Lunars! Why? Because they don't suddenly one day decide to increase the 1oz mintage from 300,000 to 1,200,000. The above figures for last few years are incorrect, because China decided to make more pandas. 2010: 1,500,000 2011: 6,000,000
I think the pandas and Aus. lunars are the best bet for now but I would say pre 2006 for the pandas and alot of variables with all the varieties and if they are in omp or graded or just in capsules. The Aus lunars I think have been dragged down with all the different dragon releases espescially for new collectors that paid way too much , now see the prices going down and dont want anything to do with the lunars. But i do think the lunars will pop back up espescially after the horse which will probably be the last of the really desirable ones of the 2nd series. I think Brittanias are good ones too if you can get them for a good price and they are hit or miss with some years more attractive than others. As far as the somali elephants and takus go I think the future will tell but i personally like the elephants better and the designs change, but for some I think a coin with a designation of fiji might seem more desirable than somalia but who knows...
Yes. That is correct. I use my memory and lost the last updates. In my write mintages. Are the same than yours.
Don't forget gang, mintages play a roll in helping determine numismatic value, but the even more imporant factor is demand. FOr those US commemorative collectors, here is an example. The 2001 Buffalo silver dollar each had about 250k for both proof and unc, which is a tremendous amount for a modern commemorative proof. Each coin had a starting value somewhere in the $30-35 range. Ten years later the coin has maintained a secondary market value of anywhere between $150-200. Why? Because of demand. There are other modern commemorative coins with mintages far less than 100k, but because of no demand, these coins are selling nearly for melt. Although the Panda mintages have gone up, so has the demand. I have to say this is the coin with the most numismatic potential.