This is the new round from the Assay Office of Ireland. It is available in gold and silver; I spotted them on bullion bourse/Perth bullion, but they could be available elsewhere. 2015 is the first year of issue. What do people think of the design? Personally I like it! I note they are 9999, it will be interesting to see the extant to which they are affected by milk spots. Has anybody got one in their possession and could provide 'real' images? See http://www.perthbullion.com/shop/detail/shamrock15sco1/ for the reverse, I can't seem to upload a clear image....
I agree that face value would have been nice, but I don't know if I'd call it a private round either. The assay office was established in 1637 and is state chartered. It is also located in Dublin castle, which is a major government complex.
Indeed comparatively. These are a round and have no face value so not issued by a government in that regard, so not a coin. Rounds have a limited following. People generally prefer their bullion "coin" to have a face value and usually "business strike" vs. "proof strike". So paying a $6 premium for a round vs. a similar premium for a coin, yep expensive. BIGs a fellow member is selling rounds for less that $24 each, that's about $1.60 above spot. I think he will compete with the biggest with prices like that... here's his site... https://www.11thround.com.au/ Great idea and over time he will be driving a Ferrari and sell huge volumes. I can see it already! Perhaps compete is putting it euphemistically... nuke the competition. Everyone that paid overs for Crocodiles will never forget it. Yes it's a small margins game, but that's what it is. If you want to deal in high margins go into fashion.
Look at the Provident Prospector's round. A great design, but the round will never gain much premium (currently .77). There are exceptions to every rule, but a round with no annual design change has virtually no chance of gaining premium. And the resell market is far more limited. http://www.providentmetals.com/provident-metals-prospector-1-oz-silver-round.html
That is a nice looking round and I might pick a few up for the heck of it. I took a look at the official website and they make some nice looking bars.
Just found this. I got one from PB and note they only have a carded one now. I tried to find out more but the Assay Office but their website wasn't the best. I'd be interested to see if they're to be an ongoing series and see from above that 2015 was the first. I also wondered if we might have any Irish members on the forum who may know.
