What's Hot, What's Not Year End 2015

Boosibri

Approaching the Baltimore show there seems to be a general feel in the U.S. marketplace that the coin market remains slow. I have heard a few folks comment that website traffic and sales are down and worrying what a weak Baltimore might entail.



Within all markets there are pockets of strength and pockets of weakness. What do you see as the relatively strong sectors today and the relatively weak sectors.



Within my focus area of rare gold, choice early gold, especially with CAC. Rare No Motto $5's remain strong, read Civil War dates, San Fransisco better dates, and anything with 1/100 eye appeal. CAC pieces bring strong premiums and are much more liquid. Dahlonega gold is always in demand but not red hot with New Orleans gold becoming hotter with better date $5's doing well.



On the weak side, type 1 $20's are weak following a period of promotion, Carson City $20's are weak but still liquid though not at previous price levels.

lasvegasteddy

colorful patina's are doing very well

coinsarefun

What's hot? Great coins, not just nice but great coins.

Great strike, luster and toning.



What's not? Everything else.



I know this sounds so general and

repetitive but it is more true now then ever.

Boosibri

It stands to reason that gem seated material is weaker with the absence of Gardner and the saturation of his great collection now in the market. Proof Seated seems especially weak.

Tomthemailcarrier

I was the winning bidder last night at Heritage's sale on an 1893-cc $20 au 58 Cac. It sold for $12,337 including b.p. Quite happy with the win and the price was right in line with my expectations.

mercurydimeguy

Coinsarefun kind of nailed it. Special coins or (truly) scarcer date/variety material pretty much sells for anything if there are 2 or more bidders. I lost everything at Heritage last 2 days because I'm not going to pay 1.5x to 3x retail for a coin just because another guy with unlimited funds wants it. It's nearly impossible for me to buy anything these days that's classic US, I've made 2 purchases in the last several months.



Also CAC doesn't bring as much premium or liquidity to those "special" coins as it is obvious that they are PQ without the sticker. And in normal/collector coins I'm seeing it become almost irrelevant. It's like 90% of the market is dead, while the other 10% has no ceiling. A somewhat bifrocated market.

hchcoin

Being an astute buyer is what's hot right now. There are so many opportunities to buy coins at reduced prices from a few years ago that people tend to get scared. They think since the market is soft they should hold on to their money because all the coins they have in their possession are going down in value. It is human nature to hoard when times are difficult including your cash and your coins.

What is amazing when it comes to investing and collecting is that this is the exact time that you should be buying. The only time this is not true is if the market really is collapsing like stamps did.

As an example, I can buy average circulated bust quarters at half the prices they were just 4 years ago. Why don't I go out on a shopping spree since everything is half priced?

So the real question for me is this: Is the coin market in a temporary slump or is it going the road stamps went? Personally, I think it is a normal market correction. So buy, buy, buy! That's what's hot.

Broadstruck

Can't really answer on what's not as I haven't seen any bargain prices anything that catches my eye.

RYK

On the weak side, type 1 $20's are weak following a period of promotion, Carson City $20's are weak but still liquid though not at previous price levels.



Interesting that you say that as I have been besieged with unsolicited offers on my Type I and CC $20's! I think the problem is that the coins on the market are mostly dull and lifeless, and when the nicer coins are made available, they will sell quickly. (Check out DW's offering of a few of my discards in the near future.)

ricko

I have determined that the 'hot' market is anything I am interested in... Cheers, RickO

JJSingleton

Originally posted by: coinsarefun

What's hot? Great coins, not just nice but great coins.

Great strike, luster and toning.



What's not? Everything else.



I know this sounds so general and

repetitive but it is more true now then ever.

I know that this has become somewhat of a cliche, but this is where the market is at today. Although I expect the hot stuff to slow down a bit for the next year or two in order for the market to rid itself of the super auctions hangover.

TwoSides2aCoin

Silence is golden.

WaterSport

Does it not stand to reason that folks who can afford high valued coins can do so regardless while everyday collector coins need folks with a little bit of a disposable income to fill those whitman folders and box of 20?



Folks, there is a reason why gas is below $2.00 in many places. The market is soft and will continue to be since the economy is soft.



