Breaking News: Mount Rushmore 5 oz. Silver America The Beautiful Puck Heading for Quick Sellout

Here's a quick update on what chronicles to be the quickest selling America the Beautiful 5 ounce silver round since the program's inception in 2010.  The updated figures haven't been tallied yet and usually release every Tuesday, so I will update this blog as soon as the new numbers have been released.  But if you're looking for an opportunity to make money on another popular designed hockey puck, the Mount Rushmore is for you.

At a paltry mintage of only 25,000 Philly minted
pieces, the Mount Rushmore ATB is on
pace to beat out the previously sold out
Hawaiian Volcanoes from a year earlier.  Once
a $200 buy from the mint now fetches $500-$600
on the secondary market.

Another Opportunity?

If you have missed out on the last quick seller, the Hawaiian Volcanoes hockey puck.  Then I would highly encourage those that have the extra money for the holidays, to pick up what would be the next highly successful profiting opportunity.  At it's release, the Hawaii "P" minted pucks were available through the mint at a price that pales in comparison to what it sells for in the secondary market.  As of this writing, the Hawaiian pucks sell raw for anywhere in the $500-600 range. At over 2x the issue price, this was a tremendous buy and sell event that hasn't been seen for a mint issued product since the 25th anniversary American Silver Eagle Set.  I anticipate similar action on the Mount Rushmore hockey puck, so it's definitely something that most opportunists should be aware of.  

The Value Proposition Driver?

What can be said of the success of the Hawaiian Volcanoes ATB, can also be said of the Mount Rushmore ATB.  In that design aesthetics and history plays a huge roll in a product's success  The Volcanoes example exhibited a striking design that really popped and fascinated with every design element.  Even with the low relief technology, both the Hawaiian Volcanoes and Mount Rushmore excelled in one thing, utilizing fresh design with 3D looks.  What we have are the hallmarks of a successful product with "just right" mintage figures.  I anticipate a sellout this week.  Thank the timely holiday release with a hot design, because this was the perfect scenario for what will be a money maker.

Looking for U.S. Coins With the Best Profit Return? Consider Cherrypicking These Series

Cherrypicking, cherrypicking, cherrypicking...that's exactly what it will take to make great money in the hobby.  Contrary to what the experts think about numismatics, coins can bring phenomenal potential in the market that is dominated by bullion demand.  As some of you have seen, we have just been through a nice downward spiral in precious metals over the spring and summer months.  So if you're not an investor or an armchair stacker that buys more than 1000 ounces of any one precious metal, then there's not a whole lot of money to be made because the profit is minimal with the paltry gains.  But if you're looking to turn around 50%-5000% in profit with one coin, then cherrypicking valuable varieties is for you.

To site an example of my most recent find, I recently bought a tiny lot of wheat cents through a dealer network that I've been working with here in California.  Now I'm not too naive, but I'm real sure that these have been picked through of most of the rare dates that are synonymous with the series.  However, I'm about 99.9% sure that the varieties have been left unscathed by the naked eye.  About half way through the 2000 piece lot, I found an amazing mint state red/brown 1956-D re-punched mintmark variety, it's designated 008 through Wexler's files and has that unmistakable and completely separated mint mark that is south of the primary D. In comparison to what I had paid for each piece (.05 cents), I turned around and auctioned this little gem on eBay to the tune $36.25.  And not including fees and shipping.

Now here's the whopper, let's calculate the exact percent increase from what I originally invested to what I grossed before fees.  I subtracted the current value ($36.25) minus the starting price (.05 cents) to get $36.20.  Then I'll simply divide the resulting dollar amount by the starting investment value to get 724.  And finally, I'll multiply the result from step two by 100 and I'll come out with the staggering number of 72,400%. Now this is not typical and is an extreme example of a great cherrypick.  But I'll be frank, these types of gains are much more common than you would leave it to be, especially in the Lincoln cent series.  And this is why the Lincoln cent series makes it into my top 5 U.S. coin series that hold great potential.  Let's look at some others.

