This is an absurd claim by 2 NY politicians...

It doesn't matter if it is outstanding or not. It is all overpriced. Try and sell anything from the Franklin Mint for what you paid for it. A true collector makes purchases with an understanding of the market for such collectibles. Everyone else should observe the old saying, "A fool and his money are soon parted!"

Chris

 

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Did the Pets.com sock-puppet get a new gig? I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I'm with Chris on this.

 

Really? Even the Monnaie de Paris?

 

I still don't have the heart to tell my sister the gold plated , Jefferson journey nickels she bought me are worthless and make my cringe when I see them , she probably paid $24.95 for 6 nickels . Should she have to learn the hobby , to try to do something nice for me. Thank God it was only $25 and not some senior citizens life savings .
rzage

 

LMAO. I'm still trying to figure out how The Franklin Mint gets the coins to feed through the dot-matrix color printer!

 

Sorry ~ but this came to mind when I read this post. Not the Franklin Mint, but the Washington Mint. 1/2 troy pound of pure silver. I am sure it was over priced at the time but I know the value is at least 2x what I paid for it. Not advocating ~ just saying. I know I could have done better at the time, but at least its worth more than I paid for it.

 

But that is only because the price of silver has gone through the roof. Its bullion value has nothing to do with the mint that produced it. When did you buy it? If it was more than a year ago, it probably sold for 4x the price of silver. If it was back when silver was floating around $10, it was really a rip.

Chris

 

Exactly. Purely because of bullion value.

 

What ever the silver price was in 95, I paid $85 I think. I bought knowing it was pure silver (not plated) and I liked the idea of having a chunk of silver that big. It was an uneducated emotional purchase which is what these companies prey on. It was $85 I should have spent more wisely but I just didn't know better at the time. I am lucky with what happened to the price of silver. The same could be said with most of the modern US mint products. The majority of them are worth less than what was paid for them (especially when bullion values fluctuate down) if you try to sell them. That said, at least those are bullion products that have some chance of having values higher as bullion prices rise. These plated coins and colored coins are targeting uneducated buyers that make emotional purchases and will never realize a profit on their purchase. To me that's not how I would choose to do business or treat others. To each their own, I understand their motivation.

 

I was just making a point based on the comment.

 

In the end you made a good investment :thumb:

 

Thanks, I still feel dumb for not spending a few minutes at the time to see what $85 could have gotten me! Back then I am sure I could have had a nice stack of common Morgans in decent shape. That said the kid in me likes holding a half pound of shinny silver.

 

FM diecast cars have a huge following and many have sold far in excess of retail at auction...some of the rarer cars. I paid $90 for a 1997 Corvette Model from FM and sold it for $650 on Ebay. Easy sell. FM medals often sell for more than bullion value when they are new with all papers and packaging...and complete. But resale doesnt matter you collect to own and enjoy and for no other reason. Franklin Mint porcelain in the 70's and 80's was outstanding and much cheaper than issues from Hummel that had simpler designs.

The colorized coins are new...not from the real Franklin Mint that was at Franklin Center, PA. (though there is nothing wrong with colored coins...most places other than the US Mint do it...) Old FM would hand enamel ingots and medals. FM minting quality was superior to any other mint...yes. Most of the sculpting staff at the US Mint started and spent a good part of their careers at Franklin Mint. Franklin Mint at one time had the largest artistic staff of any company in the world....with over 5000 employees. The medallic sculpting studio was lead by William Cousins...in the early Franklin Mint days in the 60's Gilroy Roberts lead sculpting. TFM built factories in the USA for minting, pewter, and Porcelain. And later used that expertise to open plants in the far east for all products except coinage. Franklin Mint also minted coins for more than 20 Nations. Here are some pics of a very few good FM items.

 

Outstanding is all that matters...you have to pay for nice product. Which is the case with most Franklin Mint items. You got what you paid for. The prices they charged for medals, coins of the realm etc..were not that different than US Mint prices. (not talking about present times) A true collectors buys what they like.

Selling prices on Ebay etc are often reflect mass market interests. People like throw away tech like cell phones and Ipads....not collectibles. So poor selling prices doesnt infer that the item is junk...just that the masses want other things. If you were to buy a Rolex watch from a jewelry store and turn around and sell on Ebay you would loose a good deal of money.

 

Even some National Collectors Mints replics sell for premiums on Ebay. I purchased the pure silver version of their 1936 proof set replica. It was limited to 750 and sold out in 2004. Paid $50...a coupl sold not too long ago on Ebay for $100+. The replicas were really nice.

 

Nice, but not like the "real deal". Like I agreed with you earlier, collect 'em 'cause you like 'em.

For me though? Nothing would take the place of a genuine '36 proof set.

 

Here are a couple pics of a 1980 Proof Set FM struck for Belize...and FM's own bulion program that lasted a few years. The quality is tops..unmatched by most mints throughout the world. FM did mainly proof but also antique bronze and sterling. I have read a few articles in Coin World ect. praising the quality of past Franklin Mint issues.

 

not to argue with you but have you seen the commercials for this?

it's all basically a pack of lies

they say that the silver was recovered from ground zero vaults but the company can not prove it, they also claim to have donated money to the 9/11 fund which did happen but that $200,000 they donated was promptly returned because the director of this mint was implicated in some fraud cases so it's just easier to return the money then deal with it...

the commercial is slightly deceptive to the public and reminds me of a used car salesman...the kind that try to push lemons on people.

I know in a free trade society people can sell anything they want and people need to think before buying but this particular coin plays on people's emotions about a tragedy...my personal opinion is this coin is just crap and not just crap but crap that wouldn't normally sell if it wasn't playing on emotions about 9/11

 

My point is there is nothing wrong with honoring an event. The silver being recovered from the sight is easy to prove and no big deal. I can easily buy a WTC silver eagle right now and use it to plate countless pieces with silver. Its only $24....thats a cheap product.

 

Please explain how you can identify a "WTC Silver Eagle" from any other Silver Eagle.

Chris