low mintage collector coins who sells them

[craig12]

can anyone just put me straight on this subject please as im not quite understanding it

on the coin series ie lunar, snakes,special on offs, the sort of coins you guys talk of collecting the series,

come with a box or capsule, with a certificate,

where are they purchased from ?

when you see such coins on like atkinsons, or bullion sites  are those the very same ones , whereby you would order 1 and it was sent in a box with certificate,

or are they only available through coin fairs,

 

in short/ the special coins with the lovely patterns on  that come numbered with certificate, where are they boiught from ?

regards craig

 

[Ares]

Most regular coins (e.g from the lunar series) are BU - i think - and come with the coin and sometimes a capsule. Occasionally they some in other things like slips or small plastic pouches. If you buy a proof, you would get it in a case and certificate. They have a much higher premium than regular BU coins and there are a couple here who collect proofs if i recall correctly.

 

Certain dealers offer proofs, the majority of bullion websites offer BU coins because proofs are a smaller market so economically it's better to stock BU. I have no idea where to buy proofs, there are people here who would be able to get one/know where they are. Could put a listing under WTB if you want one.

[Shamatti]

You just have to look for the right type of coin.

 

You are talking about what is called a 'proof' coin. They are minted separately and polished by hand usually, sealed in a capsule and placed in a presentation box with a COA (Certificate of Authenticity).They are usually a limited number of coins printed this way.

 

Most of the major coins are released in a proof. For example the Perth Mint Kookaburra. Last year they minted 500,000 standard coins, and an additional $5000 as Proofs. These are of course more expensive and very much more collectable then the standard coins.

 

Most coin suppliers will sell proof coins.

[Ares]

 

Most coin suppliers will sell proof coins.

 

I must be looking in the wrong places, but just to clarify the website will specifically say if a particular coin they are selling is a proof or not.

[craig12]

I thought the word might have been proof, they do scare me a bit as I have read somewhere that the royal mint proof items were instantly worth about half the value after purchase , I cant remember who said it , it might have been chards, but they felt royal mint items were way over priced , customers went to sell them and were horrified at the loss

I do like the good looking proof/style

just had a scan on perth mints site

how many products do they sell   its scary 

[Danny-boy]

Royal mint are overpriced for the majority of things, pretty much everything.

[Ares]

RM is very overpriced, would not recommend buying straight from them unless there's something you particularly wanted to own rather than sell or - apparently - one of those £20 coins because they've done reasonably well so i've heard.

[ChrisSilver]

The only bullion coins that come in capsules from the mints are the Perth Mint bullion coins (kookaburra, koala, lunar etc) and the Chinese silver pandas. These comes don't come with a COA (Certificate of Authenticity)

These coins are BU (Brilliant uncirculated, which is the name given to standard bullion coins in mint condition)

Other coins supplied in capsules from dealers will be in after market capsules.

Generally only proof coins come in a box with a COA. Proof coins are numismatic, meaning they only mint a specific number and command a high premium, generally the strike on a proof coins is better and a higher quality coin is produced.

There is a BU coin that is produced by Perth Mint but was commissioned by a dealer. This coin is the stock horse coin. It is a semi numismatic / numismatic coin (depending on how you define) mintage is 10k and it also comes in a capsule with a COA.

[HelpingHands]

If you haven't purchased a standard Perth lunar coin yet I think you should.

 

You get a very nice coin in a capsule. 

[ChrisSilver]

If you haven't purchased a standard Perth lunar coin yet I think you should.

You get a very nice coin in a capsule.

Yea.

Craig12, I'd suggest buying some standard Perth mint bullion coins before then moving onto proofs if you want. I think most people end up eventually buying proofs when they realise they already have enough bullion / or decide they wish to be more of a collector than a stacker.

I may be wrong, but I would assume most collectors who collect different Perth mint proofs would also at least collect the standard Perth Mint Bullion coins.

The PM (Perth Mint) Kookaburra, koala, lunar. I collect all of these as well as some PM privy coins and I think the PM bullion coins are some of the nicest bullion coins around.

[Pete]

Familiarise yourself with APMEX, the USA supermarket for coins.

Check out Australian silver coins and you will see a wide selection.

You can buy coloured coins, certified coins and proofs but you need to shop around.

I am not aware of any UK seller that offers such a range but check out the popular German sellers as they tend to offer a wider range of semi- numis.

[Shamatti]

I must be looking in the wrong places, but just to clarify the website will specifically say if a particular coin they are selling is a proof or not.

 

Yes! I didn't make that clear. Most places sell them in addition to the more common BU. They will be listed separately though!

[motorbikez]

There is a big market for proof coins in Germany and that is the best source for them, also don't dismiss ebay there are plenty of dealers who sell on there especially Germany and Australia. Re Australia if you are buying from there always factor in the 20% VAT charge which you may or may not get away with. As a few of our members will testify including myself its a bummer when you are stung for VAT.

[Pete]

Just a cautionary bit of advice -

 

BE VERY CAREFUL on eBay when sellers describe their coins as PROOF.

90% of the time they are standard bulllion coins that look shiny.

The seller does not know the difference so DO YOUR RESEARCH before bidding.

 

A proof silver Britannia looks stunning and is markedly different from a new BUNC or mint bullion coin.

A proof Britannia might sell for £50 - £100 or more but a bullion coin of the same year for £20.

 

Many Perth Mint Australian coins are often described as "reverse proofs".

This is NOT the same as PROOF so check the specifications and look up pictures and get to know the difference.

Once again I see so many of these coins described as proof when they are not and there can be massive price differences so don't get stung !

 

Proof coins are stuck to a higher standard than the best bullion coins and usually have a certificate that states PROOF.

Some bullion coins also come with a CoA BUT they are NOT proofs !

A proof coin should also be mark free and if someone has handled it without gloves the finger marks are almost impossible to remove and the coin is best degraded to a good bullion. I have several such proof coins that have been wrecked by finger marks that cannot be erased without adding fine scratches so I treat them as bullion only.

[Danny-boy]

Good advice Pete, I couldn't have said it better.

The amount of 2007 britannias I have seen described as proof is laughable.

If it's described as proof without a box or COA, buyer beware.

[craig12]

I am constantly seeing on you tube  coins  like pandas, maples, etc  and the packaging is a sort of 2"x3" plastic case  where the coin sits at the bottom and theres wording on the top  with words like graded fineness  where can you order these from please

the packaging is like the size of a credit card but turned the other way

 

like the florida alligator on the pictures of your stack in the silver section

at the bottom of the home page

 

one heading says slabbed coins

[Ares]

Slabbed means they've been graded by a grading service like NGC of PCGS and given a specific grade (the golden egg is MS-70) and put in a plastic blister pack. These are much more expensive as far as I know, not sure how much with respect to a proof.

 

They are a very distinct taste, I personally would never buy any graded coin until a few decades pass and I need to for my morgan collection for a couple of good reasons, but i dislike the packaging immensely. A proof in a nice box is visibly more appealing than a slab, the slabbed coin can be forged too if the buyer isn't aware what a genuine slab (or at least the headings etc at the top of the pack) looks like.

[Cointreau]

The 2014 Somali Elephant coins have a proof like finish. I don't have any of these fancy slabbed coins so wtfdik.

[Danny-boy]

The Somali elephant is lovely, as is the Benin elephant.

Quite a few coins have a proof-like finish.