The Perth Mint has just started accepting orders for an array of new products. The new releases are dominated by different collector versions of the Australian Lunar Series II Year of the Snake Coins, including the low production Typeset Collection, the high relief version, gilded, colored, and gemstone editions. Other new products include the latest releases within the Bush Babies II and Animal Athletes series.
For collectors in the United States, sales will begin as of October 1, 2012 at 12:01 PM ET. These coins can all be found as the first entries within the recent releases section on the Perth Mint’s website.
The product most likely to sell out quickly is the 2013 Year of the Snake Typeset Collection. This set includes four 1 oz. silver coins showcasing four different finishes. The product limit is only 1,500 sets.
The reverse design of each coin features a snake curled around a tree branch with the Chinese character for “snake” and the inscription “Year of the Snake”. The obverse features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II with the “2013″ date and monetary denomination.
The different finishes include a silver proof coin with a frosted design and mirrored fields, a specimen quality gilded coin with the snake highlighted in 24 karat gold, a specimen quality colored coin with the snake in green and yellow, and a bullion version featuring a mirrored design and frosted background.
The 2013 Year of the Snake High Relief 1 oz. Silver Proof Coin will begin sales. The Perth Mint’s high relief coins are struck on extra thick planchets with concave surfaces, which present a stunning display of the design.
This coin carries a mintage of 7,500 pieces and comes in a display case with illustrated shipper and numbered certificate of authenticity.
The Perth Mint’s high relief silver coins have usually proven popular with collectors and are impressive in hand. Some other high relief coins that remain available for sale include the 2011 Kangaroo, 2012 Kangaroo, Sydney Cove Medallion (my favorite), and Pheidippidis Marathon Run.
The colored edition of the 2013 Year of the Snake Coin is also available. The same basic design is used on a 1 oz. silver coin, with the snake colored in black and yellow on a proof quality coin.
The mintage limit for this product is 10,000 worldwide. As typical, the coin comes housed in a display case with illustrated shipper and numbered certificate of authenticity.
The next Year of the Snake Coin features the snake gilded in 24 karat gold. These 1 oz. silver coins are produced in specimen quality and carry a mintage limit of 50,000.
Two different ordering options are available for the product. The first is the coin in the individual presentation case, and the second is the coin in a capsule with certificate. The latter option is for those assembling a collection of the Gilded Australian Lunar Series II coins in the 12-coin collection case offered by the Perth Mint.
Three out of the five prior gilded editions remain available for sale on the Perth Mint’s website. The available coins include the 2009 Gilded Ox, 2010 Gilded Tiger, and 2011 Gilded Rabbit.
The final 2013 Year of the Snake Coin released today is the gemstone edition. This is a 1 kilo 99.9% pure silver coin in specimen quality, with a colored design and black diamond set in the snake’s eye.
The mintage is set at 5,000 coins, the same level used for at least the prior two years. I recently noted the low sales of the Year of the Tiger Gemstone edition in this post.
The second release within the Australian Bush Babies II series features the Australian Possum. The design features a colored image of a baby possum on a 1/2 oz. 99.9% pure silver coin struck in proof quality.
The mintage is limited to 10,000 pieces. Each coin comes in a display case with an illustrated box shipper with a numbered certificate of authenticity.
The first release of this series featuring a baby Kookaburra still remains available for sale. The future releases of the series will feature a baby Platypus, Echidna, and Wombat.
The final release within the Young Collectors Animal Athletes series is also available. The aluminum bronze $1 coins of the series depict animals with amazing abilities.
The coins come in illustrated presentation cards, which fold out with illustrations and information about the animals. A specially designed coin album to fit all six coins of the series is available for purchase with the kangaroo coin.
Individual versions of the initial five releases of the series featuring the kangaroo, monarch butterfly, cheetah, sailfish, and rhinoceros beetle, all remain available for purchase.
As a reminder, in the past some of the most popular releases have quickly changed status to “unavailable” after the initial rush of orders from US based customers. For previous months, sales have re-opened for some of these unavailable coins around 9:00 AM Perth Time (9:00 PM ET). This provides another opportunity to order for anyone who missed the initial availability.
got the set and the HR.
