Hello all, I am SO new to coin collecting (a couple of weeks new) and am already hooked hard. I've always been a bit bird-like with bright shiny stuff. (And quickly obsessive with things that catch my fancy.) My husband had a small coin collection years ago that he had to sell during tough times - I wish he still had it, given my new obsession... He bought a gold American Eagle for his brothers' wedding about 10 years ago, I have two family weddings coming up and thought that was a great idea, couldn't afford gold but bought a silver AE proof set as part of the wedding gift. I LOVED the coin and have become quickly obsessed with the idea of coin collection, but prefer the Australian coins - what a traitor, right? I plan on collecting mostly for pleasure, probably buying a coin or two a month, with the idea of saving them to pass on to my two boys if they express an interest when they are older. My question is, do the coins tend to increase in value (apart from the intrinsic silver value) with age, or do coin trends come and go, and a popular coin now (the lunar dragons, say...) won't be worth much 20 years from now? Or is there no sure way to tell? I'd appreciate any advice, while I will most likely collect the coins that visually appeal to me for whatever reason, if choosing between a few I'd of course choose toward future value! So much of the language here is still completely incomprehensible to me, it's like entering another world! Thanks much!
Hi, people like the legal tender aspect of coins like the American Silver Eagle and the Canadian Maple Leaf.. problem is OUTSIDE of America.. people are spoilt for choice with Low Mintage Bullion that has a yearly design change and many have established massive investor/collector followings.. many to epic cult levels - (see lunar thread): ie: for the same price as a BORING maple or ASE you could get a beautful legal tender coin with a mintage a fraction of the maple/ase... IMO ASE and Maples are the worst investment for bullion with a premium. Either stick with bullion (not legal tender) at as close to spot as possilbe such as buffalos OR if you buy legal tender bullion at a premium.. make sure you get a famous mint - IE: perth mint My order of preference is: Lunar - Perth Mint 1 oz - 300K mintage Kookaburra's 1 oz - 500k mintage Then: Consider other mints: Such as: Panda - china mint Taku Turtle - Fiji (NZ mint) brittania's - Great Britian Dragon (St) - Russia Mint Buying in rolls of 20 or 100 is a good economical way to buy. 1for1
American Silver Eagles and the Canadian Maple Leaf are not the worst investments with a premium. While the mintages are high, they are two of the most highly recognized pure silver coins in the market. Both carry a standard premium over generic bullion and are incredibly easy to sell because of the fact that there is no guessing as to how much it is worth in the market. Bullion like the Pandas, Kookaburras, etc. can and do vary greatly in price depending on how bad a collector wants it at that given moment. Silver Otter, to answer your question about price appreciation over time regarding Silver Eagles, Silver Eagle Proofs are likely the only ones that will rise in value as they get older. Like 1for1 said above, low mintage collectible coins like Britannias, Lunars, Kookaburras, Pandas will also appreciate considerably (but premiums will shrink if silver has a steep sell-off). Although with demand increasing, mintage figures going forward will likely increase and premiums on new issues may come down. I encourage you to diversify your collection. I personally "stack" generic bullion, ASEs, Maples, Mexican Libertads and Austrian Philharmonics because they are all very readily accessible for reasonable premiums in the states and they resell very easily. Philharmonics are sometimes the cheapest to buy, but resell strongly. To satisfy my craving for collectible bullion, I buy 2 to 5 of each issue of Kooks, Koalas, Pandas, Lunar Series and Britannias. I'll also pick up anything I think is a good deal at local shows or dealers. I also encourage you to buy from local shows or dealers, as you will likely get better pricing than online dealers (in most cases). Buying through this forum is also great, but sometimes international shipping can kill a good deal. There are more and more Canadian and American members though. If you don't have a local dealer by you, I can also help you source items that you're after as I am always trading and hunting for things. Best of luck to you and your new addiction.
