The United States Mint has sold out of the remaining fractional weight 2009 Gold Eagle bullion coins. The available coins had included a one-tenth ounce, one-quarter ounce, and one-half ounce gold coins.
The fractional 2009 Gold Eagles were first available from United States Mint authorized bullion purchasers on December 3, 2009. Heavy demand had quickly depleted the available inventory of one-tenth ounce coins and had reduced the inventory of the other offerings to limited status. A final allocation of coins was made available on December 14, 2009 and sold out by December 21.
The final sales totals for the fractional weight Gold Eagles are indicated below.
| 2009 $5 Gold Eagle (1/10 oz) | 270,000 |
| 2009 $10 Gold Eagle (1/4 oz) | 110,000 |
| 2009 $25 Gold Eagle (1/2 oz) | 110,000 |
Despite the brief period of availability, these totals are equal to or above the levels attained for the 2008 fractional Gold Eagles. Last year, the US Mint sold 270,000 of the one-tenth ounce coins, 58,000 of the one-quarter ounce coins, 50,000 of the one-half ounce coins.
Typically, fractional weight gold bullion coins have been available throughout the year and have rarely been in the spotlight of attention. The past few years have been anything but typical, as heavy demand for physical precious metals has altered the bullion coin landscape.
The most popular one ounce gold bullion coins have been suspended numerous times and often sold under an allocation program, which rations the available supply. Production of fractional weight gold bullion coins was halted in October 2008 in order to devote resources to producing the one ounce coins. In the following month, the release of 2009 dated fractional gold bullion coins was announced as delayed.
The delay finally came to an end this month, when the fractional weight coins were briefly offered for sale in two batches. Collectors will have to watch and wait for the status of fractional 2010 Gold Eagles.