I tried ordering the high relief proof and the typeset. I decided to skip the colored proof as I don’t really have the available funds. I am hoping it will not sell out immediately, so I can pick one up later.
Managed to get my order rammed through at 12:09, and was in the queue about six minutes. Given most peoples’ experiences with their orders for the three coin set getting cancelled while in queue, this made me pretty nervous. Luckily, it seems I was fast enough and managed to squeeze through, my order completed only a minute ago. It’ll be interesting to see how long the typeset lasts in comparison with the three coin set and standalone one ounce proof.
Incidentally, as of right now, there are 909 high relief snakes left and 877 colored proofs remaining. I guess they must have started with about 1000 each for the website.
And, that’s a wrap. Typeset is gone. Hope everyone got their orders through.
Mine didnt make it in time
I was in the queue 16 minutes and at the end, no go, sold out. That’s okay. The bullion colored coin is the only one I won’t have now and it will be available separately later. You guys must be using super fast workplace DSL connections!
I might wait until 9pm tonight and see if they put more up as the usually do.
this time, seems they put more coins on their website, and no “1 only” for HR, i placed another order and got more HR.
Louis,
You may get another chance tonight, so don’t give up just yet! I imagine you can try third party dealers too.
My Typeset and HR was in queue for 22 minutes and didn’t go through. I too will check back at 9pm.
Also, re the 3 coin proof set, I posted this on 9/20, but the blog was inactive, so sorry if this is a repeat for anyone.
“WOW…I just got an email from Perth saying that they now had the 2013 Snake 3-coin Proof Set reserved for me!!
Back on 9/3, I, along with many others got this set is queue but after several minutes, it would never go through. I sent Perth an email complaining about how frustrating this was. I got an email back telling me how many thousands of customers they had wanting this set…but they would put me on a waiting list. I NEVER expected to actually here back saying I could now purchase this set. I also added the 1/2 proof so I could get free shipping.
Have any of you ever experienced this from Perth before?
BTW….I received the 3 coin set last week.
Talisman has the other coins but not the sets, at least not now, and Downies and ECI sites are totally down! I think I missed it because I took a couple minutes to decide if it was worth getting the type set. After I did the math, it made more sense, and those few minutes cost me dearly. But like I said it’s really not a problem. Thanks, CO. Unless Perth puts more sets up, I am better off with Talisman cost-wise as I would not have enough for free shipping at Perth, unless I go for a second HR.
Got shut out at the last minute.
Congrats, Steve.
Talisman just listed the typeset – at $399.95 – already marked up!
Thanks, Frankie. Might be better to wait til tonight though Talisman’s allocation will sell out before then.
For those who got a set from perth, do you know the actual dollar amount total you paid for the set? If you paid with a cc, you will get hit with those international currency fees later. I believe if you use Paypal and pay from your checking, there is no additional cost.
Funny downies is completely down. Those typesets went fast.
re Intl currency fees, I use Amex platinum which charges no intl fees. High annual fee but can save alot in fees if you make lots of intl purchases.
Thanks, that’s interesting as I have the same card but mine does charge, however I get a cash rebate that probably makes it a wash. Did anyone get through at Downies or ECI? I hate giving 10% to Talisman but it may be worth it. Decisions, decisions!
these days all the dealers get smart–they dont sell at the issue price, they increase the price the minute the coins are posted on their website.
Talisman sucks big time. My order back 8/6 for 2 Wombats and 1 St George was never filled….even though BOTH coins are available on their web-site. I sent them an email to cancel the order last week, but it still shows as active on their site.
Louis, it has never happened that Downies list their coins at the same time as the Perth Mint. Their website is up but I don’t see the coins there. They will list the coins at 08:30pm this evening.
Steve, me 2, i have the wombat, HR kangaroo and map coin stuck with them.
