Posted 02/25/2010 7:23 pm
G'day, I find that "catalogue values" are typically well over market prices ... with occasional exceptions.
So, my strategy is to pay a lot less than CV, or I'm paying too much.
I find that market & CV are closest for gold coins. I suspect that that occurs because any gold coin that goes for "near melt" in snapped up by jewellers, and ultimately gets melted.
A few years ago I started to collect early Sovereigns (1817~ ). Higher grades are not often seen. Lower grades used to go for melt + 25%. A year or two ago, the same coins were going for 200 to 250% of melt; and any coin half-a-grade better than average would get 300%. I haven't looked lately. I gave an 1820 Sov to my sister for her birthday: it had already had a loop soldered to it; and I paid a little over 200%. She is not a collector; but she got it valued for insurance purposes, by a jeweller who "specialized" in old pieces. He valued it at almost five times what I paid for it ... so I am well ahead in the "good brother" stakes.
The best that I have been able to deduce from all of this is -
research your subject;
know what you're looking for;
watch the market for a while;
and you'll be able to recognize a bargain when it comes up.
Peter in Oz
So, my strategy is to pay a lot less than CV, or I'm paying too much.
I find that market & CV are closest for gold coins. I suspect that that occurs because any gold coin that goes for "near melt" in snapped up by jewellers, and ultimately gets melted.
A few years ago I started to collect early Sovereigns (1817~ ). Higher grades are not often seen. Lower grades used to go for melt + 25%. A year or two ago, the same coins were going for 200 to 250% of melt; and any coin half-a-grade better than average would get 300%. I haven't looked lately. I gave an 1820 Sov to my sister for her birthday: it had already had a loop soldered to it; and I paid a little over 200%. She is not a collector; but she got it valued for insurance purposes, by a jeweller who "specialized" in old pieces. He valued it at almost five times what I paid for it ... so I am well ahead in the "good brother" stakes.
The best that I have been able to deduce from all of this is -
research your subject;
know what you're looking for;
watch the market for a while;
and you'll be able to recognize a bargain when it comes up.
Peter in Oz
