What are the rariest Franklin Mint items?

SethChandler

What's the attraction with this stuff?

Seth

ClausUrch

Ask Andy!!!

lordmarcovan

You spelled it "rariest".

Was this to make it rhyme with scariest ?

Mrpawn

The scarcest Franklin Mint items that I have seen are their 22kt Gold collectors plates with western themes. These ones are actually 20 1/2 ozs troy of 22kt. A rather limited series. Did not have them in the shop long enough to get pix

topstuf

The rarest Franklin Mint item is the original buyer who actually bought something worthwhile.

ScarsdaleCoin

they have a lot of nice silver art bars/rounds that are quite attractive....

MrEureka

Here's an example. I bought two extremely rare gold patterns from the last Heritage sale. There are two of each known and I paid $747 for the pair. Today, they're crap, but in 100 years they'll be classic rarities and I'm patient.

They were described as follows:

Papua New Guinea. Specimen Gold 100 Kina 1980FM, KM16, Test specimen strikings in Proof of the obverse and reverse of this commemorative for the South Pacific Festival of Arts. Each specimen features the normal design with the reverse stating "Franklin Mint Test Specimen." An accompanying letter from the Franklin Mint attests that only two sets are known to exist. Certainly extremely rare and the first set we have seen in the market.

rainbowroosie

The "rarest" ones are ones worth more than "melt value."

ohbaby

Franklin Mint is right up there [or down there?] with ACG.

In the 80s they conned tens of thousands with their ingots, plates, spoons, plates, etc.

I have met at least 8 people who have tons of this crap and they believe it is worth a fortune. When I tell them it isn't they get mad at me. Then I point them to ebay and tell them they can buy more of the junk for 10% of what they paid originally.

I will give them credit for being a real slick marketer. And if you buy once you are on their list forever....a sucker list.

I would say nothing they sold is rare as there is no demand beyond the initial buyer!

MrEureka

I would say nothing they sold is rare as there is no demand beyond the initial buyer!

OhBaby - You should read my earlier post to this thread. I am a real buyer for the FM's rarest coins. Doesn't mean I want to fill a treasure chest with commemorative spoons and sterling silver X-Mas plates.

ohbaby

Mr. Eureka, what are some of their "rare" items? And is there really a market for such obscure items especially when they are produced solely for collecotrs?

Who knows in a hundred years but let's be realistic. I still own about 2 lbs of FM ingots which are worth nothing but a few cents above melt. As well as an Isle of Man or something similar Proof set I bought back in the early 80s when I did not know better. I thought "Limited Edition" meant rare and I was going to make a killing. Nope, I got killed, on about $4,000 of similar garbage.

I will give you this, their merchandise is collectible but are not rare and doubt they ever will be very valuable like say a FH $, or MS65 Seated $, etc.

Baley

is there really a market for such obscure items especially when they are produced solely for collectors?

I know, huh! I mean, these Franklin mint items are nothing more than little disks of semi-precious or precious metal, stamped with pretty designs and mirror finishes, and put in special protective plastic holders! They're made in perfect condition from the first and they are almost all perfectly preserved! They are never even meant to circulate or are even touched by human hands! My gosh, what a farce, These "collectibles" are made specially for collectors in "limited" numbers and sold to the gullible public for a profit. The silly public that buys them is fooled into thinking they're getting something rare and desireable!

I mean, it's not like these lousy Franklin mint items are anything like modern US proof sets

MrEureka

I mean, it's not like these lousy Franklin mint items are anything like modern US proof sets

Baley - That's not a fair comparison. The Franklin Mint coins are generally MUCH rarer than modern US proof sets.

291fifth

My understanding is that the Franklin Mint ended their production of medals in February, 2002. While many of their issues are worth no more than scrap there are some that do have some secondary collector interest, especially now with so many of the precious metal issues having been melted. Where there was a guarantee of precious metal content the Franklin Mint medals tended to be somewhat overweight. This was undoubtedly due to sampling theory.

Collectors should beware of Franklin Mint medals being offered in their original, unopened packaging if issued into the early 1970's. The plastic used contained PVC and many of the medals have been damaged.

My own collection contains several interesting Franklin Mint items. Collect what you like and ignore the rest. Ignore the "bad-mouthing" as well as it serves no constructive purpose.

wallstreetman

I like that Monopoly game they had! How much are they second hand? I think they sold for $500 new!

MrEureka

My understanding is that the Franklin Mint ended their production of medals in February, 2002.

I like that Monopoly game they had!

Hmmm...maybe there are some people out there who don't realize that the Franklin Mint also struck COINS.

That leads me to my own question:

Which is a more numismatically "legitimate" product?

1. A 1973 Bahamas proof set struck by the Franklin Mint

2. A X-Mas tree ornament made from a state quarter sold by the US Mint?

cosmicdebris

FYI The Franklin Mint does mint Legal tender coins for some Countries.

291fifth

The Franklin Mint struck circulating as well as non-circulating legal tender coins for many countries. They could easily have struck US coins as well had the political climate been different. The minting of coins is nothing more than a factory operation. The first true US coin, the Fugio Cent, was minted by private coin factories. It has always struck me as odd that most collectors, when asked the date of the first US cent, will say 1793 whe the correct answer is 1787. The album companies also bought into this as there was never a space for a fugio cent. The albums invariably started with 1793.

cladking

The Franklin Mint made a vast array of coin related products from actual coins to madals and
ingots. Many of these actually had substantial value at one time but only a few of the coins
still have a lot of premium. There are some later series in the 80's which were made in small
numbers and there are actually a few known varieties of their products. The strenght of most
of these items is that the artwork is often superb and the quality is always outstanding. It is
not wise to buy this stuff for investment purposes since it was made in quantities which could
keep the market saturated for many decades. But this stuff is fun and it is attractive. Prices at
melt can't really drop much lower and makes a superb way for some individuals to invest in prec-
ious metals.

While their prices were high compared to what medals typically sell for, it does cost money to
make things of this quality. The prices were set by the optimum level of production and the
costs involved. Many people were probably foolish to consider these investments but the FM's only
error was to encourage this belief. Even in the near term there will be a few of these which will
do better.

MrEureka

For the non-believers that love toned dollars and gem moderns, all I can say is "Thank You!" You are the ones that inspired me to collect Franklin Mint coins. Photogenic coins are "where it's at"!

mdwoods

How did you know? And why did I buy this?

Franklin Mint

Baley

And why did I buy this?

because it's beautiful, interesting and educational?

mgoodm3

I first thought the New Guinea coin was "South Pacific Festival of Farts". Heh Heh Heh. He said fart.