Interest in these seems to be picking up... be a long time before they go up a lot, but you can already see them inching up a little.
I Like Ikes I purchased a set of Brown Ikes (Silver Proofs 71-74) a while back, actually I acquired two sets, with four extra 71's, but I gave one set to my Brother and the extra 71's I either gave as gifts or donated to our coin club auction. Anyway I have decided to put together a set not to include every "type" that was produced, but a year/mint set of all the Ikes. I too have noticed an interest in Ikes in the last year, so I guess thats why I've decided to put my collect together before the high grades get to too expensive for this poor country boy to afford. I'd like to get my hands on some MS toned Ikes for contrast in my display. I even toyed with the idea of acquiring some well circulated Ikes to give to kids this X-mas, just to get them talking about this large dollar coin that came and went long before they were born and most of all get them asking who was this Ike guy anyway?
I like IKE's because they are BIG and they have some "meat" to them! Also, I like them because finding circulated strikes in MS65 condition is a challenge. For instance, try finding a MS65 1971-P certified by either NGC or PCGS, you will pay well over $100 for this first year issue even though multi millions were produced. Why? Poor strikes, casinos banged the heck out of these, and the relief of these coins were low...actually, all of the above. I also like how some of these coins have toned over the years and to me, I see them going up just like anything else...maybe not as much as inflation, or maybe more, who knows, but I like IKE's.
ok.. talk about mark-up http://cgi.ebay.com/1971-D-Ike-Doll...ryZ11981QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I like the 1973 Mint sets because of the low mintage Ikes. In the past I have bought many, many sets of these at around $10 but now they are $20 and more. I think I'll hold these for a while.
Same thing for the brown Ikes.Since the TPG's started accepting them for certification in their original holders,the price has increased yearly.You can find PR Ultra Cameos like this beaut.Maybe I'll send mine in.
Here's one, and I'll buy as many as you can find for $100. PCGS examples bring more than double that. Personally, I like the 72 varieties. Here's a favorite from my collection, a 72-P Type 3: The proofs can be simply amazing: They come in gold too: I like Ikes for several reasons. First and foremost, they were the first coins I collected as a child. Secondly, you can collect them on a budget. Thirdly, the complete set is realtively easily attainable, yet presents challenges if you choose to take them on (like the high grade 71-P or the 72-P type 2 in MS 63+). To answer your question directly, I think that prices will continue to rise for these coins in the upcoming years, particularly the high grade or rarer issues. But then again, I don't collect them because of their future value, but because I enjoy them. Have fun...Mike
Barring a major worldwide depression, the values expressed in dollars will certainly continue to rise. Whether or not there will be true value increases - that is a specific coin will be worth more loaves of bread or pounds of sugar than it is today - is just as uncertain as whether a share of stock in Google or Ford will go up or down. If you are collecting, keep on choosing coins you enjoy owning, as Leadfoot so obviously does. If you are investing, treat your coins just like you should for any other investment - watch for price trends, dips, dives and bumps, and buy low, sell high.
