So The 2012 Silver Proof Is The New JFK Key Non-SMS Coin?

The 2012 silver Kennedy proof takes over as 'key' from the 1995 coin. That coin fetches upwards of $35-$40 easy. 2012 might rise to that level this year because of the lowest mintage status but will even out if the 2013 and 2014 distribution trends even lower. If you look at the table the trend downwards towards lower mintages starts with the 2007 coin.

@Charles,
Your point is well taken & understood. By mid-Spring, dealers and flippers will hype this set as 'ultra-rare' & will probably double in price by then. A lot of collectors that missed out will be taken in. It will make the limited edition proof silver set a relative bargain, and that too will be driven up as the frenzy continues over the ' low mintage.' My point is that dealers and flippers will capitalize on this fact until the 2013s are revealed to be even less than the silver 2012s. It's how the numismatic market now works, gotta be first in to rake in the most profit. It is an act of cannabalism disguised as good 'business' sense.

This discussion is good but begs a new question in the same vein.

I totally agree with the evaluation of people milking the market for everything they can get. But I was under the impression that under 500,000 would not make up enough for the number of collectors in the US. Obiously I am wrong on this from what more experienced people in the modern world of coin collecting have been posting (I am still not up to snuff with modern trends but CCF has been a big help).

It is a good point that most of all of these will likely survive since they are NIFC, so this then means that the supply/demand will actually dictate a non-higher price and yet the market will inflate the price b/c of perception.

So I wonder if maybe marketing at the mint knew this and therefore chopped off the supply of the silver proof sets on purpose to help them sell the special limited edition set?

Or am I over analyzing here?

I also wonder, since the mindset will drive the prices anyway, as if it would not be smart to go with the flow and get a few before needing to pay even more for them. I don't plan on reselling, I just want them for my JFK album and 2X2 holder/plastic pages collection.

@Earle: Your point is correct, the Mint is the biggest 'flipper' of them all, everyone else is just along for the ride. They knew well in advance they were going to short sell the silver set so the 'limited edition' silver proof set would move. Otherwise, how could someone justify $30 more over the individual components than if the lesser price set was suddenly sold out and caught everybody unawares? They literally have a license to coin money as much or as little as they want.

Simply put, 4oo some thousand coins is NOT enough for every collector who wants one to get one. There is no other way to view it. It is NOT dealers making something up. It is simple actual mintage numbers.




Here is the issue. Let me say now, I have no issue with you or anyone else preferring old coins and not moderns. Personal preference is just that, a personal preference. The problem is that many collectors with that attitude also automatically poo poo anything modern..."aaaahhhh thats just a Kennedy. It isn't a classic coin, it's not a real collectors coin". This is evidenced at every coin show I have ever been to. Don't believe me, try to fill holes in a Jefferson or Roosevelt or Kennedy Dansco. Which brings me to...

Every collector can NOT get ahold of these coins. If you truly believe that, just try completing one of these sets. Getting these coins in higher grades is NOT easy, and not cheap either. Trust me. It took my almost 2 years to finish off the Kennedy book.



I see the point, but that is completely flawed logic. That is the same argument used for "(insert ridiculously low mintage coin here) has a lower mintage than a 16D Merc but is worth less." The whole supply and demand thing makes that argument irrelevant.

I don't see anyone arguing that a Merc or Barber or SLQ etc with a mintage of 500 some thousand or less is a key. A mintage that low, IT IS A KEY. You may not like modern coins. You may have a narrow view of collecting only encompassing a certain type or time period. But a key is a key. And by definition, a coin with that low a mintage is a key.

As far as value, it will be a mid 20-30 dollar coin. The 2010 and 11 with similar but slightly higher mintages sell in that range.




You are NOT wrong here. That is completely the case.




If that turns out to be the case, as it looks like it will based on the previous two years, so? That does not change the fact that the mintage for 2012 is under a half million and still a key. Again, I don't see anyone arguing against value on multiple key coins in the Barber dime series, or Walkers or Lincolns. Your line of thinking would result in a 14D not being a valuable key simply because the 09 S VDB has a lower mintage than it does.

So, to answer the original question, yes, the 2012 silver proof is a key in the Kennedy series. Not THE key, which I would say is the 98 matte proof (which I STILL have not been able to find in the condition I want unslabbed), but a key none the less. If using the word key is really that much of an issue, then say semi key.

But then why did they drop the 2012 Clad Proof Set the very next day? And the 2012 Presidential dollar Set?

I think they saw an opportunity to save on inventory/storage costs, create a few "rarities" (thus generating additional publicity!), and encourage collectors to buy their 2013 Proof Sets during calendar year 2013.

For calendar year 2012 (sales from Jan. 4th to Dec. 31st), 48,713 of the 2011 Proof Sets and 31,525 of the 2011 Silver Proof Sets were sold. And how many were they storing the whole time? Looking at these low figures and considering inventory/storage costs, someone at the Mint decided they'd be better off melting the unsold 2012 Sets (along with the unsold 2011 Sets) rather than catering to the fence-sitters...

I wonder if they just sold what they had on hand and instead of running another batch just decided to call it quits and move on to the next things.