Somalia Elephant Silver And Gold Coins Anyone?

Bummer about the smudges yup. Hoping to see some deals with silver being lower but no significant drops so far.

I wish APMEX had better shipping. $35+ to Canada pretty much negates any deal I might be able to find.

I may try and pick up the high relief in the new year. I loved the 2012 kook high relief.

Interesting that MCM has on ebay still a few 2013 proof fractional elephants that are graded.

I think lower prices in PMs are going to be great going forward for collecting Somalia elephants

Nice! I just picked up a 2004 and 2005 completing my Somalia set. Might start on the Zambia ones. What are the going prices and mintages for those?

I have the run from Zambia through Somalia elephants. The Zambia 2003 proof can be found but the proofs before that are rare and have a hefty price if you want them. Most 1999-2003 Zambia's can be found colored but just BU are hard to find. I have used a site in Germany MA-shops but some sellers only use wire transfer and that costs too much, but some take paypal, Skrill and credit cards. It depends on the individual shop in the MA-shops that belong to it.

Hey did you guys notice that Gainsville coins is now carrying Somalia elephant coins?

They even carry the 2014s at the best price, lower than even ebay... and when I say 2014s I am talking the gilded elephant ones!

If you havent done so, go get some now thats a great price,.

silverleaf after extensive research I haven't been able to find official mintage numbers for the Zambia Elephants and I believe bekiz's estimate is pretty darn close to being accurate or as accurate as anyone can be.

The Zambia 2003 proof is relatively common compared to the earlier years. I would not pay more than $130 for one. $100 is the best price I have found for a problem free coin. Your patience will be rewarded.

Gainsville has great pricing for the 2014 BU Somalia Elephant along with very good pricing for the high relief, gilded and colored coins for both 2013 and 2014. I do not know why the privy coins are at a premium. To me the privy coins are not attractive and their mintage is the same as the colored and gilded Somalia Elephants. I'd much rather spend the money on gilded or colored.

The pricing for the rest of the Somalia Elephants are inline with completed auction prices on ebay.

After being unsatisfied by the 2013 and 2014 Somalia Elephant coins I received from the big online retailers I would suggest buying a roll. It is a fact the big retailers pick through the coins and submit the best ones for grading and sell the remaining coins individually. This doesn't always mean you get a problem coin but it does increase the likelihood of it happening. I have returned several coins for milkspots and one coin that had a huge rim ding that was extremely obvious. It greatly concerned me that the dinged coin was even mailed to me. Who ever fulfilled my order must be blind or is in desperate need of glasses. The Elephants come from the Bavarian Mint in rolls of 20 and are not encapsulated. I will only buy unopened mint rolls of the 2013 and 2014 Elephants. If I receive a problem coin I will return it ASAP and request a problem free replacement coin or a full refund. I have yet to encounter a milkspot on a 2004 to 2012 Elephant and I have several examples of each coin for those years.

Concerning milkspots on 2013 and 2014 coins the Elephants are not alone when it comes to having them. For some reason the milkspot problem seems to be a recentn phenomenon on BU coins from mints around the world. I have found them on BU coins from Mexico, China, Australia, Austria, Germany, and Canada to name but a few. I haven't had a milkspot issue on any pre-2013 BU coin.

I purchased a 2013 China Panda graded MS70 and slabbed by NGC. When the coin arrived it was perfect. After 3 months I noticed milkspots on the coin. So even buying a professionally graded and slabbed coin will not protect you. I have heard the argument from retailers that milkspots do not effect the grade or value of a coin. I heartedly disagree. All one has to do is peruse the completed sales on ebay to see that coins with milkspots sell for less than problem free coins.

Joe1320 I agree with you that finding the proof versions of the Zambia series for years 1999-2002 is difficult. 2003 is the easiest to find and for no good reason the 2003's on ebay are unnecessarily priced at a premium. The BU Zambia Elephants were made with both matte and proof finishes. For some reason it's easier to find the matte finished Elephants than the proof versions. The proof versions do exist. I have completed the Zambia series having acquired the matte, proof and colored versions for each year.

Joe1320 I have also purchased from MA-shops before discovering other resources. MA-shops has a good selection of the coins but they are priced at a substantial premium.

silverleaf I understand your frustration trying to find a company that ships to Canada that doesn't charge either an extremely high shipping fee or has a minimum order that's is prohibitive. As a favor for a Canadian friend, and as a challenge, I tried to find a Candian online retailer that sells Somalia Elephants. I had no luck. This left my friend two choices either buy from a German seller that will ship to Canada for the same price if you were in the States or buy from ebay from a seller that ships to Canada for no additional fee or a very small one. I can recommend a reputable German seller if needed.

Sorry for the lengthy response but I find it highly enjoyable collecting both the Zambian and Somalian Elephants. Each series is fascinating in its own right and uncovering some of the mysteries surrounding them is a lot of fun.

silverleaf congratulations on completing the Somalia set.

I think we use the same gentleman in Germany too. He has a wealth of info on the Somalia series but no Zambia coins.

I'll keep an eye out for the Zambia coins. My resource has a 1999 colored Zambia Elephant right now. I'll check to see what else he has.

Do you only want the proof coins or does the matte and colored ones spark your interest?