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 Replies: 64 / Views: 8,383 |
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New Member
Canada
42 Posts |
Exactly! I see the Nuthatch going for as high as $399+, whereas the Hummingbird seems to be hovering around $110. I am assuming the mintage should be the same. So why such a price difference, when both came out in the same year ? <scratching my head> Anyone with any thoughts as to why ? If you have $$ to spend now, would you rather buy one of these popular painted 25cent Nickel plated steel bird coin (ie. the older ones that seem to be going up in value) or a silver GO7 coin that seems to be decreasing in value judging by ebay listings ? |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3690 Posts |
Nuthatch mintage 11,909 Hummingbird mintage 17,174 - that's almost 3k more than any other in the series save the 2012s for which actual mintage is unknown. Nuthatch looks nicer and it's fun to say Nut-hatch.  Edited by CC-Ottawa
12/12/2012 8:30 pm
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New Member
Canada
42 Posts |
Ok, you're right CC-Ottawa. I did a quick google search just now. If what I've read is correct, apparently only 12,000 of the 25,000 Nuthatch were sold and the rest were melted down and recycled. Interesting...
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New Member
Canada
42 Posts |
"Nuthatch looks nicer and it's fun to say Nut-hatch"
hahaha !
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Valued Member
Canada
300 Posts |
I think the nuthatch is popular for a number of reasons, most of which have already been mentioned. I will add one more. It's one of the most realistic and life-like of the birds and in spite of comments like "least impressive of the series" I would argue it's very attractive.
I am a birder and think of all of them, the cardinal is by far the poorest. It isn't lifelike at all--looks like a piece of clip-art or cartoon drawing. Yet, it's the one that is next most popular, at least based on what people are willing to pay. I guess that bright red color is all it takes!
My biggest quarrel, speaking as a birder with an interest in bird species distribution, is most of these are not very representative of Canada as a whole. There is a definite eastern bias (Blue Jay, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak), and most are rather southern, not getting very far up into Canada (Downy Woodpecker, American Goldfinch; as well as the Rose-breasted Grosbeak & the hummingbird again), but the cardinal is certainly the worst in this regard, barely getting into southern Ontario in any abundance and rare or absent just about everywhere else. The Barn Swallow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and the hummingbird are only here in the summer, and the goldfinch mostly only in summer.
Now having said all that, at least the Red-breasted Nuthatch is found over a large portion of the country at any time of year. It's certainly the best representative of *Canadian* birds selected so far, although the Evening Grosbeak is also quite good.
Cheers,
Rob
Edited by Ravenzcoin
12/12/2012 8:57 pm
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Pillar of the Community
1007 Posts |
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New Member
Canada
42 Posts |
fascinating info, thanks Ravenzcoin ! The Cardinal has a slightly lower mintage than the Nuthatch and yet sells for less than the Nuthatch...must be what you have suggested, its not lifelike.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2408 Posts |
Thanks for the info Ravenzcoin. I really know nothing about birds but I appreciate them very much - and respect those who pursue the study of birds.
Over the years my wife planted honeysuckles, yellow bells, Mexican paradise, star jasmine - basically any flower in a trumpet shape. We have many beautiful hummingbirds regularly humming in our backyard. One day I was wearing a shirt with flowers, as I was talking on the phone one hummingbird came hovering a few cm from me for more than 30 seconds. AMASING WIND and I was telling my uncle what was going on during all this time. Fantastic experience.
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Valued Member
Canada
110 Posts |
I personally don't like non silver or gold coins. They don't seem to have any value to me and don't understand how these coins are possible selling for $400 each lol. Many better looking coins out there like the Perth Mint Birds Series...love the budgie coin! |
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New Member
Canada
42 Posts |
I am totally surprised by these prices too - the Nuthatch has appreciated in value 16X its original issue price over 5 years, whereas silver for instance has only roughly doubled in value over the same 5 year period. I guess its similar to collecting banknote or paper money, or limited edition silkscreen/lithograph artwork printed on a piece of paper. The value of the piece is not at all based on the material that it is printed on. I am thinking although the GO7 coin is pure silver, some of us bought it from the mint at almost 3X spot and those coins are now sold on ebay at less than the issue price...from only the point of view of investment/capital preservation (although I know that is not the only reason we collect coins), it seems the GO7 coin is much more of a risk than the birds of canada coins... |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1502 Posts |
Never mix commemorative/numismatic/collectible value with bullion value, 'cause it don't make no sense.
My favourite is the downy woodpecker. The blue jay, I find, is a nice design as well, but the male bird is the more impressive than the female one depicted IMO. Before suburbia took over, the backyard ravine where I grew up used to be home to at least 2 woodpeckers and a number of blue jays and cardinals. Unfortunately all I see now are undisciplined dogs and fat squirrels...
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Valued Member
Canada
133 Posts |
Ravenzcoin...nice to see another fellow birder on a coin forum :)
Summed up pretty good with the local bird distribution throughout Canada. I think the Nuthatch is a close second to the bird coin that most represents Canada but I have to go with the Black-capped Chickadee as that bird can also be found coast to coast and is probably more known than the Nuthatch to non-birders.
Okay, lets get back to the coin chat....
I'd love to see them come out with an Owl on the 2013 coins.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1528 Posts |
Quote:I personally don't like non silver or gold coins. They don't seem to have any value to me and don't understand how these coins are possible selling for $400 each lol. Many better looking coins out there like the Perth Mint Birds Series...love the budgie coin! I agree with you DWS and the mintage for the the perth birds is 10,000. I personally like them more than the Canadian series for the reason stated by you and another guy. But I think the reason why the Canadian bird series does well is because we can see some of them in our backyard or camp site. |
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Valued Member
Canada
133 Posts |
I think the Birds of Australia series is beautiful and I also have the first two coins from the Perth Mint. I'll spill my beans, I only started to collect coins because of birds. Being an avid birder many years ago I tried to collect coins with birds on them from all over the world. Well here we are years later and althought I still collect coins with birds on them I also collect all decimal from Canada and the US. |
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Valued Member
Canada
300 Posts |
Quote:
Being an avid birder many years ago I tried to collect coins with birds on them from all over the world. Well here we are years later and althought I still collect coins with birds on them I also collect all decimal from Canada and the US. Lesinwestvan, you sound like a kindred spirit except I don't collect all decimal from the U.S. (At least not yet!) Other than that, the above statement could have been written by me. Glad you mentioned the Black-capped Chickadee's appropriateness as a Canadian bird in a previous post on this thread. I did sort of overlook it. My only quibble with it is, although you are correct in saying it is coast to coast, it does not make it onto Vancouver Island, whereas the nuthatch does. If I lived in Victoria, I might feel slighted. As I say it's a quibble and I agree with you, otherwise. Cheers, Rob |
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Posted 12/12/2012 8:21 pm
