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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;treehugger, post: 1336979, member: 28451&quot;]1. The ASE is probably the most beautiful of the bullion coins based on design. My knock on it is that it is the same old, same old every year. If you are addicted to a meat and potatoes diet, you will love the ASE. If you like exotic cuisine sometimes, you will look elsewhere also. They are easy to buy and easy to sell. I have found the rule of thumb to be you will pay about $4.00 over melt when you buy and you will get about $1.00 over spot when you sell.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Many people like the Maple Leaf. It has a nice-looking design, not as nice as the ASE in my opinion though. It is also the same year after year. Many people like the fact it is .9999 instead of .999 fine silver. I guess I would also if I suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, but I don&#039;t see the big deal. The coin has a face value of $5.00, which appeals to some. I don&#039;t own a lot of these because I have found quite a few milk spots on Maple Leafs I have purchased and I absolutely hate milk spots. The Canadian Mint is aware of the problem, but has basically said they weren&#039;t concerned about fixing it. I have found the purchase price to be a little less than the ASE.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. I have some Canadian Wildlife coins. The Timber Wolf was great, the Grizzly Bear was good, but the Cougar design was a little overdone in my opinion. I like the fact the designs change, but these also fall victim to the same milk spot problem as the Maple Leafs. The real positive of these coins is the 1,000,000 maximum mintage.</p><p><br /></p><p>4. I like the Chinese Pandas a lot. The designs are great and change every year. The coins have a proof-like quality. The premium on these is higher than the ASE when you buy, but is also higher when you sell. I have found these to be the best value in terms of getting back close to the same premium when you sell as when you bought. Also, the value of these tend to rise over the years more than the other bullion coins. Some on this board who are heavily addicted to a meat and potatoes diet will knock the Panda because of potential counterfeiting, but just buy from a trusted dealer and you should be fine.</p><p><br /></p><p>5. The Australian K-group (Kooks, Koalas and Kangaroos) are all nice coins. The designs change every year and the coins are nice quality. I don&#039;t own many of them primarily because I like the Pandas better and would rather own them. Premiums are close to ASE levels.</p><p><br /></p><p>6. I don&#039;t own any Philharmonics. I have found the production quality to be on the poor side and many of them have nicks and dents fresh from the tube. I would never put these on my wish list. For about the same amount of money, I would much rather own ASEs.</p><p><br /></p><p>7. As Clint mentioned, the Britannia is a very underrated coin. The designs are very interesting and creative and change every year. In my opinion, it has the best finish of any bullion coin I have ever seen. The coin could easily pass as proof quality, even though it is bullion. The premium on the buy side is close to Panda levels and maybe a little higher. I have never sold any I own, so I can&#039;t speak for the sell side.</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Another well-designed coin is the Mexican Libertad. The design is beautiful, close to on par with the ASE. Again, it is the same every year. The premiums are close to ASE levels, but the ASE is easier to negotiate if you need to sell something.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>My preference list would be as follows:</p><p><br /></p><p>1. ASE</p><p>2. Panda</p><p>3. Canada Wildlife</p><p>4. Britannia</p><p>5. Libertad</p><p>6. K-Group</p><p>7. Maple Leaf</p><p>8. Philharmonic</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I hope this helps. Again, it is just the opinion of a non-meat-and-potatoes person.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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