Do you think the pre-1933 gold commemoratives are good coins to collect?

[dan3e]

Hello collectors,

I would like to know what other collectors think of the pre-1933 gold commemorative coins? Do you think these coins would be good to collect/invest in? There is only 12 pre-1933 gold commemorative coins and they all have very low mintages. Do you think these coins would be good to add to my collection and do you think they will hold there value. Thank you all for your opinions and advice. Sincerely, Dan

[TomB]

It least part of this depends on if you want to build a complete set of classic gold commems or you want a shorter set. The complete set will include the octagonal and round $50 commems and these cost about as much as a house.

[michael]

 

 

I would like to know what other collectors think of the pre-1933 gold commemorative coins? ???????????

 

decent beautiful historical coins with the majoritystill in existance in really choice to gem+ grades

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Do you think these coins would be good to collect/invest in?

 

for collecting yes

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for investing

 

i dont know as it is a SUPER DUPER THIN MARKET CONTROLLED BY A FEW select dealers and many times these coins are illiquid and most all are really commonly available even in gem+ grades multiples at any major show and always multiples in major auctions also the coins have tended to fluctate wildly in short term price swings in the last 10 years

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There is only 12 pre-1933 gold commemorative coins and they all have very low mintages. Do you think these coins would be good to add to my collection and do you think they will hold there value.????????

 

miget be low mintages but most all survived in really choice to gem+ condition

 

i think they are wonderful to add to your collection if you got 6 figures discretionary income and you buy pcgs cac stickered ms 66 and better examples that have great overall eye appeal and are all there and then some for the stated holdered pcgs grade and surfaces and hold for the long term 10+ years as a collection

 

now as far as holding their value if you get them in a really depressed market cycle and can pick them up at bargain sale prices when everyone is selling maybe

 

but it might be a long time until they get promoted up again

 

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based on past experiences they are terrible invrestments but remember most importaNTLY past results are not a true indication of future performance

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WHATEVER you decide good luck!!

 

 

 

[michael]

oh and the above i am not talking about the pan pac slugs

 

they are a different story all-together and are the most worked on coins in all of federal coinage with many worked on pieces heavy dipped out canary yellow gold coloration being in slabbed holders

 

and i would guess that a true pcgs ms 66 original colored coin with its skin intact and without any doctoring on the coin where it not only meets my eye appeal and standards but gets a cac sticker

and has great eye appeal

i guess this would be an easily saleable $200,000+ coin

 

 

 

[dan3e]

No, I was just interested in the shorter small gold denomination set.

[dan3e]

What about the $2.50 Indian/liberty head gold coins in grades au58-ms62? Do you think these coins would be good to collect/ invest/add to my collection? I really like pre 1933 U.S. Coins and I have been working on Bust halfs in au grades. I'm trying to add coins to my collection that are under$400.00. This is a affordable range that I can work on the rest of this year and next year. Thanks for your time and advice. Sincerely, Dan

[World Colonial]

To collect, sure. To "invest", no I do not.

 

In my opinion, your comment on the mintages is taking a very simplistic approach to considering these coins as "investment" candidates. Given that these coins were not intended for circulation, though some might have since the US was still on the gold standard, these coins are not remotely scarce. (The $50 gold are moderately scarce but still vastly more common in these grades than any coin which is ACTUALLY scarce.)

 

Take a look at the census data and you will see what I mean. Of the coins you ask about, EVERY ONE of them has a census population of over 1000 and most of these, the vast majority, are in mint state. And this is just NGC and does not even include PCGS. Coins that are actually scarce have nowhere near this survival rate in high grade.

 

Now take a look at the prices. I just took five minutes to check the last sale on Heritage and then compared this to those listed in my 1989 "Red Book" (which was near or at the peak of a bubble in classic commemoratives). The Lewis & Clark issue is slightly more expensive but the others, even in higher grade, sell for less than 21 years ago. A few of them sell for less than half.

 

I suppose some might say that they are under rated now given this dismal performance. Maybe, but given how common they are, I hardly consider them cheap The way I see it is that the prices already reflect strong demand which I assume exists due to the historical events associated with them and the unique designs. Some have probably also bought them because of the supposedly low mintages thinking they are scarce.

[PerryHall]

To set the record straight, there are 13 coins in a pre-1933 gold commem set---9 gold $1's, 2 gold $2-1/2's, and 2 gold $50's). The most popular set is the 11 smaller coins due to the expense of the gold $50's. I have a nice set but I wouldn't consider them to be a good investment. Buy them in either NGC or PCGS slabs since all coins in this series have been counterfeited.

[BillJones]

I've been working on the 11 piece gold dollar and quarter eagle early commemorative set since the first of the year. They are expensive, and there are more than few dealers who view them as "poison" because they can very illiquid when it comes time to sell.

 

I’m really enjoying my collection of them and have two more to go (Pan Pac $2.50 and Grant no star dollar), but I’m under no illusions. Buying them is what my old economics professor called a “consumption act” because chances are I’ll lose money them when and if I sell them. They are fun to collect, but like a lot of the “old commemorative coins” the market for them is limited, and appears to remain so for the foreseeable future unless a few insiders decide to promote them. If that happens you might get to play or you might not if they won't buy them at prices consistent with their selling prices.

 

My strategy has been to buy the coins in the grades just before the prices get high. Therefore I own the Lewis and Clark dollars in MS-64. Beyond that the prices go through the roof, and unless you are a knowledgeable, picky buyer, those high priced coins are really not that much better. I’m a picky MS-64 buyer.

[mommam17]

Hi. I'm not sure how they will do as an investment. I love the Pan Pac and Jefferson Dollars. These are the only 2 in my collection. The Pan Pac 2.5 is a great looking coin, but more expensive like the Grants and Lewis and Clarks. McKinleys have that great reverse. Do not like the Sesqui and sold the one I had. Also, I get more enjoyment from the classic silver commem halves than the gold ones.

[JIM F.]

In general I have difficulty accepting that the market is thin on these. I've been trying to pick a few up via Heritage and there are plenty of bidders. My only score was on a 1917 McKinley and even that pickup was at a modest discount to "the market".

 

 

 

[Mozin]

I collect the Classic Commemorative gold pieces, but only the ones that are not super expensive.

 

The $2.50 Indian gold piece set is an easy set to collect, with only one coin expensive. I also collect this set.

[BillJones]

In general I have difficulty accepting that the market is thin on these. I've been trying to pick a few up via Heritage and there are plenty of bidders. My only score was on a 1917 McKinley and even that pickup was at a modest discount to "the market".

 

 

 

Selling these coins to dealers at a bourse is very hard. I was able to buy five of the six pieces I found at the winter FUN show for Gray Sheet bid or less. The one for which I paid a premium, a 1916 McKinley in MS-65, was a truly exceptional P-L example for the MS-65 grade.

 

These coins were run way up in price a few years ago and have been drifting lower ever since. They suffer from the fact that they are small in a coin market that thinks "bigger is better."

 

Yes, the net mintages do seem low, but the survival rates for most of them are high, which means that they are not as rare you might think.

 

Watch out for over graded pieces in MS-61 and 62 holders. When a customer gave me a want list a few years ago for the Lewis & Clark dollars in those grades, I was really surprised by the low quality of the slabbed pieces. A couple of them didn't even make "slider:" IMO, yet they were called MS-61.

 

The only one I've had trouble finding is the Pan Pac $2.50. I've always been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and no I will not big bucks for coins in MS-65 and 66 holders that have obvivous marks. Many of these coins also have dull, indifferent luster.