Top Buyers for Commemoratives

RevDrBlimber

I paid full Greysheet for some nice commemoratives and even with the CAC sticker, the cash offers for nice classic commems. seems to be weak. Who are the top buyers for these? Thanks.

lkeigwin

Show us what you have on BST and maybe you'll get a good idea?

Love to see them!
Lance.

crypto79

Try the BST and EBAY, the problem with net common coins is that dealers have to buy them cheap as they sit awhile and even when a buyer comes around they have many to chose from.

BillJones

The way things are now for the common commemoratives, I could get no more than about 20% in back of Gray Sheet bid for common old commemoratives. They were among the last coins I sold from inventory when I retired.

RevDrBlimber

I've been following recommendations of industry leaders like Mr. Albanese:

"BLANCHARD: I have heard that key date coins are sought after and are popular. What are the key date commemoratives?

"ALBANESE: The key date coins are the Lafayette Dollar, Grant Memorial with Star, Hawaiian Sesquicentennial, and the Isabella Quarter. These coins range between $1,500 and $3,600.

"BLANCHARD: Would it be best to only focus on the key date coins?

"ALBANESE: No. I think there is more of an upside for an investor in this sector to focus on non-key date coins. There is more potential in the Albany, Boone, Iowa, Cleveland, Pilgrim, Texas, and York than with the key date coins. The lower priced coins have the bigger opportunity to increase in value. These coins are currently priced between $100 and $1,200."
http://www.blanchardonline.com/silverc/

Of course, when we are talking about "investment" potential, it is anyone's guess.

I ran a Bridgeport in MS65 and a Grant in MS64 both through Teletrade, reserved them at Bid without luck. Then CAC certified both, but offered 10-20% under GS.

erickso1

I agree with Lkeigwin and Crypto. BST is a good place to start.

Zoins

http://www.blanchardonline.com/silverc/ << linkified



<< <i>there has been a slight lag in the silver commemorative market, which has just begun to rise, but is still well below historical highs. >>



It would be good for collectors to understand what led to the 'artificial' historical highs and why those times may not be coming back.

The last quote isn't something I was expecting:



<< <i>This area is beginning to get red hot so call your Account Executive today and secure part of history. >>

Kove

First, while "nice" means different things to different people, if there is a coin that someone originally let go at Greysheet, I wouldn't expect it to be the sort of coin that generates a strong "gotta have it" offer from a dealer. If someone pays GS for a coin, I would expect that coin to garner offers in the 20-30%-back range. This goes for any series, not just commems. Second, while commems have been trending downwards for years, the torrent of Guttag releases since last summer have absolutely hammered the market for decent commems in decent grades. This overhang on the market will probably take another 1-2 years to work through, and that's being optimistic. Third, the Greysheet has been tumbling downwards since you likely bought the coins, across many issues and series. Common MS 65/66 Morgans are down to $128/$300, common MS 66 Oregon's are down to $275, MS 66 Roanoke's are down to $210, etc. Some of these prices are very surprising. Just getting GS bid these days often means losing money since the sheets have gone down. Fourth, there are companies that used to be strong buyers of commems, like Certified Assets Management, that have pulled many of their bids on commems, pushing prices down further. And finally, selling through places like Teletrade, many coins typically have to be reserved at 20% back of GS just to catch a bid after the 15% juice is added (so this may not be a great market barometer).

I agree when Albanese says that some of the commems will have their day in the sun again. I just don't think that day is today. Or tomorrow. But maybe soon.

RevDrBlimber

Thanks for the feedback on this topic. Since Blanchard is a big promoter I would take their projections with a grain of salt or Tabasco.

I'd like to see Mr. Swiatek's thoughts on the topic since he billed himself as "Mr. Commemorative". He used to say that he was attracted to the field of old commemoratives because of the depth of historical background to each issue, vs. say type gold.

