Here are the results of a recent auction on Silverstackers, which kinda epitomizes what I mean, when I say Panda's give a much better return. http://forums.silverstackers.com/to...94-ngc-08-icg-ends-sat-night-1159pm-aest.html 2x1oz ASE slabbed, one is for 2008 (MS69, ICG) and the other one is 1994 (MS69,NGC). These are two ASEs identical in quality MS69. That Sold together for the price of $100, or $50 a coin!!!! If this were a 2008 UNGRADED Panda, it would reasonably sell immediately for $73 (I have experience of this)...or if it was a MS-69, I'm sure it would go for at least $100 quite easily. If this were a 1994 UNGRADED Panda, it would reasonably sell immediately for $240 (I haven't had first hand experience of this)... or it was a MS-69, it would have a value of $300 very easily. Together these Pandas would have conservatively fetched between $300-$400, almost 3-4 times a better return than these high quality ASEs. Consider which person you would want to be: a) you bought the 2 ASEs, one in 1994 and one in 2008, and when you go to sell them, you only get slightly above spot. You've been holding the 1994 coin for 17 years and it sells at the same price of the coin you bought 3 years ago!!! b) you bought 2 Pandas, one in 1993 and one in 2008, and when you go to sell them, you gain so much, you could purchase 6-8x 1oz ASE's MS-69 from 1994! I know who I would like to be <if you happen to be an "a" category person, I have 100s of ungraded ASEs and Maples I'm trying to sell, please come and purchase these of me... I've been trying for ages!!!> "It is said that an argument is what convinces reasonable men and a proof is what it takes to convince even an unreasonable man." (Vilenkin) Hopefully the above is apt proof of the profitability of Pandas over ASEs/Maples. <I got nothing against ASEs/Maples, I got hundreds of them, but when compared against Pandas, they are simply not as good a return on investment> I am pleased that an older 1994 1oz Panda can get (or is valued) 3 newer 2008 1oz Pandas. It hurts that a 1994 1oz ASE is valued equivalently to a newer 2008 1oz ASE. I didn't make it this way - it is what it is... but at least I can choose which bullion coin I'm going to be stacking.
Thanks GP for your input. It was good that the older 1994 ASE was graded by NGC, which happens to be one of the preferred grading groups for Pandas. Easy to make a comparison between a 1994 NGC Panda and a 1994 NGC ASE.
