As I mentioned in the previous blog, auctions seemed to dominate the show.  Not all coins are created equally (or preserved equally.)  Prices can vary when more than one of the same coin is auctioned.  Many people are confused by this concept.  If a coin sells for a low amount, they think the market might have weakened for that particular coin.  This is absolutely incorrect.  This is why it is advised to always view the lots, have someone view the lots for you or purchase authenticated, graded and encapsulated coins.

A perfect example is how there were two 1993 Guan Yin 5 coin Gold sets in the Champion Auction held on April 6, 2011.  The first set sold for roughly $39,000 while the second set yielded roughly $46,000.  This was due to the quality.  The first set was OK while the second set was clearly better.  The same holds true for some 1995 5 and 12 oz Silver Unicorns.  Some sold way under market while others sold for a great deal.  The reason is due to the quality levels.  Everyone is becoming very quality conscious.  

To show an even better example is how a 1997 Platinum Unicorn graded NGC Proof 70 Ultra Cameo sold for roughly $46,000 while a 1997 Platinum 1/10th oz Panda graded NGC MS 70 sold for roughly $34,500.  Good quality coins were bringing very strong prices.  If you read my blogs, you know that I always stress to purchase good quality.  Good quality is easy to sell.  Bad quality always results in lower prices and are much more difficult to sell. 

I usually sell 1995 Proof Gold Pandas graded Proof 69 Ultra Cameo for roughly $20,000+.  A raw 1995 Proof Gold Panda sold for just under $15,000.  This was below average quality, so it sold for a below average price.

Do not put all your faith in auction records unless you know what each coin looked like when trying to determine the price levels.  

In the next blog I will discuss how certain coins have new price levels much higher than a few months ago.

In the meantime, COLLECT, INVEST AND HAVE FUN..............................