Now featuring over one thousand new photos
You may notice a bit of a mess around here. Our site is
currently undergoing some renovations. Some of the renovations
are to improve the customer experience and make it easier to
order from our online store. One of the first things we have
done is to start adding more photos. We have added over 1000
new photos in our Large cent through Lincoln Memorial cent
categories. We have several hundred more ready to be uploaded
as I speak. We have a lot more work to do including the photo
project and will be continuing these updates through the new
year. Please check back often to see our updates and new
products.
May 2012 Catalog #263 Now Available
Our latest Catalog #263 is now available. There are discounts galore, both US and World items.
Download the Sampler
Just click on the link to download the Sampler/Catalog. To be notified when our next Sampler or Catalog is available, use our Sampler sign up form (see left sidebar).
Harry
2012 Presidential Dollars
Chester A. Arthur P&D Presidential Dollars are now available. Single coins are $1.95 and rolls (25) $39.95. Presidential Dollars can be reached by clicking "US COINS" and then "PRESIDENTIAL DOLLARS."
May Coin Market Commentary
While I would certainly prefer to write about older US coins
one cannot help but pay attention to the greatest overall
force in the current coin market. As I write this at the end
of the first week of April gold has declined 3% over the
last month, silver a rather substantial 8% and platinum over
3%. Many are now calling an end to bull market of the last
11 years and they have certainly gained some credibility
with recent market action. The current cause of weakness is
the release of the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee)
minutes for March; these are the gurus’ who set monetary
policy for our nation and in a broader sense much of the
free world. Actually there was very little said directly but
what was not said was an indication of further easing or
QE3.
However the idea of no QE3 actually creates the fear
of higher interest rates down the road and of course that
will eventually happen. My take is that there is little
chance of it before Election Day and in fact if my gut is
correct there will be some softening of the somewhat better
economic reports we have been hearing of late and therefore
some further reaction by the FED. While many say there has
been or will be no QE3 the FED did do a monetary dance in
the form of a twist where they swapped long term debt for
short term to lower long term interest rates and therefore
lower mortgage rates as well. Housing is the key to recovery
and jobs so the lower mortgage rates help, but alas the big
banks have made a deal to settle those bad foreclosure
claims and that will increase the supply of unsold homes.
The deal includes debt relief to those underwater on their
homes who are behind in payments and ultimately it will be
transferred to the US taxpayer and if necessary The FED will
print more $. The point is stick with your precious metals
assets as insurance but don’t bet the farm on it.
In regard to the above bullion is good but coins with high
bullion content and nice grades and rarity are much better.
In the event that bullion does decline your coins will
maintain their numismatic value. Currently there are many
items from several dollars to a few thousand $ that are
great hedges for bullion and real numismatic value. Here are
a few examples by percentage over common date;
DATE Denomination 5 years ago Today DATE
Denomination 5 years ago Today
1907-S half G-VG 50% 0-10% 1922-S $20
MS60 130% 20%
1899-S half G-VG 60% 0-5% 1924-S $20
MS60 300% 90%
1900-O half G-VG 55% 20% 1926-S $20
MS60 235% 60%
1893 half G-VG 70% 5% 1914 $20
MS60 50% 5%
1895 half G-VG 55% 15% 1920 $20
MS60 15% 0%
1919-S half G-VG 125% 15% 1901-O dime
G-VG 50% 10%
1929-D half G-VG 50% 5% 1916 dime
G-VG 100% 10%
1933-S half G-VG 30% 5% 1925-D dime
G-VG 175% 20%
There are hundreds of such examples to be found all
it takes is a little research use a 5 or 10 year old coin
market, Redbook, Greyhen or Trends and a current one. You
will find that you can make up a list and have a lot of fun
creating a solid investment while enjoying your hobby and as
seen by the chart a small or large amount can be invested.
From where I stand the less expensive coins have the
greatest conservative potential. Of course if you can afford
extreme rarities they nearly always appreciate.
Weekly Coin Market Commentary
Well the precious metals market trend has certainly turned
down. Over the past several days both gold and silver have
declined approximately 3% and platinum lost 4% bringing its
ratio to gold the lowest ever. The turmoil in Europe with
the Greek and French elections bringing the anti-austere
into power has shaken worldwide financial markets and caused
a flight to the almighty dollar. Along with this oil has
dropped with increased fear of a Euro zone recession. This
would certainly also affect China and then ultimately us. In
essence we are experiencing another round of deleveraging
coupled with deflation and this will continue until there is
a QE3 or some similar stimulus from the FED. In doubt, it
will come because they need to inflate the National debt
away. There is no other solution that is politically
palatable. This is why big smart money continues to pay
record prices for the rarest and best coins, art and
diamonds; all portable wealth.
This has noticeably put a further damper on US gold type
coins. I have seen dealers bids for MS63 Saints as low as 5-
6% over spot melt value on this most recent decline.
Obviously some people are losing faith in the market.
Personally I am not but I sure know how “Nervous Nelly”
felt! There have been a number of positive price movements
in pre-1835 US gold type coins. This indicates a continuing
flight to quality as some have gained over 10% in recent
trading. In a twist of fate the 1911D Quarter Eagle has
declined in mint state while the same date Half Eagle has
moved up strongly in circulated grades.
Non-gold US type coins are generally strong with some
notable movement in 18th and early 19th century issues, but
the buyers are fussy when it comes to quality. It should be
noted that the great majority of these come with damage,
repairs and light or harsh cleaning.
T
o
read more of Harry's commentary click here to visit
Numismaster.com.
Tennessee Store
Family owned & operated since 1967
Full service dealership in Coins, Stamps, Currency, Precious Metals and Supplies
Miller's Mint Ltd.
200 E. Broadway Ave.
Suite 315
Maryville, TN 37804-5755
(865) 982-4420
(865) 268-2993 - FAX
Mon - Thurs: 10am - 5pm
Fri: 10am - 7pm
Sat: Closed
Sun: Closed
Bicentennial Medal Sets
We recently acquired a number of limited edition Bicentennial Medal sets, commemorating 50 great events in American Numismatic history. There were only 1,000 of these unique sets minted and at a recent show we came across them quite unexpectedly. So it's first come, first served...and we think they'll go quickly. If you are a numismatic history buff, these are definitely what you are looking for. Take a look at the picture, get 1 or better yet, buy 5 and give them to your collector friends for special occasions. Remember, when they're gone, they're gone.
Our low price is $19.95/ea or 5 for $79.95. The inventory item number are 207518 for the single and 207519 for the lot of 5.
Happy Collecting!