#5 - Morgan Dollars

Simply put, Morgan dollars were the quintessential coin of the latter part of the 19th century.  Nothing screams out Americana than a great big silver cartwheel in your hand.  What some holders of these giant disks may not know, is that millions were produced during a time when die maintenance was of low priority. With these low maintenance standards of the dies, there are a great deal of ridiculous varieties to be found in all dates of the series, even the plentiful 1921.  Referring to previous auction estimates, some of the rarest Morgan varieties can sell for many thousands of dollars if it's in VAM world's Top 100 list.  For more information, please visit www.VAMworld.com

#4 - Mercury Dimes

Albiet a short series in some regards, the Mercury dime series has plenty to offer in terms of great varieties. Some of the well know dates include the 1942/1-D, 1936 DDO and just about any quasi common date with full split bands.  The most recent "big flip", turned out to be an eBay auction set of 1942 BU dimes with P-D-S coins.  The Denver example was the overdate with great looking split bands.  In the end, the new owner got it graded NGC MS65+ FSB, turning $20 into $20,000.  Clutch buy for sure!

#3 - Half Cents & Large Cents

There's never been a larger collector base than the Early American Coppers people.  The great thing I love about these coins is there are a wide range of dates and designs that encompass a true marvel in collecting varieties. The prices on these go from mild to wild in hurry, but if you can cherrypick a sought after variety, you will quickly exceed the benchmarks.  Online references are rather small, but if you can find books published by the originating attributors (Cohen - Sheldon - Newcomb), these are the premier sources for getting you hooked on historically important coins.

#2 - Indian Head Cents

Gaining in popularity ever since Richard Snow has begun to take his interest full force in the series, Indian Head Cents are probably the best and most prospective on this list.  Jaw dropping 1888/7 overdates and early white cent variants are coming to the forefront on various message boards as of late.  All I can say about Mr. Snow's conquest is ...thanks for making this a variety hunters dream!!

#1 - Lincoln Cents

No series comes close to cherrypicking dominance than the Lincoln cent series.  There's more than meets the eye here, lots of doubled dies, RPM's, OMM's, transitionals, errors, and a comprehensive grading core that breaks down mint color from brown to red.  In addition, there's a wide support of online resources from some of the favorite pros in the hobby.  Here's a short list of those sites:
www.coppercoins.com
www.lincolncentresource.com
www.doubleddie.com

Here's the example of my 72,000% return on my investment.  This is the
elusive 1956-D Lincoln Cent with repunched mintmark that is separated south
of the primary mintmark.  Varieties like this exist with continuous searching
and knowledge!

Don't you know? Your Bank Tellers Are Taking Your Silver!

Just the other day I was happily greeted with not one, not two...but three separate bank tellers at my normal Friday drop spot.  As usual I fly in undetected from any need of bank rolls or loose half dollars in their trays and drawers.  I begin with a simple request to cash a check and withdraw some funds for our big trip.  Next, I proceed to ask for any half dollars, whether loose or rolled up.  At the very breathe of my final word in this request, the teller then moves the transaction forward by replying, "As a matter of fact I have $3.50 in halves, would you like them?"  It was so close, I saw some light colored edges in there and they were well within my grasps until...  The teller next door asks my teller, "Did you pull all the silver out of those?"  As quickly as I had those banked into my mental ownership bucket of beautiful 40% wonder, my wonderful teller grabbed the three out of the stack in no time.

"I have $2.00 I can give you, would you still like to have them?"  With a snide remark, I say "No thank you, seems I have no use for them anymore."

And that was that, it would turn out to be a lonely walk back to my car...

Life is a hobby, but your hobby is not your life! Enjoy it responsibly : )

Trending: 150th Anniversary of the Battle at Gettysburg Makes Numismatics of the Era HOT HOT HOT!

Missed Opportunity?