WS

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Treashunt

Originally posted by: ricko
I have determined that the 'hot' market is anything I am interested in... Cheers, RickO

I know that feeling.

msch1man

Generic gold type (12 piece type set stuff...not the early stuff) seems a little soft in lower end mint state (62-63ish). Nearly perfect (for the grade) pieces with great eye appeal can be picked up for what seem like fairly reasonable prices (even with CAC stickers and in old holders). The last couple pieces I've picked up for my type set have fallen into this category. I may look back in a year or two and wish I'd waited, but it seems like a good time to be filling those slots.

BillJones

Anything for which I place a bid at auction is hot. Anything that I would like to sell is as dead as the market for modern Proof sets. (All most)

abcde12345

Hot: Magnificently toned gem coins.

Not: cleaned, purple toned pennies from the 50's.

BillJones

Generic gold has been slow for a while along with the "old" commemoratives.

Toners seem to be all the rage, but remember what goes up can come down. The two "dead" areas I mentioned had their day years ago.

BryceM

Is it just me, or is there a worry of impending doom continuously hanging over this entire hobby? It's almost like we're not sure if we're playing musical chairs or not...... "I think I hear music........ wait, there's only five chairs there and there's six of us......... how much are these stamps worth again?"



It feels like there's a great number of lemming collectors standing at the edge, waiting for some signal so they can jump off.



The real trick is being able to distinguish between a buying opportunity and impending disaster. Personally, I think too many big auctions have sucked up a lot of liquidity. If this is true, special material would be the last to be affected. Buying a really fantastic coin at a strong price isn't nearly as risky as buying so-so material at a "pretty good" price.

Boosibri

Buying a really fantastic coin at a strong price isn't nearly as risky as buying so-so material at a "pretty good" price.

I agree

Zoins

I've been wondering if one result of the Internet that people are starting like the same things resulting in more demand for fewer pieces?

dpoole

Originally posted by: hchcoin



So the real question for me is this: Is the coin market in a temporary slump or is it going the road stamps went?

This is, indeed, the question.



Human viscera dictates that the sky's no limit in good times, and the end of the world is nigh in bad.



But this time: does the digital era combined with the Mint's proliferations, signal an historic marginalization of coins that will permanently change the market?

Zoins

Originally posted by: dpoole

Originally posted by: hchcoin

So the real question for me is this: Is the coin market in a temporary slump or is it going the road stamps went?

This is, indeed, the question.


Human viscera dictates that the sky's no limit in good times, and the end of the world is nigh in bad.


But this time: does the digital era combined with the Mint's proliferations, signal an historic marginalization of coins that will permanently change the market?

I certainly hope not but it's worth considering for future planning.

EastonCollection

Great bust material with high eye appeal is very hot - there was a 1803 dime in NGC58 in the Gardner sale that sold for an unbelievable price of over $50k! That's a record - those coins are still in favor and the market hot.

7Jaguars

I think there may be a bit of a backlash against these toners, especially the neon AT-looking ones (see how diplomatic I was). I agree generic gold in so-so grades is just not so hot. Mid-grade old school 20th Century keys are languishing, and even some in higher grades as well - who even gets excited by a 32-D washie or a 31-S cent, 0r 38-D half? How about a non-full steps MS62 50-D nickel?



Hot, well, I am of the belief that we have a flare or two over exceptional pieces as others have stated, but there just does not seem to be a lot of excitement over anything and a "ho-hummer" attitude prevailing. Interesting to see what folks think of the Baltimore show next week.

winky

Originally posted by: ricko
I have determined that the 'hot' market is anything I am interested in... Cheers, RickO

Me to ricko, nothing cheap for me but I still buy.

cameonut2011

Anything that I am interested in an really want seems to do well. Everything that I try to sell seems to be doing poorly. The market is so cruel.

Cougar1978

Anything selling at or near BV is hot, the rest not. I do see a lot of people loading up on MS62-MS63 $20 Saints and Libs which look nice.

bidask

I think classic crowns of the world in gem are hot.

pruebas

Originally posted by: bidask

I think classic crowns of the world in gem are hot.

Have they ever not been?