What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

C'mon now ~ pick your favorite coin :bear_thumb:

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

If I'm pickin from the list , I'm a Morgan man.
Still love my Pandas though , on the modern , commemorative side of numismatics, despite the forgery problem. I just see so much potential upside, and I love the changing reverse in the series as well.

My overall favorite for value right now is the 1989 Silver Proof Panda:

http://i23.ebayimg.com/02/i/06/72/69/77_1.JPG


I'm guessing that the US minted more Silver Eagle's last year (2006) , than China has issued Silver Pandas combined since the series began in 1983, but not sure of that.

Mintage on this coin in proof was only 25 thousand pieces. (250 BU).
i.e. there is only one of these available per every 50,000+ chinaman!
Absolutely hoardable!!
(for comparison , the only comparable mintage ASE I know of is the 1995 W PASE, which had a mintage of just over 30,000 I believe - these coins routinely sell for over $5,000.)
Can still buy the 89's for a good price. All the other pre 1990 Pandas go for anywhere from ~$150 to over $600 or more.
Even the later year Proof coins ('90-96) command more premium, though some have even smaller mintages (1996P , just 8,000 , go well over $100 , esp. graded).
1989 was the first year of the full 1 ounce in .999 pure, following the 1987 (no series issue in 88 ) which was a full ounce , as compared to the 83-85 , but was the only sterling issued year ( love them too).

There are already seriously less of these coins available than there were just a year or two ago - rarely see them on eBay at all any more, even pandaamerica , pandausa etc just have 'sold out' signs forever on the earlies.
Imagine 10 or 20 years from now, after Chinese individuals' wealth continues growing- which it will regardless of the overall economy I think.

Anyway , rave off:bear_smile:. Just hope the someone is able to put the kaibosh on the fakers.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

i dont have one yet but the st gaudens $20 I like best

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Since I cannot afford to own gold I vote for the Morgan dollar

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

Walking Liberty Half

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

Nice pic there RossL......should had that 1 on the list.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

I'm really into South American coins right now. This 8 Reales from Peru is my favorite. Way more interesting and unique than a Morgan.

.

http://cgi.ebay.com/8-Reales-1838-So...ayphotohosting

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

The Coronet Double Eagle (Liberty) is my favorite Gold Coin. The Morgan Dollar is my favorite Silver Coin.

I also like the Mexican 50 Peso Gold Coin and the Austrian 100 Corona Gold Coin. Let's not forget the $2.50 Indian Gold Coin and the British Sovereigns. Then there is the Mexican Silver Libertads and the older Onza's.

You know, this is a lot like asking me ...who is my favorite Grand Child!

Maranatha,

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

VERY tough call - not the least reason being because we are comparing gold and silver.........to me, we might as well be comparing cars and bikes.

Then, the questions arises, what about something like the Australian Lunar sets - we buy then over a bullion price, but I am not sure if we can truly call them numismatic yet (tho I have no doubt we will once mintages are released.)

And how can I compare gold and silver to platinum coins? (And yes, I have a small collection which, over the years, took a surprising and wonderful numismatic turn.) Now we're comparing cars and bikes to UFO's! :rofl:

So here is what I think I will do - considering the nature of the poll - I am going to go with Morgans, tho I love St Gaudens, and I am not sure that my silver Lunar dragons aren't my favorite, but lets keep it to US coins which is somewhat the flavor of the poll.


Well said - those who do not own, or study, but have a prejudice (pre-judging) against something - in this case numismatics - while they are entilted to their opinions (downside of a country with freedom of speeh) - the opinion is hardly worth listening too.........only researched, studied, documented opinions (pro OR con) are worth the time to listen to or debate.

Like you, I watch the prices of my bullion and my numismatics, and every Friday, after the market closes for the week, I take a few minutes to see what the week has done to my stash - and like you I notice - when the prices of bullion go up, so do the numismatics, generally speaking - and when bullion comes down, the price of the numismatics do too, but not nearly as much.

Sure, there are pros and cons to numismatics - which is why the authors of the best-selling and best-researched books always encourage studying and knowing what you are doing when buying numismatics..........but buying semi-numismatics near spot is a no-brainer, when you can find them, especially if they are MS and graded.

Cheers!

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

I voted the Saint Gaudens, I have a 1908 MS62 graded one. I have been itching to bust it out of it's case. My favorite coin is the 2000 schilling Philharmonic Gold coin though.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

Gotta be a U.S. Standing Liberty Quarter.

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I like the 1916D mercury dime for some odd reason.:eek_ma:

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

How, exactly, do you define "numismatic"? Would it mean that it was in common circulation at one time or would a coin, like an early Panda, that has gotten a significant premium qualify?

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

Numismatic can be argued as 'any' premium above it's melt or legal tender value that is considered to be collectible.

I used the term 'older' in my poll descrip because I didn't want to compete against modern numsimatics - i.e. Pandas, Kangaroos, Maples, etc.

