I am going to a local auction in the UK tonight. One lot is described in the catalogue: BOXED PROOF SET OF 50 US STATE QUARTERS 1999-2008 - SAN FRANCISCO MINT Are these likely to be Silver or base metal? What sort of value do they have? Is there much demand for them? I will not get to see them until I arrive at the auction, by which time it wil be too late to investigate... Thanks
The 1999 silver quarters still carry a premium, although it's been declining over the years. For the rest, yes, I'd say bullion.
Silver - premium..........rest - bullion. Huh? I thought silver is bullion and the rest are clad. Chris
Sorry, I wasn't as clear as I should have been. 1999 silver quarters are worth more than silver quarters from other years. All the other silver proof state quarters seem to trade as bullion, with a slightly higher premium than random circulated 90% coinage, but 1999 silver quarters still command a premium. In the first years after their release, 1999 silver proof sets traded at a very high premium, I think as high as $400 a set. That price has been dropping pretty steadily ever since.
The box will state whether the coins are silver and they are NOT mixed unless its not an "unsearched" box. If not silver, the rolls are worth no more than $15 each and remember, NEVER PAY MARKET PRICE...YOU NEED EQUITY IN YOUR INVESTMENT! As for silver, check the SPOT price of the day and keep under that...NO MATTER WHAT!
You seem to be reading a different description from the rest of us. There's no mention of "rolls" anywhere in the original post. If you're shopping for silver quarter proof sets below spot, you're likely to have a long wait.
OK - an update and thanks for all your input. The sets were blue boxed sets, so Base metal. (The paperwork was with them, so I could see this. I wasn't sure in advance that there would be any paperwork.) The ten sets were housed in a holder of some sort - looked like a subscription arrangement? In the end I decided they were not particularly for me - I don't collect US coins and I could not see that I could spin them for a worthwhile mark up. (Also they were lotted about an hour after the last lot I was interested in, so it didn't seem worth the wait on the off chance.) I will find out what they went for later and post for your interest. Thanks again!
something interesting to note with these sets: When trying to decide if the coins within the sets are silver or not (some nefarious dealers will replace silver coins with clad coins in the silver packaging), lay a sheet of tissue over the coins. If they show white through the tissue, they are silver, if not, they may likely be clad. Try this with any known sets of clad and silver coins, you'll be amazed at how stark the contrast is! I have known buyers who have purchased clad coins in silver packages. It's an ugly thing!!!
