Look to key dates to find bargains
If you collect key date, condition rarity, or limited edition coins, you may have noticed recently that few of these coins have been appreciating in value. Such coins as higher condition Carson City Morgan silver dollars have been decreasing in price.
At the same time, if you consider yourself to be an average collector with a nice set of circulated Mercury dimes, Washington quarters, or perhaps Franklin half dollars, you might be surprised to learn these coins have been appreciating in value. Why? Not because of supply and demand, but because their intrinsic value has been increasing.
Gold and silver have returned to their trading ranges of a year earlier, with upward momentum being fueled in part by a weak dollar on world exchanges. While this is good news for collectors, it also appears there are currently fewer of us. This, however, is impacting the so-called better coins, since supply and demand rather than intrinsic value is their key to appreciating market values.
As one price contributor noted, he was one of only three persons at the American Numismatic Association Museum in Colorado Springs when he visited there in late August. Perhaps it reflects a decline in current activity. With gold and silver material increasing in value but key coins declining, it looks like time to buy keys.
This article was originally printed in Numismatic News. >> Subscribe today.
More Collecting Resources
• Keep up to date on prices for Canada, United States and Mexico coinage with the 2018 North American Coins & Prices guide.
• Download The Metal Mania Seminar with David Harper to learn more about the metals market.
