A 1997 tenth-ounce platinum Eagle. ( persona courtesy of Heritage Auctions www.ha.com ) Have you given any opinion to collecting platinum bullion coins ? Is there a rationale for collecting american Eagles minted on platinum planchets ? And how does platinum compare to gold as an investment ? As I write this, gold ’ randomness value is $ 1,922 an ounce, with platinum at $ 951 an snow leopard. In early words, gold is worth more than twice american samoa much as platinum. This gold/platinum differential hasn ’ metric ton always been the shell, however.
A graph comparing platinum and gold values over clock time reveals that for many years platinum ’ mho value was significantly above that of gold. This was true from about 1946 through the mid 1970s, at which time gold dramatically increased to make the two metals approximately equal in rate. They stayed this way until the turning of the century. At that period, platinum again gained the border and held it until about 2005, when the two metals began to track each other in a gradual decline for the adjacent ten. After that, platinum continued the decay whereas amber rose in value to give us the situation today. If curio were the sole factor determining value, the much rare platinum would be worth well more than gold. As good one standard of this relative rarity, approximately 2,500 to 3,000 tons of gold are extracted per annum compared to fewer than 200 tons of platinum .
A 1999 one-ounce platinum Eagle with the reverse design of an eagle flying over Southeastern Wetlands. ( prototype courtesy of Numismaster.com ) The bulk of the universe ’ sulfur platinum comes from Russia and South Africa. By contrast, the countries contributing significantly to the world ’ sulfur gold production are China, the United States, Australia, and Canada, in summation to Russia and South Africa. Both precious metals have a kind of uses, including coins and jewelry. platinum is besides used in lab equipment, dentistry equipment, and car catalytic converters. This last use, to convert “. .. toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust accelerator from an inner burning engine into less-toxic pollutants.. ., ” makes catalytic converters theft targets for their platinum. My daughter, who parks on the street in Chicago, tells me that the catalytic converter in her Prius has been stolen twice .
A 2001 one-ounce Eagle, with eagle in flight over Southwestern Cactus Desert. ( effigy courtesy of Numismaster.com ) If you think that platinum in coin form might be a good investment because of its curio, multiple uses, and its value history relative to gold, then platinum american Eagles may be interesting coins to collect. note that I said “ collect ” rather than “ invest. ” I agree with David Bowers, who has retentive maintained that you should be a collector first gear, not an investor. As a collector, you ’ ll be more probably to educate yourself on the items you purchase. In addition, you ’ ll have the use of putting together your collection, the well-earned pride in your place of platinum coins. With this in take care, let ’ s count at American-made platinum coins. The american Platinum Eagle platform took flight in 1997 through the efforts of ANA President David L. Ganz, United States Mint Director Philip N. Diehl, and Jacques Luben, Executive Director of Platinum Guild International. The american english Platinum Eagle became the official platinum bullion coin of the United States. Four different mint sizes/denominations were minted at the beginning of the program : 1/10 ounce, $ 10 face respect ; 1/4 ounce, $ 25 ; 1/2 snow leopard, $ 50 ; and 1 ounce, $ 100. Although the coins are legal tender, it would be both unmanageable and anserine to spend one. The three lower denominations were minted through 2008, with only the 1-ounce coins continuing after that .
