Silver Eagles -- MS69

I noticed the MS69 eagles sell for about twice the price of a regular uncirculated ASE. In general, the UNC eagles aren't worth as much as the proof but in MS69 condition they seem to be worth 2 or 3 times more than MS65. What do you think the odds are that you get an MS69 when you buy one of the "normal" unciculated?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Depends who you buy from. A sealed roll will be your best chance for high grades for near bullion value, and a dealer's cabinet will be your worst chance for picking up a 69 for "normal" money.

 

Take a look at the web site at the bottom. It tells you what kinds of coins were given what grades. If you look at the total sales of ASE's in 2005 (8,405,000) then the total number graded MS69 by NGC (81,606) then do some big brain math you get 0.97% of all ASE's have been graded MS69 by NGC. But that is misleading. Because not all ASE's are graded by NGC, most are not graded at all. So, if we look at it another way; the total 2005 ASE's graded by NGC = 86859, the total 2005 ASE's graded MS69 = 81606, again with the big brain math, you get 93.95% of all ASE's graded by NGC are graded MS69. So, to answer your question, the odds of getting an MS69 ASE seem to be pretty good but alot depends on who you get them from. And don't forget that if you buy UNC coins then you have to pay to have them graded,$12.50 per coin at NGC.

http://www.ngccoin.com/poplookup/poplookup-reportlarge.asp?PopSubCatID=76&Designation=MS

 

I think there is some selection bias in that sort of statistical analysis because of the high probability that people only send their best ASEs to be graded in the first place.

 

MS69 on current bullion means little to me. I feel a MS69 in those is equal to a MS63 in Morgan dollars. Not awesome but not horrible either.

The 2006 I bought would likely fall into the 67/68 range due to some luster breaks and specks. It was the best the dealer had.

 

First or all some uncirculated ase are not bullion coins. We keep saying there are, but try and find a 1996 for less then $40.00 . And most of the others are $ 15.00 to $ 23.00 or more. Silver bullion is now at $ 10.26
you do the math, buy raw coins most are ms64 this is not a bullion coin. There is no demand for .9999
silver bars but there is for the ase.

 

I just started my ASE collection and am working backward from 06, the coins are indeed fun to collect but do you guys really think that the premium price over the silver spot rate is really justified?

In other words do these coins really have much price appreciation potential? What happens if silver drops substantially? These coins seem kinda risky to me... but that hasn't stoped me from collecting them

 

HI MORGAN
Because of the Adolph Weinman design this coin will always be in demand. It is by far one of the must beautiful coin designs we have every minted.

 

The only SAE I will pay over $12-$15 is the 1996. All of my SAE's have been purchased for $11-$12, a very small premium over melt.

Doesn't matter what you call them, a MS69 is not a grade I'd aim for anymore with them. They are still bullion to me.

 

I think the coins are very collectible and have decent price appreciation potential even though they are minted as bullion coins. If well-designed bullion coins existed 100 years ago, everyone would want them now. The ASEs might not have the same "fan base" as more traditional numismatic coins, but they will always have a dedicated following of their own. If silver goes down, they will go down. If silver goes up [much more likely if your timeframe is 10 years or more] they will go up. This isn't much different from what happens to many Morgan dollars. Keep collecting.

 

All SAE's are Bullion

All SAE's UNC and Proof are Bullion "coins", because they are minted by the U.S. Mint. If they were minted by any other company other then the U.S. Mint they would be "silver rounds" not coins. The 1996 Unc. costs more because there are less of them to be had, supply vs demand. You're not just buying a troy ounce of silver, your buying a numismatic collectable.

Because of the way the Unc Eagles are handled and packaged there is more chances of them getting small and large distracting marks. So getting a MS69 or 70 takes a good trained eye. I have the entire collection and most of mine I would say should grade at least 68,69 some maybe 70, but grading even by PCGS or NGC "IS" subjective. I don't see the need to have MODERN coins like the ASE slabbed because they are such a high quality collectable and finding high grades should not be a problem for anyone who has been studying how to grade coins or at least knows how to inspect a coin for imperfections.

If you get the opportunity to view the entire collection of Unc ASEs you can see how the minting technics or results have changed over the last 20 years. The older 80's and early 90's ASEs have a more reflective field where the newer 2000's are most all satin finish.

 

Also this year should promise to bring out the 20th anniversary of the ASE. I for one hope it will be something special.

 

Sure would be nice. According to my 2005 PCGS slab, that was the year of the 20th anniversary. There was a debate about that on CU a few months ago.

I think it was CoinWorld I read the mint may do 3 different finishes - Satin, BU, and a satin obverse/bu reverse. Correct me if I'm wrong.