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Melt my spouse?

PlacidPlacid Posts: 11,299 ✭✭✭
Read this on another forum (not a coin one) and besides being somewhat amusing I wondered if there was any truth in it.


"I'm still grabbing what appear to be terribly unpopular first lady half ounce coins. They appear to still be the cheapest gold available from a highly recognizable mint.

The indians seem to be taking them at the right price too, which means the decorative wood boxes and the NGC certs will be pitched in a dumpster while Marta, Abby, Dolly and the rest get melted into gaudy jewelry."

Has there ever been a us mint coin that was purchased enough for the sole purpose of melting to make a significant dent in the surviving population?

Comments

  • MillerJWMillerJW Posts: 649 ✭✭
    Hmmm interesting... I was alwayse told that hidden value lies in the most ugly and un-collectable items. Maybe it would hurt to buy a spouse and hold on to it for a while. But then again im a coin collecter who likes enjoying my coins and not in it for the value or flip...
    MSgt USAF Jan-06 - Present
  • TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 44,701 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Mine will turn orange some day.
  • holeinone1972holeinone1972 Posts: 5,368 ✭✭✭
    I do not see how one could ever determine a surviving population. If the mint sells all 10 or 20 thousand, I just do not see how anyone could determine what happened to the rest. Now if the mint only sells 1000 then you may have a collectible.

    Just my opinion.

    image
  • TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 44,701 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I do not see how one could ever determine a surviving population. If the mint sells all 10 or 20 thousand, I just do not see how anyone could determine what happened to the rest. Now if the mint only sells 1000 then you may have a collectible.

    Just my opinion. >>



    Not that I disagree or even care about "surviving numbers or low mintages", but who in their right mind would be stupid enough to pay a premium on gold just to melt it ? Don't answer that, Rob image
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    This is a nothing series, ugly, unwanted and ill advised. Yes, it is gold - and it carries a heavy premium. So unless your great, great, great grandmother is one of the hags, I see no reason to buy one. Cheers, RickO
  • TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 44,701 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>This is a nothing series, ugly, unwanted and ill advised. Yes, it is gold - and it carries a heavy premium. So unless your great, great, great grandmother is one of the hags, I see no reason to buy one. Cheers, RickO >>



    This is off topic, sort of... but let me illustrate my point.

    My ex brother 'n' law (call him an outlaw) , told me he went to recycle some steel and saw stacks and stacks of brand new aluminum ladders going to the melting pot. As a contractor, he wanted to buy a couple of them. The recycler was forbidden from selilng the "scrap" they buy. He wondered if the "LAW" would be interested in this. I laughed.
    For numismatic purposes, let's drop the "S" from "SCRAP".

    Who in their right mind would go buy new ladders at the store and then take them to the recycler ?

    Okay, back on topic , mate !
    I still like the ORANGE on gold coins after a hundred years.
  • Dog97Dog97 Posts: 7,874 ✭✭✭
    I tried to melt my spouse once but she kept jumping out the pot.

    image
    Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.


  • << <i>

    Who in their right mind would go buy new ladders at the store and then take them to the recycler ?
    . >>



    Uhhh- someone who didn't buy them, but stole them.
  • TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 44,701 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Get off the ladders, Res. I knew that...and speaking of solid gold spouses:
    I have a step ladder. I never knew my real ladder image
    It got stolen.
  • ElKevvoElKevvo Posts: 4,166 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Sometimes you can pick up stuff amazingly cheap at absolute bankruptcy auctions...maybe the ladders came from there.

    The folks who are buying the spouse coins to melt are just buying them on the open market, not from the mint. Easier to get them close to melt and there is no trail of the purchases.

    This series will never have much of a premium for mainstream collectors much beyond the PM content. Maybe a couple of specialists here and there but for the most part will end up being melted at one point. Certain coins might be hyped from time to time but once the dust settles prices will be back to normal.

    K
    ANA LM
  • SilverstateSilverstate Posts: 1,537 ✭✭✭
    Maybe I am going against the grain here.

    I like the Spouse Gold program.

    It would be nice if the mint charged us closer to melt, instead of 40-50% markup.

    Nice to learn a little history with each Presidential Dollar and the Spouse Coin as well.

    Coins are history, at least to me they are.

    So that is a bonus.

    Rotating designs are popular as well.

    That is why the state quarters did well and brought a lot of people into coin collecting.

    The gold spouse coins, tie to the economy with gold and people wanting some bullion to hold and link to the Presidential Dollar series nicely.
  • 57loaded57loaded Posts: 4,967 ✭✭✭
    there is enough for the collectors with the 10k limit and melting included. these will track bullion with maybe a small % for some smaller mintages. but unless this series becomes very popular later, the ones who are collecting their coins are buying and keeping them.

    if sold as an entire series to date, there will be some collector value.

    i do think that these are great bullion coins to buy at or slightly above spot, though (last years)

  • BECOKABECOKA Posts: 16,961 ✭✭✭
    I don't think anyone could buy enough of these at any one place to make them more valuable.
  • aficionadoaficionado Posts: 2,309 ✭✭✭
    Maybe the first ones are being melted, that sold for around $400.

    There's plenty of gold on the market and judging by the Mint numbers, this is not happening.

    BUT

    IF bullion is scarce, which I don't think it is, buying from the Mint 'could' work. The reason is, 1/2 oz gold melted and made into a few pieces of jewelry, which then sell for more than the original $600.

    Possible, but not likely.



  • FullStrikeFullStrike Posts: 4,353 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Melt my spouse? >>






    My man I presume you must be married to the Wicked Witch of the West, to be posing questions like that.

    And how will you accomplish the task, with a glass of Beer or just plain old tap water?

    imageimage

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