Type-2 3 trime: great investment potential?

RYK · July 11, 2012 11:50PM

I receive the Rosen (RNA) newsletter, and I am always interested in his approach and ideas. The latest one is, to me, a real head-scratcher. He calls them his "high-potential type coin recommendation" and shows the population of gem proof and circulation strike T-2 trimes, and their associated CAC pops. He recommends the CAC Proof-65s in the $6300-7500 area, and goes on to give his "highest recommendation."

I am no expert or even student of coin investing and have never viewed numismatics from this approach (aside from a few no-brainer US Mint flips), but I cannot imagine a worse investment idea in US coins with perhaps the exception of US gold commems (which he coincidentally recommended last October!).

What am I missing here?

Sonorandesertrat · July 12, 2012 12:04AM

I agree with you, RYK. Perhaps I am letting my collector worldview 'cloud' my thinking, but I also have a hard time believing that silver T.2 trimes would be viewed as good investments. They are too small, and the design is meh. Actually, the only business strike silver trime in high grade that would appeal to me is the 1851-O; the mint mark gives this one a more interesting look. Regarding proofs, Rosen does have a point---many pre-Civil War proof coins are good investment material (in 64 and up). But....how many investors would view trimes as such? Size matters.

ScarsdaleCoin · July 12, 2012 12:08AM

True the actual base of collectors who like the series is very thin. Today. Also if you agree with the idea then the play would be Pcgs cert. 1863 1872 ms coins any grade

steveben · July 12, 2012 1:44AM

i am curious as to why only the type 2?

RYK · July 12, 2012 7:28AM

<< i am curious as to why only the type 2? >>

It sounds like he is making the price-rarity-value argument.

Bochiman · July 12, 2012 7:51AM

I wonder how many he currently owns, prior to making his recommendation......

Baley · July 12, 2012 8:25AM

For something to be "a good investment" (i.e., increase in value), there needs to be an increase in demand, relative to supply. What (if anything) does the author cite as the reason the demand for these particular coins will increase? Sure, they're low population items, but why will people want to buy them, if they don't already have an interest? Will a book on trime die varieties be published? Will the US mint issue a circulating 3 cent piece? Will a lot of whales decide to collect the series?

As others have said, they're small coins, very small. Also, collectors tend to like coins with a human portrait and/or an eagle on them, and these have neither, nor do they have any potential "cross over" interest, such as people getting interested in WLHs because of an introduction to ASEs.

Bochiman · July 12, 2012 8:29AM

I just realized what I was reminded of when I read the OP......Penny stocks and pumping them up.

stealer · July 12, 2012 8:29AM

People collect these??

messydesk · July 12, 2012 8:29AM

<< I receive the Rosen (RNA) newsletter, and I am always interested in his approach and ideas. The latest one is, to me, a real head-scratcher...

What am I missing here? >>

You're missing his full disclosure as to his position in Ty. 2 trimes.

CarlWohlforth · July 12, 2012 8:41AM

I like trimes. The case for the T2 is they are scarcer then the other types. But where is the demand?

They would go up if everybody decided they needed a rather complete type set. A set where just one trime is not enough, all three types must be required. Somehow I don't see this happening anytime soon.

Another hype machine just told me gold will continue down for maybe 1-2 hundred bucks. Then watch out, AU will be over 2 grand in no time after that (maybe year end). I realized it too is another hype. All supporting arguments require a certain mind set before they are fully accepted. I bring this up because my mind set says buying gold on the dip would be a better investment than buying T2 trimes, at least buying non extraordinary ones.

RYK · July 12, 2012 8:46AM

<< People collect these??

>>

Let's just say that I have played show-and-tell with scores of collectors over the years, and no one has ever whipped out a trime. The only ones I can remember seeing are the raw ones in a 7070 and an occasional 51-O.

jdimmick · July 12, 2012 9:04AM

i would take jon L recommendation over rosen on three cent pieces any day. I think the 72 business stike is a good piece

stealer · July 12, 2012 9:05AM

<< 

<< People collect these??

>>

Let's just say that I have played show-and-tell with scores of collectors over the years, and no one has ever whipped out a trime. The only ones I can remember seeing are the raw ones in a 7070 and an occasional 51-O. >>

I think they're just too small for many people to care. Also the fact that they're only 75% silver doesn't help the series either. I don't think anybody would collect gold dollars if they weren't made of gold.

Obiwancanoli · July 12, 2012 11:18AM

<< I like trimes. The case for the T2 is they are scarcer then the other types. But where is the demand?

They would go up if everybody decided they needed a rather complete type set. A set where just one trime is not enough, all three types must be required. Somehow I don't see this happening anytime soon.

Another hype machine just told me gold will continue down for maybe 1-2 hundred bucks. Then watch out, AU will be over 2 grand in no time after that (maybe year end). I realized it too is another hype. All supporting arguments require a certain mind set before they are fully accepted. I bring this up because my mind set says buying gold on the dip would be a better investment than buying T2 trimes, at least buying non extraordinary ones. >>

By odd coicidence, I'm short a T-2 Trime... have the other two, but as you say, for my Type Set, I wanted to obtain all three. Actually, it's most probably for Type set #2 or #3, as there are other "types in various denominations which I'd like to collect... demand has little to do with it, and in fact, when demand is lacking, pricing is better. Usually.

Coinosaurus · July 12, 2012 11:53AM

Maybe he made an outrageous prediction just to stir the post a little bit

RYK · July 12, 2012 12:07PM

<< Maybe he made an outrageous prediction just to stir the post a little bit

>>

The pot is already adequately stirred. It's like a nonstop Cuisinart.

291fifth · July 12, 2012 12:18PM

Probably has about the same investment potential as Shield Nickels.

RYK · July 12, 2012 12:21PM

<< Probably has about the same investment potential as Shield Nickels. >>

As someone who liked to jab my dearly departed friend IGWT

about shield nickels and their lack of collectibility, I am going to disagree. I find the shield nickel to be decidedly more interesting and collectible that the trime. Somewhere up there, IGWT is surely getting a chuckle at me defending the Shield (if he has wifi and access to the forum).

ScarsdaleCoin · July 12, 2012 12:34PM

Type 1 proofs don't exist

roadrunner · July 12, 2012 12:34PM

MR has been making the same general recommendations for type coins since the early to mid 1980's when I first started reading him. The Type 2's in gem made sense
as to complete a gem type set of all designs it was needed...and quite scarce. I think that recommendation worked ok during the run up to 1989, but has fallen short
ever since. It's hard to defeat small coinitis and it's gotten worse since the 1989 bull market when investors did buy coins sight-unseen just because they had low pops.
The Type 2 trime will never become as popular as say a Type 2 $1 gold. And if you notice, even the Type 2 gold coins haven't done very well over the past 6 yrs. They began slipping
2 years before the general coin market did. These days, most are happy with a single gem trime, either a type 1 or type 3. Unless you have the mother of all type 2 trimes,
it will probably remain as popular as proof half dimes from 1854-1857....yes, they are scarce, but not particularly popular since you can get equivalent quality later dates for much
less money. If you ran across a killer colorful Type 2 in gem unc, that would be something unusual and potentially worth sitting on for "investment." The gem proofs are pretty
rare. It wouldn't take much of an increase in demand to ignite them. But with REG type sets still not getting the attention that date sets do, it would take a revival in collecting
proof 3c silvers by date to get them going. On that I wouldn't hold my breath. Big coins sell better than little coins. Just the way it is.

Unknown · July 12, 2012 1:39PM

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Type-2 3 trime: great investment potential?

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