Kove

<< <i>I'd like to see Mr. Swiatek's thoughts on the topic since he billed himself as "Mr. Commemorative". He used to say that he was attracted to the field of old commemoratives because of the depth of historical background to each issue, vs. say type gold. >>




On that note, Anthony Swiatek is in the finishing stages of publishing another mega-book on commemoratives. At one point it was supposed to be 800 pages with plenty of photos of the coins, as well as photos of most of the original packaging for the coins. I believe the size has come down considerably. The last I heard the book was supposed to come out last month (May), but there were issues with printing in China. I haven't heard an update.

Perhaps a nice new book on the topic will regenerate some interest in the series.

lcoopie

link

Eagleguy

The book was available at Amazon for $150 recently but seems to only be available through external sellers now

JH

daOnlyBG

I just looked up a listing of the past "commemorative" threads, and this one seemed to contribute the most to the biggest question surrounding the coin type: will the stagnation of commemoratives' values persist?

I guess I now ask this question: in the past 6 months, is anyone here seeing commemorative coin prices (or at least demand) increase?

bolivarshagnasty

Followed a rim toned 26-s Spanish Trail at Heritage this week. (ms67) Highest previous sales had been in the 3200 range. This one went for 5300 with the juice.

giantsfan20

Is Blanchard the one who has multiple full cases of all the commemoratives.. I recall such a dealer but forgot who it was at the ANA show in Sacramento or is it somebody else?

CoinJunkie

In my experience, it all comes down to the individual coins. Eye appeal is king in the classic commem world.

Kove

<< <i>Is Blanchard the one who has multiple full cases of all the commemoratives.. I recall such a dealer but forgot who it was at the ANA show in Sacramento or is it somebody else? >>



Certified Assets Management had 5-6 cases full of PCGS CAC commems at the Sacramento ANA. They've since sold off at least 1/3 of what they had, and might only fill three cases these days.

illini420

Not all commems are dead. I bought a few at the Long Beach show this week, including a nice Grant at well over 2x greysheet price. Don't have it anymore as I quickly sold it at the show... Boring commems are very slow, but nice ones are as strong as ever.

daOnlyBG

<< <i>...Boring commems are very slow, but nice ones are as strong as ever. >>


When you say "boring commems," are you referring to any particular issue, or just any commemorative with uninteresting/dull toning or even in poor condition?

By the way, thank you everyone for your input. I am considering specializing in commemoratives, and would like to get a rough idea how their prices will change in the next few years.

illini420

I just meant any of the coins with just an average look in a very common grade when I said "boring" commems... They are just so plentiful that you can buy them anytime and just about anywhere. But I have found that any of the designs can still sell very strongly when there is something interesting about them, either toning, exceptional luster for the issue, PL fields or whatever. I guess you can make that case for all coins though... not just commems

johnny9434

<< <i>In my experience, it all comes down to the individual coins. Eye appeal is king in the classic commem world. >>

its important and buy your time if needed

Justacommeman

<< <i>I just meant any of the coins with just an average look in a very common grade when I said "boring" commems... They are just so plentiful that you can buy them anytime and just about anywhere. But I have found that any of the designs can still sell very strongly when there is something interesting about them, either toning, exceptional luster for the issue, PL fields or whatever. >>



This. MJ

erickso1

<< <i>

<< <i>I just meant any of the coins with just an average look in a very common grade when I said "boring" commems... They are just so plentiful that you can buy them anytime and just about anywhere. But I have found that any of the designs can still sell very strongly when there is something interesting about them, either toning, exceptional luster for the issue, PL fields or whatever. >>



This. MJ >>



I was going to quote this too. Watch EBay everyday for a while, you'll see your fill of "uninteresting" coins with something interesting sprinkled in here or there. There is still a pretty strong demand for any commem with a quality look. Try and follow some of the bsts that have cool commems. Like a school of piranhas the buyers are (assuming it isn't grossly overpriced).