SINGAPORE, Oct 1 (Reuters) - The Perth Mint sold a record amount of silver coins in September, while gold sales rose to a one-year high, as lower metal prices attracted retail buyers globally.
The rush for silver coins has pushed the global market into an unprecedented supply squeeze, forcing some mints to ration sales and step up overtime while sending U.S. buyers racing abroad to fulfill a sudden surge in demand.
The Perth Mint has said that most of the demand last month came from the United States and Europe although buying from Asia, particularly Hong Kong, was also good.
Perth Mint began rationing silver coins last month as it was unable to keep up with the strong demand spurred by low silver prices XAG= , which have dropped for four months starting June and hit a six-year low of $13.93 an ounce in August.
The mint sold more than 3.53 million ounces of silver coins in September, it said in an emailed statement on Thursday, or about five times higher than the mint's August sales.
Demand for gold products also rose in September, with sales climbing to 67,313 ounces, the highest since September 2014. Year-on-year, gold sales were lower by 2 percent.
Spot gold XAU= fell for a third month out of four in September on fears the U.S. Federal Reserve would hike interest rates this year.
Period
Gold
Silver
Sep-15
67,313 3,530,000*
Aug-15
33,390
707,656
Jul-15
51,088
746,700
Jun-15
31,019
384,586
May-15
21,671
337,511
Apr-15
26,545
472,273
Mar-15
34,260
638,557
Feb-15
31,981
392,114
Jan-15
23,174
585,953
Dec-14
40,211
477,731
Nov-14
49,904
851,836
Oct-14
55,350
655,881
Sep-14
68,781
756,839
Aug-14
36,369
818,856
Jul-14
25,103
577,988
Jun-14
39,405
586,358
May-14
36,127
630,349
Apr-14
23,461
361,988
Mar-14
30,177
545,165
Feb-14
47,003
392,088
Jan-14
64,818
912,388 Source: The Perth Mint
* Perth Mint email said sold more than 3.53 million ounces Note: Sales figures in ounces. Gold sales include coins and minted bars. Silver figures include only coins as the mint does not issue silver minted bars.
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