Bullion - bullion coins gain a numismatic premium as they get older and scarcer.. even old bullion bars have in some cases gained a huge premium over spot, the same vintage PROOF / High relief / other high premium marketing spin coins / rounds in Case / Limited Edition coins EG RAM, Perth Mint, Franklin Mint etc are worth less than original retail and in some cases sell for spot Always exceptions but bullion looks to be the best bet as close to spot when you buy and a gaining premium over spot during time from my vast observations over the last decade.
1oz PM bullion bar seems good now with milk spots, proof or HR are always at risk to be paying those premium.
Depends on a number of factors. I see plenty of bullion that has gained no meaningful premiums over the years. High relief would be my choice. .
I would go with Bullion right now like the first 2 posts said, and yes too much risk these days on milk spots to pay much of a premium on specialty coins and medals , most just lose alot of money.
XAG sold for over 1k, Pre Florin, Crown 37,38 are also good. 2000 $1/10 cent mule Dollar premium up every year
Send one to China and you can get XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX copies in a short period (all made in real 999 silver).
I guess like houses you make your money on the purchase rather than the sale! 1oz Proof = $65 1oz High Relief = $110 Bullion = $28 Bullion can easily double in value if it is limited, such as the Lunars. If it is unlimited, like the American Silver Eagles, then it might go up but there are loads made. Proofs are more limited but they also have limited appeal. High relief are also made in lower numbers and have limited appeal. For my money I would rather buy four bullion coins than one high relief coin. You get four times the silver for around the same price and if they are a limited release then they will most likely go up in value if you wait long enough. just get something that is part of an ongoing series and hope that late comers are going to want to put together a complete collection.
The point is that future value is about demand/supply balance, about "stories" and common value perceptions. There are plenty of rubbish bullion choices, plenty of boring HR and plenty of uninspiring forgotten proofs. The things that seems to be critical are: 1. Timing of purchases (new or secondary market?) 2. Timing of sales and choice of venue (fashion - demand - selling costs) 3. Series items versus one off commemorative items? 4. Scarcity of the item and how many are for sale at any point. I am sure there are more - but I would say that the best bullion has widely collecting changing or series designs - HR is only great if mintages are very limited and the subject matter is good (if it doesn't mint sell out within a couple of weeks its not in demand). Proof is great for some silver lunar and some sovereigns for example but proofs generally lose premium over time and bullion if it is interesting gains premium over time. What to buy is also connected with spot price - Numismatic is best value as spot rises and bullion often worse value. As spot falls bullion becomes a bargain as its upside potential increases.
Bullion coins from several series have a consistent record of appreciation detached from silver spot prices, Pandas and Perth Lunars being two that immediately enter the mind. There are others.
Coins are for hobby bullion is for business. The one thing rarer than a rare coin is a buyer of a rare coin! You can buy some high premium rare coins but it's unlikely that you'll find a buyer.
Use eBay's sold function to find the selling history for the coins you are interested in. Proof http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_..._nkw=1oz+Dragon+lunar+Proof+coin&_sacat=11116 High Relief http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_...nkw=1oz+Dragon+lunar+High+relief&_sacat=11116 Bullion http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_...oz+Dragon+lunar+bullion+UNC+coin&_sacat=11116 Make a spread sheet of the coins including sale price and postage etc. Add information such as initial retail price or purchase price. Add AUD vs USD exchange rate. Add GSR. Add the mintage figures from (Example - Perth's numismatic and bullion pdf pages) Bullion Mintages http://www.perthmint.com.au/investment-bullion-bars-and-coins-mintages.aspx Numismatic Mintages http://www.perthmint.com.au/numismatic-mintages.aspx Etc etc etc........... Add as much info as you like then use the chart function to make a graph to compare the nomenclature.
