Right, and we agree. However facts are facts. If Odin was the only one in the market place, they'd probably fly off the shelf and be at 400.00 each, just like some of the Chinese coins. There were too many too fast. At the very least it was overwhelming to make a selection based on the different variations. Just say'n
Totally agree with that. Even without taking the wider ancient mythology genre into account, the flood of Norse mythology coins was almost unprecedented. Perth choosing to do Norse Gods after the two Greek series was a mistake in my view. Coming late to a party they effectively kicked off made no sense to me. I personally would rather have seen something like Aztec/Inca gods for example, before dipping into the Norse pot again a couple of years down the line when release numbers had eased off. MDM's nine-coin Norse Gods set was nice, but nine 2oz coins and a 5oz in less than a year was pushing it. Scottsdale and Gainesville have nice sets with sensible release schedules, but I genuinely think Choice have the right approach. A controlled release of premium designs will hold up in the long run I think. As for the numi vs bullion argument, I think Missing and Barsenault are both right. The two have a fundamentally different set of risks. Having bought some 1oz bullion coins at the wrong time, it could have been years before they rose enough for me to break even if I hadn't been lucky in the choice of coin. There is a purity to the numis market I like in that generally, stuff with merit sees price gains and the poor stuff falls away (not always of course). With the silver market, and therefore bullion coins being so heavily manipulated and in many ways so de-linked from what is happening in the real world, its good to have at least some idea of a coins potential instead of being reliant on the whims and needs of a bunch of bankers.
Hey Ag. Yes indeed, it really is a matter of timing and experience, IMHO. Knowing what I know now, when and if silver gets to $30.00 - $40.00, I'll be buying semi-numi coins, like the lunars, pandas, and kooks. They are limited mintage (for now), and have design changes, and good quality (for now). I think this is the best protection if spot goes from those lofty levels to $15.00 again. I learned that lesson when I sold my eagles to buy the remint kooks (I was very lucky!!). The remint kooks at 30'ish dollars are doing just fine right now, whereas, if I held on to my eagles I bought at around 30/40, I'd be in big trouble at this point. However, now that silver is closer to zero, to me, the govt issued, eagles, maples, and philharmonics, if bought at super low premiums ($180 - $2.00 U.S.), I think it is a no brainer, because you're basically playing spot, and these govt issued pieces have a high degree of liquidity...plus, if silver gets to 30/40 again, I think these will be the better play to sell to capitalize on profits quickly. Anyway, I think it comes down to timing & objectives. I think blobs, govt issued, semi-numi bullion and collectibles all have a good play in this space, just depends on what one's goals are.
I think the biggest mistakes people are doing (and I did all of them) is that first year when they start collecting spend too much money, they don't have clear idea or info what they want to collect (spending money on many different things), they don't have control over their "inventory" (especially important to do this good in the early phases, later it gets really annoying to update/edit things) and purchased prices. And they just cannot stop buying.
I completely agree with Stark. I made many mistakes when I started collecting modern numismatics, but I also got very nice pieces at a very nice price. It is always nice to see a coin in our collection gaining value but... can't be always like that Alex.
I know that most purist stackers probably will never understand this, but because all value of a precious metal blob, or any coin, medal, or round no matter what metal or material it's made from is attached to those of us who buy collector coins, medals, rounds, etc (in addition to blobs) there's additional or other/a different value than just the base metal value (which some mistakenly refer to as "intrinsic value"). That other value isn't merely tied to the spot price of the base metal as is with blobs.....rather it is more of an emotional value just like the emotional value that many people attach to the flag of their country as just one of many examples. You can't really put a price on that kind of value; it is more individual and subjective whereas the base metal value is for all intents and purposes these days, attached to the spot price of that metal. Collector value can be a lot of things including one's appreciation for the design of the coin or it can be due to the fact that a coin is scarce. Certain coins may have particular historical value to some collectors even though the coin may not be scarce nor a great work of art. So many different things can drive someone to have an emotional attachment to a coin/medal/round. Therefore, with a person's favorite collector coins, medals, rounds, etc no matter if the value of the base metal drops to a fraction of where it is now, its collector value to the collector may not have decreased at all, and .
