“The Fed was forced to sell it,”
No, the Fed chose to sell it.
~850 tons of it, maybe 900+ counting 2014, has been minted into coin and sold to the public.
I “back of the napkin’d” this a couple years back, and they had already minted enough gold and silver that we have the same or more than we had in general circulation prior to the great thefts of 1933 and 1964/69.
I’ve always personally thought the currency end game has this as an “out” for folks, between circulating coin and “redemption as lawful money” (which is supposed to opt money off the Federal Reserve system), the citizenry has their solution/new currency right in front of their faces. Most are going to dance to the music right up to when it stops, but the prudent will have already picked and sat in their “chair” when it does.