2013-W Proof Gold Buffalo potential?

jmski52

The 2014-W Proof Gold Buffs were just released, with a healthy start of 7,899 coins sold. The first week's sales in 2013 were 4,863 and 2013 is the newest key to the series of 1 oz. Proofs with a mintage of 18,594 which eclipses the 2008-W with a mintage of 18,863.

What do you think about the Gold Buffs, in general?

derryb

probably be cheaper shortly.

Julio

"The 2014-W Proof Gold Buffs were just released, with a healthy start of 7,899 coins sold. The first week's sales in 2013 were 4,863 and 2013 is the newest key to the series of 1 oz. Proofs with a mintage of 18,594 which eclipses the 2008-W with a mintage of 18,863.

What do you think about the Gold Buffs, in general"? jmski52

Good thread topic, hope it spurs some opinions. At least jmski52 and derryb are breathing some life into this sick puppy during the silver and Gold price doldrums. Thanks fellas.

I agree with derryb's conclusion. Full disclosure: I don't own any and my opinion on Proof Gold Eagles is worthless. My feeble attempt to help you guys support our forum.
, Take care. jws

dpoole

The Buffalo is a popular design, obviously, and it's the closest to pure gold that the U.S. puts out.

It's a curiosity about human nature that when the price is low, people don't buy, but that when prices go up, a frenzy of buying occurs. Not entirely immune to such curiosities myself, I temper my humanity by ploddingly buying the things when they come out, no matter what else is going on.

IMHO, the design, the purity and the low mintages will make these a winner when the inevitable resurgence in gold prices occurs.

Julio

"IMHO, the design, the purity and the low mintages will make these a winner when the inevitable resurgence in gold prices occurs". dpoole

dpoole, or anyone know if they are sold out, or still available, To lazy to go check. Also curios as to opinions to the downside should one decide to speculate with these. Like I said earlier Proof Gold is not my strongest hobby. Take care. jws

OperationButter

The 2013 is sold out and currently the lowest mintage of any since the series started in 2006.

The current low mintage issues coming out of the mint are due to a variety of reasons. Disposable income is lower among middle class families so any collecting/hobby funds might be used elsewhere in the mints long list of offerings. It could take a dramatic price decline to see mintages skyrocket, however, if the mint closes this series in the next few years I would expect to see prices rise. The series has a lot going for it: great design, strong demand for the base metal globally, range of high and low mintages, a killer reverse proof etc.

The mint really needs to cut back on some of their offerings, its spreading the collector base too thin when funds are already tight for many.

Of course just my .02.


For reference:
2006 246,267
2007 58,998
2008 18,863
2009 49,306
2010 49,263
2011 28,683
2012 19,715
2013 18,584*

Link

jmski52

What do you think about the Gold Buffs, in general"? jmski52

What do I think? I think that the classic design and .999 composition have carved out a niche in the bullion world and my guess is that the series will be long-standing. I think that it's going to be a tough series, simply because of the capital requirement to assemble a set, not to mention the competition from other Mint output and other life needs that soak up capital.

For a speculator in Mint bullion stuff, these are the times that try mens' souls. The harder it gets to accumulate whatever Modern Bullion issues I'm trying to accumulate, I must assume that it's similarly difficult for others. It's still true that these conditions will always generate more "keys" as money flows in other directions.

My intuition is that the collector base for Modern Bullion has shrunk a bit since 2006-2008, however I also think that when the metals begin an upward trajectory at some point in the future, the collector base will grow with new recruits from the investment arena, just like it always does. When money is flowing in, there is a natural tendency to want to own something "rare". This never changes.

I think that eventually, some of the Unc Gold Buffs will be hard to locate in high grade - but because of the overall attractiveness and low mintages, the Proof Gold Buffs will dominate the series for a long time. I like the Gold Buff series, but I just don't know if I can afford to assemble a full set within my own list of collecting priorities.

Many things change over the years, including the economy and the available funds for coin collecting. It might be that we've seen the high point in collecting as the baby boom generation earnings have peaked and then as they have started to retire, so it could be a long time before any of these low mintages become important enough to get legs as investments. Then again, it could happen overnight, for various reasons. I think that whoever has a nice set of Gold Buffs won't be disappointed, no matter when he decides to cash it in.

What are your thoughts about this?

derryb

<< <i>What are your thoughts about this? >>


slabbed gold unc buffs are an excellent physical gold play (particularly MS 69) but I do not see their value increasing out of proportion with spot price because of collectibility. The premiums one sees now will most likely be the premiums one sees years down the road. Rarity will never be one of their strong suits. They will always be in demand as a quality physical product especially when certified authentic.

greghansen

Because the numbers on the 1 oz. proofs are pretty close to equal, I would expect the 2008-W to maintain a better premium because they are also part of a one year set that includes the fractional proofs. So the coin will be needed by both those putting together a 1 oz. date proof set and those who are just putting together the one year type set with fractionals. The premium gap will probably close but I don't see any reason, given how close the mintage numbers are, for the 2013 to ever eclipse the 2008.

cohodk

Would it be possible for an individual to acquire 1000 or more pieces?

pf70collector

The popularity of the series seems to going down each year. Just look a the mintage levels, they are lower each year. This year will tell if the trend continues.