2017-05-20 Sat

Collectors share a love-hate relationship with the U.S. Mint. Sometimes collectors are happy to see the use of the Philadelphia Mint’s P mark on 2017 Lincoln cents. They also get disappointed by confused sale figures and mintage numbers. As per official reports, just 79,640 American Eagle silver bullion coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 2015. Since, the American Eagle silver bullion coins were struck from Philadelphia, San Francisco and West Point Mints, they don’t have a Mint mark. However, they can be recognised based on the information found only on the 500-coin boxes of tubes. But even that is doubtable because many of the 79,640 2015 American Eagle silver coins struck at the Philadelphia Mint have been cut out from their original context in the Mint boxes.

Many Mint State 69 examples were sold on eBay in April for $649. Prices now have moved to $450 to $500 level. On May 4, a PCGS MS-70 example bought $5,201 on eBay. Will this pose a problem for collectors and will they be able to recognise this as a distinctive issue, since the coins are indistinguishable by appearance alone?

The U.S. Mint introduced a set for which the marketplace was already buzzing. All 75,000 2017 Congratulations sets sold out in two minutes on April 4 at an issue price of $54.95. These sets sell at $150 level on eBay. For the quick buyers, such gains were a blessing in disguise but for the collectors, it proved to be a costly decision as they didn’t stand a chance to purchase one directly from the Mint.

Once considered to be the only area in the market that had stability, the generic Proof gold and silver American Eagles has lost its ground with the buyers. The health of the silver coins used to be pacing nicely at $45 to $50 level, but market makers have reduced the buy prices to $33 to $36 level.