attn: rich people: the ultimate Vatican set?..

hrlaser

Hi..

since i'm on Vatican City's UFN (their official coin office) subscription list, i order Mint / BU and Proof sets from them every year, and get an official, numbered, barcoded order form, which is the only way one can order directly from them.. well i already got the 2008 Mint and Proof sets.. but today i got an envelope from them and nearly passed out when i opened it and read the color brochure..

there's no WAY i can afford to buy this set for 3600.00 Euros.. (times what, €1 = US$1.55 or somewhere in that neighborhood?.. so we're talking about US$5600.00.. ) .. but i shot HUGE pictures of the color brochure, and i DO have the personalized, barcoded order form and special envelope to return it in.. so if someone wanted me to order one for them (with no guarantee of actually getting it, because they're only making 499 of these sets and the bottom of the order form, which allows me to buy ONE set, says "available until out of stock").. hey, maybe they'll be gone in one day.. who knows.. well, nah, it would get too hairy and involve someone trusting me with quite a sum of money, then place the order using my CC, mail the form back to the Vatican.. then wait and see if i actually get one, then have to pack and re-ship it to whoever paid me to buy it for them (plus my 10% commission of course)..

anyway, just thought yawl would like to see the color brochure.. i won't upload the pictures here since they're huge (i wanted to make the brochure legible, so i shot it both sides in a couple megapixels)..

but here are links to pictures of both sides of the brochure..

http://www.amigazone.com/images/june/vatican499a.jpg

http://www.amigazone.com/images/june/vatican499b.jpg

i guess i'll just drool on the brochure.. feel free to drool along with me.. what a gorgeous thing.. that.. i'll.. never.. own..

Iosephus

Wow. Makes me glad I decided to focus solely on Vatican/papal medals and not even think about buying coins.

theboz11

Udo

Got that brochure as well and my thought was

gecko109

My math works out to 90.6 grams of .917 gold, or 83 grams of fine gold, or 2.67 ounces troy. At $893/oz that works out to a melt value of about $2385. They are asking just over double melt for a set thats limited to just 499. The 1982 gold panda by comparrison has a mintage of 13,000+ pieces and regularly trades at well above 3x melt. I have a 1985 silver panda on ebay right now that will probably hammer in excess of 50x melt. So by comparrison, that $5600 ask doesnt sound too bad IF Vatican coins are your cup of tea.

7Jaguars

Uhhh, maybe a few more Chinese potential collectors; I mean supply versus demand. Not sure how many "ins" there would be for a current year set at that price - i often wonder if remainders go through some sort of clearing house.

I think many of the Franklin Mint sets in proof and otherwise were routed through some of them or at least informally spent some warehouse time...

hrlaser

if i was oozing money, i'd have mailed that order form back to the Vatican and bought the set.. i'm not, so i didn't.. 499 sets?.. they'll sell them all.. all sets and singles the Vatican issues each year completely sell out.. i don't know of any "clearing house" that liquidates leftovers, because there aren't any leftovers.. bet the Pope keeps set #001/499..
it'd be nice if they did a Proof base metal version (in the same fancy case) for a hundred bucks.. just like the US Mint does a "poor man's" Bronze version of their First Spouse 1/2 oz. Gold coins (which are over $600.00 each).. for five bucks each.. i'd go for a "poor man's" version of this set in a NY minute.. alas, there isn't one..

MrEureka

Were identical coins struck in 2001? If so, then the mintage of 499 for the restrikes may not be that compelling.

Iosephus

<< <i>Were identical coins struck in 2001? If so, then the mintage of 499 for the restrikes may not be that compelling. >>


They were not gold in 2001.

STLNATS

You can buy some very significant papal states coins for $5k. I've paid >$2k for a 1959 silver prova set - 100 issued - and continue to buy the annual proof sets mostly just to get the medal so its not like I don't do collector only coins. The gold set just doesn't do much for me mostly because I don't consider it to be particularly significant but just something to milk collectors a little more. But to each his own.

hrlaser

i have absolutely no doubt that some of these sets will end up in the hands of various heads of State and their flunkies who visit the Vatican and have an audience with the Pope.. ya think?.. i remember watching some news footage some years ago of some US Politicans visiting Vatican City, lining up to shake Pope John Paul II's hand, kiss his ring, whatever.. and one of his lackies was standing nearby and handed each visitor a small box which looked suspiciously exactly like the box that holds their yearly Proof set.. those go for anywhere from $350.00-ish to $1000.00-ish depending on how far back you go to 2002, the first year of the Vatican's Euro Proof sets.. whether he'll be gifting "important" visitors with a $5600.00 Gold set, i have absolutely no idea.. but i bet a few Presidents, Prime Ministers, and various and sundry dictators will get to take one of these home as a souvenir..

DustyCoinbox

What website URL would one go to to get on their mailing list?

hrlaser

<< <i>What website URL would one go to to get on their mailing list? >>



as far as i know, you can't get on it any more.. it's full..

but i could be wrong..

start here:



Vatican's main home page

and see if that gets you anywherel..

also try emailing to scv@ufn.va although i thought it was svc@ufn.va (svc = service).. and there's another address on that brochure up there.. and ask if you can get on the list.. but they are VERY slow to respond, if they respond at all.. sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.. the UFN is their official coin and stamp office (scroll up and look at the huge pictures i shot of the brochure)..

or, if you want to try the expensive way.. phone them.. their number's also on that brochure.. they'll answer in Italian so you'll have to say something like "English please? hello, i need to speak to someone in English.." .. keep time zones in mind if you call..

if it IS still possible to get on their subscription list.. post here if you have any success.. i honestly don't know, but i think it's closed / full..

if it's that $5600.00 Gold Lire tribute set you were after, at issue price, i think you can probably fahget about it.. the order form stipulated the subscriber had to mail it back within ten days.. why ten days?.. i don't have a freakin' clue.. their regular, yearly order forms NEVER say that, but i always mail them back the day after i get them, so i don't get shut out.. and since it's a single-part single sheet form, i always shoot a picture of it after i fill it out and stuff it in the envelope, so i have a record of what day i mailed it.. but they DO sell out the "regular" sets every year.. almost instantly.. and the back of the yearly set order form tells you to mail it back quickly to avoid getting shut out.. the yearly Mint / BU set Mintage was upped from 60,000 to 85,000 in 2008.. yearly Proof set Mintage is still at 16,000.. the occasional single Gold coins they issue are out of my league, price-wise, so i never order those, even though they send me order forms and brochures for them..

when i got the brochure and order form for the Gold set pictured i looked it and said "cool, i want this!" until i looked at the order form and saw the price and did a quick calculation from Euros to US$.. then a bit of sorrowful weeping and an "oh well"..

hrlaser

<< <i>What website URL would one go to to get on their mailing list? >>



Hi..

i just thought i'd come back and check if you had any luck contacting the Vatican's UFN, and if you were able to get on their subscription list, or if they responded at all, or if they did and told you the list is full and no one can get on it any more.. curious..

hrlaser

by the way.. my 2008 Vatican PROOF set (with .925 Silver Medal) is currently listed on eBay.. every year i buy the same thing from the UFN.. two Mint / BU sets and one Proof set.. every year i re-sell them on eBay (wish i didn't have to but money's tight for me right now).. the two Mint / BU sets have already sold, covering the entire cost of the order for all three sets, so the Proof set is basically "free".. item number is 130232975144 if anyone here is interested in it..