The reverse plan of the 2002 one-ounce platinum eagle features and eagle fish in America ’ s Northwest. ( image courtesy of Numismaster.com The american Eagle platinum coins were minted in two versions, uncirculated and proof, with the uncirculated coins made in Philadelphia, the proof at the West Point Mint ( W ). The uncirculated coins carry the lapp designs throughout, with an obverse featuring the oral sex of the Statue of Liberty and a turn back showing an eagle in fledge. These designs were the handicraft of John M. Mercanti ( obverse ) and Thomas D. Rogers Sr. ( rearward ). Made for collectors, the proof coins had the changeless Mercanti and Rogers ’ designs in the first class ( 1997 ) and the twentieth class ( 2017 ), with changing reverses in all other years. I ’ ll say more about the reverse designs when I discuss the $ 100 platinum eagles. Proofs are sold directly to the public, whereas the uncirculated coins are sold only to the Mint ’ s authoritative buyers. The Mint ’ s vane web site ( usmint.gov ) has a list of ten-spot authorized purchasers. interestingly, all but one of the ten buy all four of the Mint ’ second bullion coins ( gold, silver, platinum, palladium ). The odd dealer, The Gold Center, buys only silver bullion coins ! Unlike the modern commemoratives, the uncirculated $ 10 platinum eagles tended to have larger mintages than their proof counterparts, with the highest mintages of both versions occurring in the inaugural year of production. This is what we often see with newly introduced mint series. hera, however, it lone occurred with the $ 10 appellation, possibly because more collectors chose to dip a toe into the platinum bullion waters at the lowest cost option. Mintages appear low throughout the $ 10 series, peculiarly if you ’ rhenium comparing them with regularly issued coins. The lowest mintages in the $ 10 series are held by coins struck on particularly burnished planchets in the death three years ( 2006-2008 ). These planchets produce coins with a satin-like finish. Struck at West Point along with proof, they were sold immediately to the populace. Unlike the uncirculated $ 10 coins, the overrule blueprint of coins on buff planchets was the same as the proof minted the lapp year. Mintages for the three years were 3,544 ( 2006 ), 5,556 ( 2007 ), and 3,706 ( 2008 ). Values for the $ 10 platinum eagles show fiddling variability in some major pricing guides, possibly because they are given for a individual, unspecified class. For example, in the 2022 Red Book ( A Guide Book of United States Coins ), the merely designations are Unc. ( Uncirculated ) and PF ( Proof ) .
The 2006 reverse purpose shows Liberty seated, writing between two columns. ( double courtesy of Numismaster.com ) In Market Watch ( MW ), the values are $ 174 for the uncirculated coins, $ 204 for the proof versions. The only uptick in rate happen for the burnished uncirculated eagles, which are listed at $ 300 ( 2006 ), $ 180 ( 2007 ), and $ 250 ( 2008 ). According to the PCGS measure guide, which lists all grades between 60 and 70, with a few exceptions, major value changes occur merely with the highest grades of -69 or -70. For case, the 1997 MS69 $ 10 Eagle is valued at $ 235, which is about $ 70 more that its value in all lower grades. In MS70, the value leaps to $ 2,100. PCGS values for the PR70 DCAM ( trench cameo ) $ 10 issues range from a depleted of $ 285 ( 2000-W and 2006-W ) to a high of $ 550 ( 2008-W ). On eBay, sellers offered PR70 DCAM $ 10 platinum eagles priced between $ 299.99 for dates such as the 2000-W to a high of $ 2,300 for a first hit 2008-W. Without the First Strike appointment, I found a 2008-W betray for $ 577.50. The MW values for the bright issues are roughly one-half of those in the PCGS scout, which are $ 550 ( 2006 ), $ 350 ( 2007 ), and $ 525 ( 2008 ). even these higher values are less than eBay sellers are asking for their coins .
A 2007 half-ounce platinum Eagle. ( visualize courtesy of Numismaster.com ) I found all three of the burnished dates listed on eBay. For the 2006-W, the seller ’ randomness monetary value was $ 969. Three 2007-Ws ranged in price from $ 666- $ 750, and a 2008-W was offered at $ 709. none of the sellers advertised that they would entertain offers.
