2014 Australia Silver Wedge-Tailed Eagle Pick-up

[Jester]

Good Morning All and Happy Friday!

I'd like collect the Perth Mint Australia Wedge-Tail Eagle series as it's fairly early on in the run (and I'm looking forward to the release of the 2017 proofs).  I'd also like for each year to be slabbed and graded.  The 2014 is proving to be the most challenging and expensive.  I have found two options and need the opinion of collectors more seasoned/experienced than I. Would it be better to have a PCGS graded PR69DCAM example or a NGC MS70?  Both are signed by Mercanti on the tag.  Interestingly, the Proof PR69 is less expensive than the Bullion MS70.  Ideally, I'd really like to purchase a PR/PF70 example but personally I'm not willing to pay $500+.  Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.  Have a great weekend!

[Jester]

Ended up going with the MS70 from Govmint for $199. With such a limited mintage overall in 2014 anyway (as you pointed out), I really wanted a 70 graded coin to kick off the collection. It appears as the mintage went up in 2016, the PR/PF70s are a bit easier to come by and little less expensive. Thanks for the feedback Shortstack. I really appreciate you input.

[MaxShiraz]

The Wedgies are a great series and they are very popular in America because of Mercanti and the obvious link the the Eagle. And also because the great designs.

There's a lot of focus on the high relief proofs, but I like Ag MS and Ag Proof, and I think the the Ag 1oz proof is the sleeper and best potential value. These proof mintages are 5,000, the 2014 so far being the key. There's a markup for the Merchant-signed slabs but personally I don't think they add any value as there's no rarity to them, it's essentially a marking thing for the US market.

In 2016 they also released the 1/10 oz Au which hopefully will be the first in the series. Obviously this is more obtainable than the full ounce and I just snapped one up - albeit at a hefty premium.

 

[Jester]

Thanks for the feedback Max.  I would really love to pick up an Ag Proof but I can't seem to find one anywhere (that's not asking $500 - $1,000 per coin).  So until I find a reasonable seller, I'll be happy with my 2014 MS70.  From 2015 forward, do you know if Ag Bullion, Proofs and High Reliefs were offered or did they narrow it to just Bullion and High Relief?

I had no idea about the Au option!  I'll plan to look for 1/10 oz Au as soon as I click "Submit Reply".  Thanks again Max for taking the time to provide the valuable insight.

[MaxShiraz]

1oz "regular" Proofs have been available each year starting from 2014. They seem to be produced last, after the bullion and high relief proofs for some reason.

AFAIK the 2017 proof isn't out yet. I just happen to prefer the regular proof to the high relief proof.

[rgr2426]

I agree I would love to get a 2017 wedge tail proof Raw

[Jester]

28 minutes ago, shortstack68 said:

There's also a bi-metallic proof containing 1/2 gold and a 1/2 silver from 2016 and a 750 mintage

Beautiful coin...I just picked up a NGC PF70 example!  Shortstack, that was a pro tip if I've ever heard one.  Thanks so much.