Opinions On Mercanti American Silver Eagles...

IMO, a designing artist signature is one of the very few things that should add value to a slabbed coin. Mercanti also held the position of Chief Engraver of the US Mint until he retired in 2010.

I would place a label with the designer's/engraver's signature above other "special" labels in terms of historical context and meaningfulness.

I think, however, potential future value appreciation is VERY dependent on how many signed labels are available in the marketplace. If the supply is fairly large, it will likely be able to meet demand and thus prevent strong price increases.

I realize that Mr. Mercanti has only signed a limited number of the inserts, but I don't know if that "limited" number is 1,000 or 10,000 (or something else)! And I don't know how many collectors desire his signature.

If you can get a signed example for your collection at a reasonable price, I would go ahead and buy it. I'm not sure I would buy them in quantity, however, with the expectation of a strong future ROI.