Why is it that the Perth Mint has to try and milk every single last cent out of productions even if it cannibalises their profits? I speak of the Lunar 3-coin sets. The Series 1 sets had a mintage run of 1,000 per year. Now series 2 has a run of 3,000 per year - a 200% increase. I picked up a series 1 3-coin set Tiger the other day for $270 with a mintage of just 1,000 yet the 2011 rabbit has a 3,000 mintage and a cost around $330. I would think these series 2 3-coin sets will be selling slowly and find it difficult to rise in value over time. So sad. The PM has done the same thing with the 1oz Proofs. Series 1 had a 2,500 mintage and series 2 a 5,000 mintage, a 100% volume increase. Too bad so sad for the mint, I'm only going to buy series 1 proofs thank you very much. About the same price as a series 2 proof at present and about half the scarcity !
$270 is a very good price. Someone had the entire 12 year set sold individually on eBay BIN, and all priced $425. He sold all of them, but the tiger and the dragon was the first two to go on the first day of listing.
Apologies for digging up this old thread. Where are you seeing the mintage being 3,000 for these 3-coin proof sets? Perth Mint website says 1,000: http://www.perthmint.com.au/catalog...ear-of-the-tiger-silver-proof-coin-issue.aspx Same for Rabbit as well.
Silver Proof Rabbits prices and info. http://www.perthmint.com.au/catalog...r-of-the-rabbit-silver-proof-coin-issues.aspx (No more than 5,000 individual 1oz coins, 500 individual kilo coins and 1,000 Three-Coin Sets will be released) Gold Proof Rabbits prices and info. http://www.perthmint.com.au/catalog...year-of-the-rabbit-gold-proof-coin-issue.aspx (No more than 3,000 individual 1oz coins, 5,000 1/4oz coins, 5,000 1/10oz coins and 3,000 Three-Coin Sets will be released.)
I've been doing the same thing. Been buying any series I proof I can get my hands on for around $110 per 1 oz. Lunars are growing in demand and the limited proof series are going to be the key coins to get in that series. The Chinese are just discovering the Lunar series and imagine how priceless and how hard they will be to get during the mania phase.
In Australia, depends on the year. Dog and Pig probably the cheapest, about $130+. Then up to who knows what for the dragon. Done well given I bought the entire series for about $80 a coin 18 months ago.