The biggest derail in value from MS69 to MS70 is for the 1998, as its PCGS prize goes from $ 260 in MS69 to a whopping $ 12,350 in MS70 ! Could you tell the deviation between one in -69 and one in -70 ? I don ’ metric ton think I could. On eBay, I found only one MS70 1998 certified by one of the major certificate services, NGC. Although listed at $ 15,600, the seller would entertain offers. There were several MS70 1998s in ICG ( Independent Coin Graders ) holders priced well below the PCGS MS70 value. I suspect that neither PCGS nor NGC would consider ICG coins the equal of their MS70s. On eBay, the prices listed for the unlike dates seemed by and large fair proportional to PCGS values. Of course, there were some sellers who were offering overprice items, but if you know the marketplace values, ( see pcgs.com/prices or ngccoin.com/price-guide ) you should be able to purchase courteous coins for the right price. There were several ungraded coins for sale, but you should ignore these when there are indeed many PCGS and NGC-certified coins available. $25 Quarter-Ounce Platinum Eagles MW has these valued at $ 325 for the uncirculated version and $ 355 for the proofread. Again, the ones struck on burnished planchets have higher values than either the ones in mint state or in proofread : $ 475 ( 2006-W ), $ 550 ( 2007-W ), and $ 425 ( 2008-W ). once again, the PCGS values are well higher than those in MW. The most expensive MS70 $ 25 platinum eagles are 1997 ( $ 4,500 ), 1998 ( $ 1,350 ), 1999 ( $ 5,000 ), 2000 ( $ 4,250 ), and 2001 ( $ 4,000 ). The remainder are valued between $ 600 and $ 750. PCGS values for the PR70s crop from $ 460 for a 2002-W to $ 810 for a 2004-W. Values for the three burnished quarter eagles in MS70 are $ 925 ( 2006 ), $ 850 ( 2007 ), and $ 1,500 ( 2008 ). On eBay, I found 238 examples certified by either NGC or PCGS. The least expensive were MS69 coins, which you could purchase for $ 395 with free transport. As you can see, these are priced well above the MW values. The least expensive MS70 was a $ 425 2008, with release ship. It seemed like such a bargain that I ordered it ! Of the five quarter eagles with hefty values in MS70, there were only two examples on eBay, both dated 1997. One was $ 3,336 with exempt transport, the other $ 4,500 with $ 39.95 ship. Which would you buy ? All four of the bright quarter eagles listed on eBay were 2006-Ws, and the range of asking prices was from $ 1,295 to $ 1,700, wholly a lot higher than the PCGS value for the date. In the case of the proof quarter eagles, the range of prices on eBay was from $ 475 for a 1998-W in PR70 DCAM to $ 2,599.99 for another 1998-W in the lapp class. The latter seller was offering a rebate of $ 10 with the appropriate coupon. $50 Half-Ounce Platinum Eagles MW has the half-ounce platinum eagles valued, with a few exceptions, at $ 626 for the uncirculated version and $ 656 for the proof. The exceptions are the 2004-W ( $ 1,230 ) and the buff uncirculated issues, which have slightly unlike values. I suspect that the $ 1,230 respect is a misprint, as other guides attach no particular meaning to this issue. deserving noting here and besides for the $ 25 and $ 100 issues is a variety known as the “ Frosted Freedom ” proof. This is a 2007-W topic with a reverse purpose that includes the word “ FREEDOM, ” which has received a extra treatment. rather of values for this issue, MW just has the son “ rare ” for both the $ 25 and $ 50 platinum eagles. The value for the $ 100 version is $ 47,000 ! Mintages for the three 2007 Frosted Freedom issues are 21 for both the quarter eagle and half eagle, and 12 for the eagle. The PCGS Pricing Guide indicates that merely one of the $ 25 Frosted Freedom coins is known and none of the $ 50 version. If a $ 50 coin should appear, it would be worth $ 55,000 in PR69 DCAM. The respect of the $ 25 Frosted Freedom is $ 69,300 in PR70 DCAM. The PCGS Pricing Guide does not list the $ 100 Frosted Freedom return, and no prize is listed for it in the Red Book. On eBay, the least expensive $ 50 platinum eagle was a 2003 in MS69 listed at $ 655.39 with rid ship. This is a mint signed by Thomas D. Rogers, the artist of the rearward. As you can see, this monetary value is only a little more than the MW measure and importantly less than the $ 1,150 PCGS measure. The first base MS70 I encountered was a 2006 early Release priced at $ 696.61, which again is well below the $ 1,100 PCGS respect. The most expensive $ 50 listed was an MS70 2000 offered for $ 16,900 with dislodge ship, and the seller would accept offers. With a PCGS value of $ 15,500, this is a date with a PCGS population of just 12 pieces in MS70. Given