Sounds nice, PCGS is slabbing 2005 SAE's under a "First Strike" label. Matter of fact, they even trademark protected the term. Supposedly, the first strikes are better than later strikes (worn dies, etc.). Makes sense...or does it??? What do you think? Does anybody know how many of these SAE's will receive this designation from PCGS? I feel that it is pretty cheesy...but give them credit for doing it first. There are a number of ebay posts regarding this and I would apprecaite your input as to hype, numbers and all.
I was watching "Coin Vault" a couple days ago, (kinda like a car wreck) and they were offering ICG MS70 First Strike (or maybe it was First Day Issue?) before they were even released. They even went so far as to say that only 3340 would make that grade. How far do they have to go before they are blatantly misleading the public?
They've been doing this for some time - it's not new. You can find UK gold sovereigns slabbed as first strike going back to 2000 I believe. But it is a misnomer for you can get so called first strikes in any month the coins are struck - not just in January. And you can get coins struck with worn out dies in January - or any other month. Some of the dies are only used to strike a few thousand coins or less - and then they get a new one. And you can do that in a few hours. It's a marketing gimmick - plain and simple.
1st Strike Silver Eagles where sold for $99 a few days ago on tv...in one of those selling channels...cant remember which one...looked real nice!
I would have to go along with GDJMSP on this one. Just to many ways to call a coin first strike. I think I will use my little bit of funds on other coins. coinsngolf
ndgoflo, it was Home Shopping Network that had the "presale" MS70 ICG's. Coin Vault is strickly NGC and PCGS. What a laugh...they're going to predict how many they're going to get. Talk about marketing. Hey GDJMSP, I'm glad you said what you did about the dies. Anyone that thinks they use one die through the year without changing them out needs to bone-up on how they make coins in the first place. Let's see...what logic would I have to employ to make the "first strikes of the year" theory a reality. 1) the Mint would have to use every die at one time so that means they would be striking a given number of coins and then switching the die 2) the Mint could not make any more dies after the first are made because, after all, the quality has to get lower throughout the year, right?? 3) then they would have to go back through all the dies again and keep cycling through all the dies until they were done striking altogether Come on people....we know better than that don't we?
Supposedly, the first strikes are better than later strikes (worn dies, etc.). Makes sense...or does it??? Considering they will give the First Strike designation to any SAE submitted in January no matter what the condition of the dies are, No.