Thanks, Schalk, but they will list them for probably the same mark up as Talisman, and from my experience, ECI and Downies always take longer than Talisman because they need to send them from Australia and then from CA. For those of you having Talisman issues, just call them. You can cancel very easily that way. I even was able to cancel something after it was packaged for shipment.
Any problems with Talisman – give them a call. They don’t reply to emails. This is my suggestion to everyone having a problem. I have received all my orders so far, although typically one month after placing them. They have shortened some orders, but if you read their policies they are entitled to do that.
Yes, it stinks that authorized distributors mark up immediately after release. But if you (i.e. anyone on here) would be a distributor, then wouldn’t you do the same? It’s hard to let go of an easy few hundred dollars. Talisman initially listed 30, now it’s down to 10. $50 extra on top of the money they already make by reselling these sets brings them $1.5k in extra profit. They could have sold them for $350 but anticipating the rush they decided to make a bit extra.
In any case, these sets will go up in value and then down again. You won’t get them for $400 anytime soon though. I recently bought a dragon typeset from someone who listed the set on eBay for $395 delivered (outside eBay but through PayPal, of course). Patience is a virtue!
Great points, Frankie. I did not know they were down that low at Talisman already.
8 now at Talisman…
My memory is foggy on the snake proof sets right now. Did Perth post more the evening of the release? Thanks a lot.
I like the colored and the HR coin, however, I decided not buy the typeset this year because all the coins in the typeset are always available separately – without having to pay a premium for the bullion coin. History has shown that the typeset does not appreciate in value at the same rate as the 3-coin set.
Louis..the 3 coin set…yes…that’s when I got mine in queue, but it wouldn’t go through.
At Perth’s price the set is worth it, but at the marked up levels, it is not. If Perth does not put any more up, I will just get the gilded, HR and colored proof coins from Talisman and spend half as much.
But isn’t the colored bullion unique to this set (at least for now)? As far as I understand, the separate colored coin is a proof whereas this is specimen.? Can someone clarify?
Perth released colored dragons with specimen finish later on for the Chinese market, and I guess they’ll do the same for the snake.
Frankie,
The typeset consists of the Colored Proof, the Gilded Proof, the bullion and the Proof coin. All of them are available separately.
Correction: the Proof, Colored Proof, Gilded Specimen and bullion coins.
Nope:
The reverse of each coin depicts a representation of a snake curled around a tree branch.
•The delicately frosted design on the silver proof coin appears on a mirror-like polished table.
•The shiny design on the bullion coin appears on a frosted table.
•The specimen quality gilded coin highlights the snake in 24-carat gold.
•The specimen quality coloured coin depicts the snake in yellow and green.
So the separately released colored coin is a proof, whereas the one in the typeset is of specimen quality.
for the dragon, all the coins in the typeset, except the proof, can be bought at cheap price. i would assume the same for the snake.
My error. There is a separate colored proof available (yellow prominent on this coin), not in the typeset. The specimen colored coin (colored prominently green) will be available later as a show release.
Yes, Samuel, eventually…
For those tracking website sales, they are down to 577 high relief proofs, and 765 colored proofs. I am thinking it is unlikely the colored proofs sell out today. The high relief proofs seem to be moving at a good clip, though.
Incidentially, there are still half ounce and kilo proofs available from last month.
Frankie,
You are correct, the colored bullion coin in the typeset is not the same as the colored proof they are selling. However, later next year they will release the colored bullion coins seperately through dealers like APMEX. I was able to buy a standalone bullion colored dragon for very cheap a few months ago.
You are correct, though, that for the next few month the typeset will be the only place you can see a colored bullion coin.
As to the Talisman problems, a person in my coin buying group bought the black dragon from them at the beginning of this year. It took him three months to get his order filled. Since then I’ve tried to avoid them, though there’s been a few times when I’ve had to order. In my personal experience you have to wait about a month for your order, typically, but many people often seem to “fall through the cracks” and require multiple phone calls to resolve the issue.
Louis,
One other option would be to throw in a colored proof to get the free shipping. Not sure how interested you are in that release, however.
