How should I handle modern "investment coins" from the US Mint

I've been looking into purchasing some of the mint "special" coins that come out each year. For instance the 2014 W Gold Kennedy Half. From what I've seen people on ebay either list them in OGP, or Graded with a First Strike designation. Some will still be sealed in the original mint shipping box, though I don't care for this option because I would like to appreciate my coins while I wait for more opportune time to sell or trade them.

Currently I'm leaning more into keeping them in OGP, but at least what I think when looking through ebay is "this coin is in OGP that must mean it wasn't worth grading" and with sending coin in there is always the risk of damaging it when taking it out of the mint packaging or it not grading the elusive PF 70.

Any thoughts?

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

buy what makes u happy

 

you want it graded get it graded , you ogp get it ogp.. up to you, best to wait till the newness factor wears out and the market stabelizes for the piece before spending

 

That's what I'm hoping on doing with the Kennedy specifically. But for the coins I don't personally want I wanted to make a small profit on the newness factor.

 

just remember its always cheapest at the source

 

"How should I handle modern "investment coins" from the US Mint"
Run from them.

 

well play around if you have the extra money to spend ..

 

I have not purchased a 2014 gold Kennedy half dollar, but I have purchased every silver and clad commemorative since 1982, every proof silver eagle, OGP uncirculated silver eagle, proof sets since 1976 and uncirculated sets since 1978. And, I love the heft and enhanced beauty of 5-ounce pucks, also in OGP.

I have been a discerning collector for many years with no desire to have any coin in my collection slabbed. My American coins remain in OGP, with a very few exceptions. I also prefer to make purchases in the aftermarket in OGP, where available or appropriate. I can grade coins quite well after 46 years of collecting. In my opinion, the "first strike" or "early release" type designations are extreme hype.

Next year is the 30th anniversary of PCGS and have never availed myself of their services. I have always been of a mind that the slabbing process is a false sense of security.

 

i am reminded of an episode of coin world magazine i will find the article for you ... remember the newness factor is purely a market rush which trends

 

i myself am a choice collector , i try to get what i can afford , and what i like.. now im trying to fill sets..

 

If you want to find good investments, don't buy coins.

If you want to waste your money, buy First Strikes.

If you want 70's, learn how to grade.

Chris

 

Dang!

 

Whenever this type of thing is brought up, I always the first response should be to ask...

What makes you think (fill in the blank) is such a good investment?

It's not that it's a bad or unreasonable question, and is certainly one worth discussing, but why is it assumed that one can buy coins today, hold for X years, and walk away with a substantial profit is simply beyond me.

 

Because it happens all the time Books. The trick is to have a good handle on which offerings will be highly sought after with low mintages. As a recent example, look at the truman and ike c&c's. They were so popular because the mint basically told people "hey, I'm gonna be both highly sought after and have a super low mintage."

 

I disagree as long as the coin is either solid gold or silver. It's the base metal and clad coins I run from.

 

Because people look at sales/collections such as the Eugene Gardner collection of seated quarters and think they can replicate the process, never truly understanding that his situation is the top 20% that receives 80% of the results.

When we continually hype these super coins people tend to think that other 'desirable' coins will follow suit and increase to crazy prices too.

And then the hype surrounding this idea, it's quite profound all throughout this hobby. Especially from the big sellers moving the higher quality material.

 

First strikes are a labeling gimmick that, unfortunately, the TPGs fell into.

If you are thinking about quickly "flipping" coins you don't want for your personal collection, be aware that it is a crowded field trying to do that.

 

If you buy a coin and sit on it for 10 years or so, there's a pretty good chance it'll go up in value. That said, it could remain stagnant or go down. And while a coin might increase in value by a modest amount in ten years, there are other investment vehicles that'll perform better/quicker.

 

That isn't an example of a good investment. It's merely a lucky case of speculation and a bunch of bidiots who don't know what they're doing. I'll bet if you held on to them for 25 years, you'd lose money.

Chris

 

"Investment Coins" is a good phrase to put in parentheses, as in so-called investment coins. If you want to invest, try the stock and bond markets, precious metals or real estate. For 95 percent of us, I suspect, coins are an enjoyable pasttime.