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Franklin Mint: Tried to buy a Trinidad '83 proof set last night...

GritsManGritsMan Posts: 2,599 ✭✭✭
in World & Ancient Coins Forum
It started at $59 or so and was $62 when I went to bed. Put in my snipe at $110, thinking I'd probably get it. Woke up to see it had sold for $315!!!
By U.S. standards, this was still a steal as only 461 were minted, but it's got me wondering who is collecting these FM sets and why? Anyone have any insights to this?

There are about a dozen countries that had the FM mint proof sets for them, and I am wondering if these sets are all considered together (as I think of them), or if there's definitely more interest in some countries than in others? They are fun sets with gorgeous designs, so it wouldn't surprise me if they are growing more popular. Would like to hear any musings...
Winner of the Coveted Devil Award June 8th, 2010

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    spoonspoon Posts: 2,798 ✭✭✭
    There definitely are people who collect hardcore Franklin Mint stuff, aside from the general "it's pretty" crowd. I once sold some of the annual catalogs they produced in the 70s on ebay and it sparked a little bidding war...

    My wantlist & references

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    7Jaguars7Jaguars Posts: 7,986 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I have wondered this too, how much are these Franklin Mint proof sets worth and to whom. A few go rather ballistic and many do still remain unloved. I have seen the Trinidad sets of later years go crazy, and the gold unc.s of Belize were off the chart on a few that were in the mintage range of 10-60.

    IMO this is not just "Franklin Mint" collectors but that there is the possibility of some home market interest in some of these as well. Try and get that Malaysia (1980?) set for cheap or near to catalog!
    Love that Milled British (1830-1960)
    Well, just Love coins, period.
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    sylsyl Posts: 1,056 ✭✭✭
    Since you have mentioned Franklin Mint items, do any of you have an idea of what would be the current price of the Tunisia 1969 1 Dinar .925 proof set, KM292-302 (10 piece)? I have had these for a number of years (more than 25) and thought that they were quite nice coins, with the proof cameo reverses especially of intricate complex subjects. Some I'd never heard of(the buildings and 2 men), but some (Hannibal, Virgil, Neptune, Venus, Phoenician Ship), I certainly had. I have a 2003 Krause, but nothing more recent and I'm not sure if it is Franklin Mint or the Italian Mint.
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    GritsManGritsMan Posts: 2,599 ✭✭✭
    My 2009 lists the FM set at $120 and the NI set at $450, neither of which is probably accurate. Recent eBay auctions are the most reliable gauge for value. Interestingly, Krause also says that many of the FM sets were ruined in storage. Another case where there's only a vague idea how many of these sets are extant--a common situation especially for later FM sets (1980s). Your set looks like a neat one, though!
    Winner of the Coveted Devil Award June 8th, 2010
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    7Jaguars7Jaguars Posts: 7,986 ✭✭✭✭✭
    syl, I would say that 120 in the Krause a bit low for the common type. If memory serves, each coin had somewhere around 0.6 oz silver so that would give silver at 6 oz as a backup and that 140-150 may be a better price. Some of those designs would blow up to poster size pretty well.
    Love that Milled British (1830-1960)
    Well, just Love coins, period.
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