the number of 2000 $ 50 uncirculated pieces minted, 18,892, I would not pay such a monetary value for a mint whose population might increase importantly when more natural pieces are submitted. There are early $ 50 dates with evenly abject or lower contemporary populations in MS70 whose values may be artificially inflated deoxyadenosine monophosphate well. Caveat buyer. The least expensive validation $ 50 I found was a 2002-W in PR69DCAM for $ 855, with unblock ship. This is well above the MW value but slenderly below that of PCGS ( $ 900 ). The least expensive PR70DCAM was a 2006-W priced at $ 895.95, with loose ship. The PCGS rate is $ 925. The most expensive proof $ 50 was offered at $ 2,609.00 after a 10 % deduction. This was a coin with a PCGS value of $ 812. It was offered by the seller with the overprice $ 25 proof platinum eagle and had the same $ 10 off with coupon. The seller had respective other dates listed, all with prices about three times what they ought to be. We ’ ve arrive to the “ adult boys ” of the series, the $ 100 face value, one snow leopard platinum eagles. With platinum ’ s value near to $ 1,000 an snow leopard, you know that this serial consists of coins worth at least $ 1,000 each. In accession, alternatively of terminating the series in 2008 like the lower denominations, the one-ounce platinum eagles have continued to be minted chiefly in the proofread versions. As ahead, MW largely gives only two values for the $ 100 coins : $ 1,262 for the uncirculated versions and $ 1,422 for the validation. There are some flimsy deviations from these amounts, with the burnished uncirculated dates being valued a bit higher and the 2008-W and 2014-W proof having slenderly higher values than other proof. even sol, MW values all the different dates and varieties less than $ 2,000. The PCGS price guide, on the other hand, assigns several of the early uncirculated dates 5-figure values in MS70. For example, the 2001 MS70 is valued at $ 35,000 and not army for the liberation of rwanda behind are the 1997 and 1999, both worth $ 30,000. We should assume, consequently, that the MW values are for coins grading less than MS70. In the proof category, there are variations in the PR70 values, but they aren ’ t closely vitamin a extreme point as the MS70 values. The most expensive date is the 1999-W, with a PCGS respect of $ 4,250 in PR70 DCAM. Another four dates are listed at $ 3,000 or more, but there are quite a few with values below $ 2,000. As earlier, many uncirculated or proofread pieces are listed on eBay, with some pieces wildly overpriced. The least expensive coin I found was a 2016 in MS69 listed for $ 1,245.14. PCGS gives this coin a value of $ 1,685. The most expensive was an MS70 2005 listed at $ 5,510, but I found another exemplar of the same date listed for $ 4,350. The PCGS prize is $ 5,000. The least expensive MS70 was a 2022 in a holder designating it as one of the early Releases. The seller wanted $ 1,257.24 for it. PCGS doesn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate have a rate. The least expensive PR70 DCAM was a 2016-W with First Strike list priced at $ 1,628.26, with release ship. PCGS says it ’ s worth $ 1,465. The most outrageously overpriced proof was a 2008-W PR70 DCAM at $ 15,893, with $ 75 ship ! PCGS values this date at $ 2,700. As I indicated earlier, the proof platinum eagles have annually changing overrule designs except for 2007 and 2017. Some of these reverses are grouped as examples of a park subject. For exemplar, proof go steady 1998 through 2002 make up the “ Vistas of Liberty ” series. As region of the series, 1999 shows an eagle flying over Southeastern Wetlands ; 2001 an eagle above America ’ randomness Southwest, which is characterized by a desert scene with large cactus ; and 2002 an eagle fish in America ’ s Northwest. other themes include “ Preamble to the Constitution, ” “ Torches of Liberty, ” and “ Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. ” In my opinion, some of these especial reverses are quite spectacular.
Read more: How to Make Money as a Coin Collector
Although the platinum bullion coins began in 1997 and the denominations below $ 100 terminated after 2008, as a collectible the coins have a lot going for them. There are interesting, even compelling designs and enough diverseness to keep a collector busy for years, peculiarly if the collector is on a limited budget. And that assumes that platinum will be stable in value over fourth dimension, which is improbable. If you ’ ra interest in any of these coins, I would advise you to get originate preferably rather than late. I think you ’ ll be beaming you did .
Leave a Comment