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Message:: [QUOTE="in5urgent, post: 1751253, member: 56083"]I’m collecting the Presidential dollars too; it’s an easy coin to get (the train ticket machines here in Seattle give them as change), they are attractive, and they are fun to collect for historical interest.  I’m also holding on to Sacajaweas 2002 – 2008 when I find them, as they are NIFC like the 2012+ Presidents (Kennedy half dollarss 2002+ as well).  For the Presidents I’m not even trying to get the 2012+ coins from circulation, I just ordered double sets from the mint: one to leave in its packaging and one to remove and put in the Whitman folder.  I’m enjoying collecting them a lot, my only irritation being how quickly they tarnish and look cruddy in circulation.  So, if you enjoy the coins like I do, yeah – it’s a great coin to collect! If you are asking if you can expect a reasonable return on the coins as an investment, I’d say not likely in your lifetime.  On a long enough time-line these coins will be worth something more than a dollar, but not in the foreseeable future.  Remember that at one time Morgans were common and collectors were completely disinterested in them, but give it 100 years and now they’re very popular.  Unfortunately the Sacs and Presidents have no PM in them but (and especially because they are so unpopular for circulation presently) eventually interest in them will pick up.  I also keep Kennedy dollars and Susan B’s, not only because I love the Kennedy, but because they both had a relatively short run, are historically interesting, and everyone else seems to hate them so I don’t anticipate my great grandchildren will be finding a lot of them in their 7-11 change.  I also figure that the speed with which the current dollars tarnish in peoples’ pockets will raise the value of well kept coins eventually. But, again, I’m talking the very long run.  Consider that the S&P 500, an index of 500 of the largest and most stable U.S. companies’ stocks, averages an annual return of around 11.7% over the last 80 years since its inception.  If you took your roll of $1 Sacagawea coins worth $25 today and bought $25 worth of an S&P 500 index fund and reinvested any dividends with interest compounding annually in 50 years you would have $6,318.28 (=25*(1+0.117)^50).  If you just kept it as a roll of Sacagaweas or Presidents you will probably have $25.  If you are saving them for your grandchildren in, let’s say 150 years, your S&P index fund would be up to $403,567,306.30 (=25*(1+0.117)^150).  That’s assuming a constant 11.7% return, which I admit you won’t get from stocks, and people will argue that the 11.7% is wrong and blah, blah, blah, so let’s say that instead you put the same $25 into a certificate of deposit that pays 1% compounded daily.  After 50 years you’ll have $1,262.56 in your CD (=25*(1+0.01/365)^365*50) compared to $25 worth of coins, and in 150 years you’ll have $3,787.69 in the account (=25*(1+0.01/365)^365*150).  So to keep even with your humble CD earning 1% your grandkids will need to sell each of your dollar coins for $151.51.  While that is conceivable, I don’t consider it likely. So in summation, “is it worth it to continue to collect these Gold[en] Dollars?”  Absolutely, it’s a lot of fun and cheap to do!  But don’t do it instead of contributing to your 401K and other traditional investment vehicles; in fact if you want to collect them it’s best not to look at it as anything but entertainment or you may decide to stop collecting all together to instead lock in that guaranteed 1% interest.[/QUOTE]

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