Hi, I'm passionate about the Panamanian 1 Balboa coins due to their beautiful design, the history, unusually high silver content (0.900), nice large size (38 mm is large enough to admire) and their "relative" rarity. No, they're not "that rare", but "rare enough" to collect. The ones minted in the 1930's and 1940's have the highest value and some surpass the 100 $ or even 200 $ on eBay (they're all NGC or PCGS slabbed). What do you think about the Balboas? Do you own some? Are there many fakes or rare versions to look out for?
Yes they are lovely specimen. I usually go for the Medio 1966 or earlier. Incidentally I picked up 5 uncirculated here in Perth yesterday. Can't wait to hold it.
Would you rather buy slabbed or loose coins? Provided that it's the same quality? The price difference is roughly +75 % to +300 %, but the slab looks nice and gives credibility. Not sure how many "good enough" fakes are out there that can easily be confused with the genuine coins.