Pre-1930's was my target to guage popularity of the Silver Dollars, Double Eagles, as well as comparable World coins of similar era.

:bear_tongue:

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

GREAT QUESTION - and one I have had in the back of my mind in writing my post..........I would like to see what others say, cause I see it used a couple of different ways.

One reason MAY be that PCGS, on their site, lists mainly US coins - so the inference is that it has to be a coin in circulation.........but lately they have been grading the lunars (why? I have no idea unless its so people selling on Ebay can say the coin has a grade.........and can sell it for a further premium - but I don't see a page for Lumars on PCGS's site!)

To me PERSONALLY - a coin can have numismatic value even if its not been in circulation.......but thats me. As Argent Dragon said: Numismatic can be argued as 'any' premium above it's melt or legal tender value that is considered to be collectible.

MAYBE its one of those things that its an indiviuals opinion????

From PCGS's page...........>>

numismatic: related to coins.
numismatics: the study of coins and coin collecting.
numismatist: the person who studies and collects coins.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

"MT Silver
05-29-2007, 06:06 PM
I like the 1916D mercury dime for some odd reason..."

Was in a shop saturday morning talking with the owner. A guy brought a 1916D dime in to sell. The dealer looked at it under an electonic microscope and told the guy the mint mark had been added = no purchase.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

That's sad to hear. I don't have one myself. My local dealer told me to just stick to a graded PCGS, maybe a NGC, if I do eventually get one. But even one in AG condition is too rich for my blood.

Maybe a pic from TomD will do. *hint, hint* :wink: :tongue:

MT Silver

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

I voted Morgan's, but I think the Winged Liberty Dime (Mercury) is the prettiest.

And I think numismatic means any coin that you collect for the sake of the coin, as opposed to one that is accumulated for the sake of the PM.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

You know, a Mercury dime would be a good subject but I don't have a worthwhile model.

Peace Dollar...
 

love them lips just slightly parted.:bear_whistle:

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

I voted other, while I enjoy all those coins except the foreigns (only because I do not have any), my current numismatic purchases have been leading in another direction. 19th and early 20th century commemorative coins. These commems, in contradistinction to current commems, were actually circulated and people did not care. So mintages are lower than other coins, and especially lower in mint state grades.

Here is an example of an 1892 half-dollar from the Columbian exposition in Chicago. Sorry about the weak obverse pic, camera shifted. This coin is toned and I would grade it as a AU55. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...s/100_5296.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...s/100_5294.jpg

I humbly disagree. In that case, the only bullion I have are a few 1oz engelhard bars. The rest of what I call bullion is quite beautiful, including my 50oz Sunshine Mint bar. sorry no pic as it is secured away and not immediately acessible. The last 50oz Sunshine mint bar that sold on eBay went for $860 before shipping and silver was just under $14, if I recall. $14 x 50oz= $700. bullion schmullion, it's all art. :bear_happy:

The Great Ag

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

Tough call! And tomorrow my opinion might be entirely different. I said peace dollar. I just think it's a very striking coin. I like St. Gaudens, too, and the French angels and roosters.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

Double-Eagle Saints 1st; and the Indian Eagles 2nd.

I'm also thinking about the $5 Indian and the $2.50 Indians - as they are sure cute.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

I've always been fond of the copper coins. Especially Lincoln cents and half cents.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l2...er29/1912d.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l2...04halfcent.jpg

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

Hey Great AG, I have one of those too. I was going to put it up on eBay when I get around to it.

Mine still has to be this one, the 10 oz silver maple:

Attachment 29066

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

Buried in yer back 40 in a "patriot safe" pvc tube with an SKS and a Chicom bandolier full of loaded stripper clips no doubt!

just kidding.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

the Mexican 50 peso is also quite beautiful

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

"...I humbly disagree. In that case, the only bullion I have are a few 1oz engelhard bars. The rest of what I call bullion is quite beautiful, including my 50oz Sunshine Mint bar. sorry no pic as it is secured away and not immediately acessible. The last 50oz Sunshine mint bar that sold on eBay went for $860 before shipping and silver was just under $14, if I recall. $14 x 50oz= $700. bullion schmullion, it's all art. :bear_happy:..."

Interesting.

I got a 50 oz. Sunshine bar at an auction a year and a half or so ago for $360 & about 6 months later for more divisibility, traded it straight up for 5 10-oz. Engelhards.

It was the only one I had seen and come to think of it, I haven't seen one since. Sounds like maybe I should have kept it eh?

