I was "caught up" in the frenzy like many of you,...but...

Greetings Collectors,

I can remember very clearly the year was 1999. The State Quarters were about to begin. I had been buying "mint products" for at least 10 years and not just one, but several of each. My "mindset" was I had to have 3 of everything so that my three children would each be able to have one after I was gone. I ended up waiting too long to buy the proof sets in both silver & clad, and they had "sold out" for that very important beginning year. I ended up having to buy both in triplicate in the after-market, paying around $90 for the 1999 silver proof sets and considerably more for the clad compared to the issue price. This incident along with when the Buffalo silver dollar commemorative came out in 2001, taught me a lesson I have never forgotten. If something is/was coming out, and it's something you know you are gonna want, "pull the trigger" as soon as it is possible. I have since quit buying everything the mint produces because of, mainly the costs involved but as a business person, the thought of buying something that I knew would never be valuable or that for the price paid, it was not the most prudent thing to do, was something I quit doing period. There are many mint products that now sell for less than their issue price. Being a whole lot wiser now compared to then, it's understandable why yhe value would forever be stuck. There's just too damn many of them and based on that fact alone, I have decided that they are just not for me.

What I have now is the decision as to what to do with the piles of state quarter mint rolls and all of the new Jefferson nickels, again in "mint issued" rolls with most being 4, 5, or 6 of everything. I don't want to just turn them in as far as, in a regular "face value" deposit, nor do I particularly want to take the time to list all of them on eBay. This would require research as to what each is selling for and then the hassle of the photography and the subsequent listing of each. And don't even get me on the subject of all of those "double dipping" fees charged by eBay & Pay Pal. One part of me wants to do this (list them) and another part says no. What my question is, will any of these dozens/hundreds of rolls "EVER" be worth anything? If I had to answer this now, I would think they "would not". (be worth anything)

All this is coming to a head as I have been buying silver like crazy this year. As I have mentioned before in past posts, I will get on a "tear" with a certain issue or a certain type item and I would go "full bore" for sometimes several months or longer. This has happened with $20 gold in the late 80's and then again in the mid 90's and then with a vengeance with graded gold in '03 '04 & 2005. A couple years ago for a period of months, I was buying dozens of rolls of 40% silver Kennedy halves for 30 something per roll. Now they are $70+ per. Early this year I shared some of my finds in the way of "old pour" silver bars. I purchased nearly a thousand ounces in various sizes ranging from 3 ounces to 40+ ounce bars. Some of these bars were made from silver mined in the 1800's and poured into bars around the same time. I shared with a few that I was paying on average a couple dollars per oz. over the current (at the time) spot price of silver. I even questioned myself as to the rational of paying $20 per ounce for a 32 ounce bar of silver when silver spot was at $17.50. As it has turned out all of this has been a very good thing.

Now I'm at the point that I believe that there is such a bargain in buying silver compared to what the metal is really worth, I am selling various things that I have around the house, both collectible things and other things such as riding lawnmowers, extra lawn furniture, various antique figurines etc etc. Every penny of the proceeds will be put into silver. I will still be on the lookout for various coins that I need for my numerous sets but 90%+ will be put into mainly 40% silver. I believe that strongly about the future of this metal. All of the planets, the moon, the sun & the stars are all in alignment. There will be just a short year or so and then that which I am referring to will emerge from "under the radar" and then "the price of poker" will go way up. I don't think I have ever felt more strongly about any endeavor or investment. And as I felt about the way I shared with many of you who wrote, as to how to save lots of money each and every time one shops on eBay, I want to share, and in a very strong way, that there is an opportunity here at present, that may never come again. At least the way this opportunity presents itself presently.

So this picture represents yet another vehicle that I have several thousand dollars in face value alone that could be better served selling it, and then dumping that amount into the white metal. In all of your opinions, will what you see here ever be worth anything? I know a roll of quarters will always be worth #10 but aside from that, will these "mint rolls" of "Keel-boat nickels" or "Peace Medal" nickels or the dozens of state quarters and Presidential dollars ever be worth any amount that would warrant my keeping them? I have answered this question to myself, that they will not. (ever be worth very much) But there was a reason I bought/picked up all of these rolls and the reason was, it was something that I thought, that would steadily increase in value. Now, I'm not so sure. What you see here represents only a fraction of what I have put away as each roll of each issue made itself available. Then the mint got greedy and all I was hearing was "no, they (the bank) did not have any of the "new quarters" or nickels or dollars etc. So when I could not get them any more for "face value", that's when I stopped. Now I'm left with a, I don't think "mess" is the right word but I'm left with a bunch of stuff that I don't know what to do with. I have nearly a full box of the newer P-mint Buffalo nickels as well. This is all quite perplexing but thought there might be others out there is a similar predicament. Got em from the bank when they came out, and now, piles of rolls later... Do you hang onto them or does one get rid of them???

I hope all of you are continuing to have fun with your coins and that the ones (coins) that have been eluding you, will soon make themselves available. Until next time...Keep buying coins & keep buying silver...

Happy Collecting!

WKF

P.S. Silver ratio to gold falls a wee bit more to 55.869