Whats the best source for pricing on Norse American Thick and Thin Medals?

danglen

Even though all the major services grade them, I have never seen a price list published by a major source that gives pricing on the very collectible items. Am I missing something?

Morganluver

I would try looking them up on the Heritage auction archives to find the prices realized. That's probably more accurate than any price guide anyway because they show what was actually paid over quite a long period of time(up to three years or more).

truthteller

These medals used to trade for $50 thick and $90 thin in BU for years and years. Then PCGS started grading them and, viola!, they are now $500 in MS65. Nonsense. Anyone buying these for more than $100 in MS64 is wasting money. The price hike is due to supposely low populations, although the medals have just recently been graded by PCGS. There are no price guides other than the BLACKBOOK which lists them at about $90 retail for thick and $150 for thin. Each had a mintage of about 40,000.

TRUTH

gmarguli

Each had a mintage of about 40,000.

Mintages:
Thick: 31,750
Thin: 6,000
Gold: 47

truthteller

Congressman O.J. Kvale of the 7th District, Minneapolis, a member of the Congressional Coin, Weights, and Measures Committee, was instrumental in the production of the Norse American medal series. As early as February 1925, Kvale visited the Treasury Department with his plans for a medal to recognize the accomplishments of the Norse-American settlers in his area of Minnesota. His initial plan called for round medals, but their proposed size would have conflicted with circulating coinage, hence the octagonal format. The silver for these medals was to come from Mint stock, thereby saving the newly formed Norse-American Centennial Commission the cost of procuring silver on the open market. The only cost incurred by the Commission was the production expense for up to 40,000 plus the cost of associated dies. On March 2, 1925, Congress authorized the production of 40,000 silver medals and 100 gold medals, all to be produced at the Philadelphia Mint. Records indicate that 39,850 silver and gold pieces were struck in May and June of 1925, 33,750 of which were on "thick" silver planchets, 6,000 on "thin" silver planchets, and 100 pieces on .900 fine gold planchets. The silver pieces were counted, bagged, and shipped to the Fourth Street National Bank of Philadelphia for delivery to the Commission. The cost to the Commission for each piece delivered was 45¢ for the "thick" version, 30¢ for the "thin" version, and $10.14 for the gold version. The Commission then sold the pieces at $1.25 for the "thick" and $1.75 for the "thin." According to an article by Anthony Swiatek in the June 1982 volume of The Numismatist, collector "Max E. Brail of Jackson, Michigan, remembers purchasing the gold specimen for $20 dollars back in 1925." The Centennial Commission retained first strikings of the silver and gold types. Additionally, it is known that Congressman O.J. Kvale received gold medal number two, the second piece struck, in recognition of his services to the commission.

quoted from the Harry Bass sale

TRUTH

Morganluver

Great reading and quite interesting. Thanks for sharing this. Boy, I sure wish I had one in gold, that would be pretty neat.