Other coin (please post type, years made, etc)
 

1997 UK Silver Britannia, mintage 20,000:

http://24carat.co.uk/images/1997silv...roofrev240.jpg

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

own a few of these restrikes. wafer thin and quite ornate. my girl now has one as a necklace
------------------------------------------
Austria Gold
1915 Austrian 4 Ducat Gold
.986 Gold
Ducats were issued by Austria in 1612, and probably earlier. The last regular issue of 4 ducats was in 1914. All the 4 ducats dated 1915 are re strikes, of which there were 496,501 struck between 1920 and 1936. Four ducat coins dated 1915 are still being produced by the Austrian Mint as official re strikes. There is some tradition in Austria for issuing commemorative coins posthumously.
4 Ducats are produced in high purity gold, 233/4 carats, making them among the highest purity gold coins ever issued for circulation. As ducats have inherited their design and appearance from medieval gold coins, they are very thin compared with modern coins, at just 0.7 mm thick.
Collectors should note that these beautiful coins are a bullion issue, not having any real value in a numismatic sense.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

Those are really cool, I have one too and a few of the (1) Ducat coins which are 0.1106 oz each. Better deal than the 1/10 oz gold coins that are often way overpriced.

http://www.mintproducts.com/ProductI...catgoldbig.JPG

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

>>Anyway , rave off:bear_smile:. Just hope the someone is able to put the kaibosh on the fakers.

Interesting. How much of a problem is it? I was toying with the fleeting desire with building a set but may hold off...

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

Beautiful copper, Gopher. Your 1804 is in much better shape than mine. I bought for my wife, becuase she likes to hold ALL the coins, so I get her's worn. It's G4 and no better.

I love copper, too. Here is a thread for those who love copper. For the Copperheads

Actually it's more safe than that. I have it hidden in my wife's, cousin's, friend's crack heads house. No one will think of looking for my stash their. :banana:

Hey, Goldminer. See if you can trade back your 5 10ozs for a 50oz sunshine mint. It's good to have weighty silver around, barring that, I will have to dig it up, but their is a company in Seattle that sells them for spot. That's where I got mine.

The great Ag

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

Now I know why I could not come up with my favorite coin. It is because I really have a bunch of favorite sets.

Here is a picture of one of my favorite sets. It's a 1988 Canadian Olympic Coin sets. Each coin is $20 CDN and each coin contains 1 ounce of silver.

Now this set has three things that drive it's value.
1. Nuisimatic
2. Silver content
3. Currency exchange

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

In a word , rampant. Sometimes I peek on eBay and at times a while ago , I'd say from a quarter to a half of the pandas are counterfeit. But they seem to have cleaned it up a bit recently. Still , caveat emptor with ebay. Pandausa and pandaamerica sites are good if you want to be sure they're real , but they are way overpriced.
I think TomD recently posted about purchasing fake Gold pandas from a dealer. But mostly it's the Silver 1 oz that get faked from what i've seen.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

You could buy from Jennifer, feel safe, and get a reasonable price.

One problem with all the fakes is when you sell, you'll almost have to sell back to a dealer but if you're just collecting one set for yourself, that would be no problem.

I'm really surprised that the Chinese allowed their coins to become so debased by mostly in country counterfeiters. It's a shame really, that is a beautiful series.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

The Chinese gov't doesn't seem too interested in stopping counterfeiters, even of their own stuff, I guess. At least they're consistent.

What are the counterfit silver/gold pandas made of? Are they usually still silver, but the design is fake to try to capture the premium? Do they weigh the right amount? Are they the right size?

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

If I remember correctly the correct term for most of the bad Chinese is fake rather than counterfeit. I think counterfeit is a term that you would use in the case of a numismatically valuable coin that has been faked down to the level of the metal content. So if I decided to profit on the rarity of certain years of gold St Gauden coins, my counterfeits would be made with the same gold content and alloying metals as the original.

The Chinese bad coins are fakes, the metals are base.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

I've always been fond of ancient Greek coins, especially the "Owls of Athens" tetradrachms, the first early electrum coins, and Spanish "shipwreck" silver cobs. Lots to be said for the historical aspects of the really old coins, and they aren't so "cookie cutter" duplicates of the same old thing.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

I know I'm in the minority, but I picked the Peace dollar because it was the first "real" coin I got (I had wheat pennies at the time). My mom's cousin gave it to my for my 13th birthday. He collected US coins, and he helped me get into the hobby.

Even though she isn't that pretty (by today's standards) that coin holds a special place with me.

On looks... it'd have to be the St. Gaudens. When I was in high school I used to dream about owning one.

Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

Mercury dimes and standing liberty quarters i know they are small but i just love the designs.
And ofcourse the St Gaudens has always been in high standard wish i had more but spendy.

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Re: What's yer fav numismatic coin ?
 

I like a lot of coins, Phiharmonics have some of the most details, brilliant and beautiful.

I've got walkers Short set, well 34-40?

Can't afford St gaudins (sorry sp)
Right now I'm into indians. My first one really isn't mine. Friend had old coins from his grandmother. One was an indian. I gave him a few hundred, sort of like a pawn. But I won't sell them on him. Loved the indian he had. Have gotten a few more.:yippee: