Price differences narrow between circulated, Mint State coins

The prices of gold, silver and platinum are nose-diving. Silver had only days earlier been flirting with $18 an ounce. It is now down about 85 cents. Platinum is down nearly $70 from its recent high. Gold is at the low end of its recent trading range. All this impacts the glut of generic coins on the market whose price is primarily based on intrinsic value.

There is a continuing decline in the interest and value of Peace dollars across the board regardless of their condition or by whom they have been encapsulated if they have been third-party certified. The balance of the U.S. market remains reasonably stable, but there is little upside movement.

Key dates are usually in greater demand, but the interest in them remains tepid. There are more generic (common date, common condition) gold and silver circulation strike coins available than retail buyers can absorb. The difference in value between most grades of reasonably available coins is so minuscule that you will likely pay a pittance more to obtain a Mint State example than you will for an example of the same coin in a circulated condition. This spells opportunity for serious collectors. The opportunity to build a significant collection of high-grade coins is better now than it can be anticipated to be in the future. A word of caution on the sight-unseen market – the coins offered might be certified to be in a certain grade, but this doesn’t ensure the eye appeal, toning and other non-grade factors make these coins the bargain they seem to be.

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