contract since Jan. 22, 1980, the day after the price reached a record $873.