2014 Silver Eagle Sales Limited By Rationed Blank Supply.
According to Mike Unser at the CoinNew.net:
This year’s 2014 American Silver Eagles debuted on Jan. 13, or about a month after the 2013 American Silver Eagles sold out on Dec. 10. United States Mint distributors could not order as many as they wanted, as sales were rationed. The U.S. Mint allocated how many it sold during the first week to fewer than 3.6 million, and then reduced the amount to less than 600,000 for the second week so it could “begin the process of slowly building weekly inventories.” The final week of Silver Eagle sales reached 741,000.
…..The United States Mint now has the capability to fulfill demand, but the limited supply of silver blanks has kept allocation alive. The bureau does not manufacture blanks for silver coins like it does for nickels, dimes and quarters. They are purchased from a select group of vendors who are rationing how many they sell.
Interestingly, the U.S. Mint sold out of 2013 Silver Eagles on Dec. 10th, last year and had more than a month to get the 2014′s up and running. However, the U.S. Mint could only produce 3.6 million by Jan. 13th, 2014, compared to the 3,937,000 oz sold by Jan. 7th, 2013.