Call it what you will, with the upending focus on one of the bloodiest events in U.S. history, any Civil War related item is selling for many times more than what they were this same time last year.  While there are scores of speculators who dwelve into this specific period in history regularly, there are the late bloomers who only feel the need to pick up any civil war period (1861-1865) items because of the nationwide stories, press releases, and multi-generational interests surrounding its 150th anniversary of the Battle at Gettysburg.  And then they come to find out that they are spending at the minimum 2x the money for even the most worn out Indian Head Cent.  What I've come to find out in the recent weeks, especially as of this writing where we are in the heart of the 152nd anniversary of the onset of the war, any famous confederate 1861-O half dollar strikes are commanding nearly double the money, and more lower graded pieces are reaching for 3x the money in a setting like EBay.  Which is a crazy proposition considering that as we move on from the historic milestone, that coins such as the 61-O will slowly move back to 2012 prices.  So let's examine a few popular series of numismatics that are steaming hot movers for the 152nd summer of Civil War love:

1861-1865 Seated Liberty Coinage

One of the most popular collectibles regarding the Civil War era, the forementioned date range of the seated coinage are hot pickups at any time of the year.  Most collectors can obtain modest condition seated dimes and half dimes for less than $50.  Grab a New Orleans minted half with the diagnostic die cracks for authentic confederate flavor, these dies were reused and retooled by confederate minded individuals to keep striking these wonderful coins as newly prepped dies were simply not available.  The right die pairings equal big bucks in the series.

1861-1865 Indian Head Cents

The range of dates signifies a funky time in the making of the earlier small cents.  Not only were the coins white because of the copper and nickel mix, but they were thick in size.  I would say larger in thickness than your household nickel of today.  During 1864, a slick add in of Mr. Longacre's intial made it's way in the form of a letter "L" on the ribbon.  And the white metal combination was ditched in favor of the more recognizable 95% copper/5% zinc formulation.  Prices are still reasonable for most dates short of a 64-L or high mint state example.

Lots of problem free examples are available and are quite attractive.

Civil War Tokens & Store Cards

What you may not have known is that regular circulating coinage during the civil war were heavily hoarded.  With failed attempts of replacing the hoarded coins with paper currency, merchants decided to take matters into their own hands by producing their own form of "money" in the way of store cards and tokens.  Very affordable and plentiful for the armchair Civil War enthusiast, they provide a wide array of designs from many states.  There are store cards from rare vendors such as die sinkers and funeral parlors that are the strongest sellers in the list.  While patriotics and general store cards are among the most affordable and widely available.  Truly a series for all budgets!

And that concludes the brief market summary of the Civil War era collectibles.  What most should understand, is that it's not only a "right now" specific event where collectors should invest in this popular subject.  But should look at it in the aspect of a continuously driven market where these little guys will only appreciate in the years to come.  If you thought the 150th anniversary of the Civil War is crazy, just wait until the magnanimous 200th anniversary...now there shouldn't be any question in the validity of this tenuous era.

With Down Silver Prices, Patience Becomes a Virtue

Finding the right times to buy physical bullion in any form when the overall precious metals segment is down,will test every ounce of patience for the prospective investor.  First you have to call dozens of companies to see if they have the stock to sell that is reflected on the current market trends.  If that doesn't work out, calling out the secondary resources such as dealers and brokers for the bullion is the definitive next step.  At the end of the phone calls, emails, pop ins and any other method of communications, you may end up empty and you might just lose out.  The stark reality to today's bearish bullion market is simple.  These outfits that sell bullion in its purest form are simply running on empty themselves, or they're withholding their allotment until silver climbs back to levels where they've made their initial buys at.  Even if you can find some to buy, nine times out of ten they will be asking some abysmal premium that is reflective of $30/oz. silver or $1,700/oz. gold.

Keep in mind what most successful investors practice, when PM prices are down, investors become collectors of rarities.  When PM prices are up, they return to being investors in bullion.  The determined will adapt to the market trends, which will make them money in all scenarios.  No longer will you have to play the same game that most other linear minded investors do.  Keep this handy tip in mind and patience will not be the only virtue that you will possess.  Keep on stacking and hunting my friends!