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Pillar of the Community
United States
581 Posts |
If you notice from the above pics the coins from 2004-2008 have more of a matte finish. The coins from 2009 to present have more of a proof finish. The earlier colored Elephants had the whole image colorized and it's not always the most flattering. More recent colored coins leave the background silver and are selective in what gets colored. I'm not sure of the date the change was made. In my opinion it makes the coin more attractive. The only exception is the current day and night coins. I feel they are very well done. I am also a bit biased yet I'm quite critical when I pay a premium for something "special". The following price points have been compiled from ebay completed listing, info from other collectors and various retail websites. These are just estimates. I've gotten better prices being at the right place at the right time and I've also paid a premium for a specific coin. Based upon prior sales the Elephants beat the Pandas in appreciation and should continue to do so because of the lower mintage numbers. So, the following are averages. Average price points: 2004- $140-170 2005- $175-200 2006- $130-150 2007- $120-140 2008- $110-130 2009- $70-90 2010- $60-80 2011- $55-65 2012- $45-60 2013- $30-40 2014- $28-32 Hopefully (fingers crossed) as the 2013s sell out and are no longer available from big retailers the price should rise thus increasing the values of the earlier coins as well. I go back and forth on whether the colored, gilded and privy coins are worth the premium. A feel very confident and would recommend to any collector to complete the BU set and buy the rarer 2004-2008 coins when they are available. I don't think you can lose. When it comes to high relief proofs, colored, gilded and privy I will purchase them if I can get a really good deal. I feel it would make a difference if we knew how many were minted during the earlier years. Well that's my 2 cents worth. Hope it was helpful. |
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Pillar of the Community
Japan
666 Posts |
the prices are too optimistic 2007 and 2008 are available at sub $100 2009 - recently I've sold some on ebay for 55-60 ... and was ready to sell at 50 off ebay ... up to certain point there were no bids, but out of a sudden I've sold all the coins I had. I'm optimistic about price appreciation of early elephants ... though I'm not rushing to pay big bucks for 2007 and 2008 to complete my collection I think the sub 2008 elephants are more rare than their mintage as they barely come on sale ... may be not many survived as they were not that valuable at the time and many didn't care for them. So, with the increase in mintage year after year the interest in the series will grow, at the same direction price will go. Edited by bekiz
10/18/2013 9:23 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1088 Posts |
I think that the color on the coins "cheapens" the look of the coin in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I still love the designs of the coins, I just prefer the standard coin to the colorized.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1088 Posts |
Yellow88, very nice collection by the way. How do you display them? Or store them
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Pillar of the Community
United States
581 Posts |
bekiz- was it the same buyer scooping up all your coins or were there multiple buyers? You are right my prices are a bit optimistic and I've certainly been able to pick up some very good deals myself that undercut the price averages I quoted above. Typically it's been a seller that simply didn't know what they had, a dealer clearing inventory and the Elephant didn't jive with his specialty or it's been a combo of both on an off night on ebay, like a Tuesday or Wednesday night. I've also received some preferential pricing by purchasing more than one coin from a seller at time. Saved on price and shipping. Thanks for the sales info. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
581 Posts |
stud722-
2004-2008 came with their own capsules. 2009 to present I put them in Lighthouse capsules. They then go into ziplock freezer type bags. I try to remove as much air as possible before sealing the bag. Coins then go into a safe.
I lost the link but there's a German company that's offering for sale a display case specifically designed for the Elephants. I'm going back and forth on whether I should buy it (it's about $60 USD plus shipping) or put the money towards another Elephant.
I'm pretty picky retentive when it comes to storage but I probably take them out to look at or to show some one every couple of days. I know a lot of collectors frown upon this but I often remove the coins from the capsules, hold them by the rim so I can study them better. It also just feels better to hold the actual coin itself.
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Pillar of the Community
Japan
666 Posts |
Quote:bekiz- was it the same buyer scooping up all your coins or were there multiple buyers? You are right my prices are a bit optimistic and I've certainly been able to pick up some very good deals myself that undercut the price averages I quoted above. Typically it's been a seller that simply didn't know what they had, a dealer clearing inventory and the Elephant didn't jive with his specialty or it's been a combo of both on an off night on ebay, like a Tuesday or Wednesday night. I've also received some preferential pricing by purchasing more than one coin from a seller at time. Saved on price and shipping. Thanks for the sales info. coins were listed for almost 2 months ... but sales came within last two weeks from multiple buyers, some are newbies on ebay. Looks like supply for 2009 is drying up ... |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
581 Posts |
bekiz do you think the 2004-2008 are being hoarded by collectors? The Bavarian Mint assured dealers there will be no reminting of earlier years and finding the first 5 years is pretty tough. Even the German dealers either do not have or are running out of the early years.
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Pillar of the Community
Japan
666 Posts |
well, I cannot judge about pre 2008 elephants as they are very overpriced for me and I haven't sold any
If Bavarian Mint assured about remints - that's good news. It means the coins has no other way than going up in value - 5K mintage for the coin with current mintage of more than 1 million is nothing
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2543 Posts |
Very nice @yellow, I ony have the 2011 as part of a 2011 world bullion set I built. And am one of those who think that, like many other low mintage issues that are minted by private mints, this is still just a boutique coin. But I still appreciate a great looking coin. The day-night set is really cool.Still waiting to see Yup's painted collection.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
581 Posts |
bekiz I agree with you that the coins have no where to go but up. The latest estimate of the 1 million mintage along with the fact large dealers, such as APMEX, carry a full line now of Elephants proves that. The higher the mintage the more people buy them and get introduced to the series thus wanting to collect more of them helping to fuel prices. I also agree the earlier more expensive coins are not that liquid in the US market. If you sold on ebay and shipped to Germany, where they are crazy about these coins, it might be a different story. I was fortunate to find a seller on ebay one night that had two 2004s for sale. I made a deal with him to buy both coins at a discounted price of $180 or $90 each. The seller himself was in a war torn Eastern European country and I took a leap of faith. Fortunately both coins were in great condition and I sold one for $149. It took three weeks but the buyer had to have it. At that time it was one of only a handful being sold on any major site in the US. denko7 its a lot of fun to put together a world bullion set. It can be a daunting task. How many make up your collection? Which are the most unique? Learning about each coin (the who, what, why, when and where) is a lot of fun. The mystique and intrigue surrounding the Somalia Elephant coins, I feel, actually adds to the appeal. Also, the fact the coins change each year, you don't have to be a millionaire to put together a BU set, and they are minted to a proof-like standard help also. I'm on a quest to solve some of the mysteries attached to this coin series and will post my findings. I find it fun to do and adds to the enjoyment of collecting the series. As a semi-numismatic investment the Elephants rank right up there with Pandas and the Perth Mint products IMHO. Besides the one I sold to test the market I plan on holding all my Elephants for at least 2-3 years. It will be interesting to see what happens price wise during that time. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3789 Posts |
Just noticed a few things here-
for 2014, it appears the 2014 1 oz gold coin is proof NOT BU as other years.
I also found a dealer selling 5 Oz gold proof elephants for 2014 also.
I have to check again but the smaller fractional sizes also appear to be in proof also.
Previous years, I dont think were proof but I might be missing something here. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
581 Posts |
yup7676 I also thought all gold Elephant coins 2013 and prior were BU as well.
What's the name of the website you saw these coins on? Some sites use the words (mistakenly so) "proof" or "proof-like" when describing BU Elephants since they are so well struck.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3789 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
581 Posts |
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Replies: 419 / Views: 110,725 |
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Posted 10/18/2013 9:15 pm