Expect to see another 10-coin specimen set with all the colors, and individually as show releases!
for the 1oz colored bullion, at that time i was busy so did not buy. right now, all gone. i dont know why. because if i remember correctly apmex had thousands of them.
Schalk,
You are probably right. Count me out for those.
If I were Perth, the most I would do would be to release one 2,500 mintage colored set and leave it at that. The sales of the last few colored dragons have been bad, and I think minting them would be a waste of Perth’s money. Some of their ideas for new Lunar products they experimented with, like the high relief coin, worked out very well. Others such as the multicolored coins did not work so well.
Samuel,
You are correct, APMEX had thousands of colored bullion dragons and were selling them for something like $37-$40 when I bought mine. Poke around the web, I can’t imagine they are that difficult to find or expensive to buy.
If one looks at the mintage limits of the coins in the typeset, one can clearly see which ones will be sought after:
Proof: 5,000
Specimen Gilded: 50,000
Specimen color: Unknown
Bullion: no limited mintage yet.
The separate Proof color coin has a mintage limit of 10,000.
The most sought after coin will be the 2oz silver proof in the 3-coin set which has a mintage of 1,000.
Schalk,
Agree on the two ounce proof.
I think the one ounce proof will also be highly sought after. If you take into consideration the standalones, the three coin set, and the proof in the typeset, they’ve actually produced about 7,500 total regular one ounce proofs. In spite of this plentiful supply, however, one ounce proofs still seem to be in very hot demand (note the 35 minute sellout of the standalone snake proof last month!) and they always seem to carry big premiums.
On the colored “specimen” (really bullion) coins, there shouldn’t be much premium for them alone. I believe Perth minted close to 200,000 one ounce colored bullion coins last year. The typeset’s components, excepting the proof, never seem to do very well, but for some reason the typeset itself commands decent premiums (though not as high as the three coin set).
I believe most of these type sets, proof sets and others from the Perth sells out fast because they are purchased by the dealers, not because of collectors. These sets eventually can be purchased in the secondary market at Perth mint prices. This is happening with the Dragon sets and will for sure happen with the Snakes.
It’s actually 7.5k proof coins:
1000 in the three-coin set
1500 in the typeset
5000 issued separately
But typesets held up well – even the less popular ones (ox, mouse, rabbit) do command a premiuman, albeit a smallish one.
Schalk- The bullion coin has a 300K limit across all options. The type set is a hyped product. I have a beautiful velvet box to display up to 12 Lunar series II coins together that is nicer than the clam shell box of the type set. It’s only worth it (the type set) to those who missed out on the 1 oz proof at issue price.
Captain
Another interesting fact is that the 3-coin set of prior years (including the Dragon 3-coin set) produced two unique coins to the set: the 2oz and the 1/2oz. This year the Perth Mint decided to reduce the 3-coin set’s desirability somewhat by making the 1/2oz available separately (8,000 of them).
The rectangular set, which should be available next month, should have a mintage limit of 3,000 (as far as history goes) – making those issues fairly scarce – a pity that they do not measure up in time.
Michael- Thanks for mentioning the Sydney Cove. I thought they were gone, but 500 are still available. I am probably going to get that instead of the type set.
Schalk,
I basically think the products to have are the one ounce bullion coin, the one ounce standalone proof, the three coin set, the typeset, and possibly the high relief proof. I don’t expect much appreciation of any coins outside the above, which is what I refer to as the “core” Lunar products.
I agree that the value of the three coin set has been theoretically degraded by the standalone half ounce proof, but I think that in general the snake set will come to perform about in line with prior years. The valuation of these sets doesn’t always make sense to me, especially the typeset, but I am not one to argue with the market!
Louis,
Good idea on Sydney Cove. That is a great set; you will love it. The plate makes a nice display piece.
Yes, the Sydney Cove was unavailable for a few weeks or more, but then became available again recently.
I have sent a few questions to the Perth Mint to see if they are able to provide details on what other colored Snake coins they will be offering, i.e. whether it will be as extensive as the colored Dragons offered last year. I will share any information they provide.
Thanks, Michael.
And thanks, CO. I agree with your analysis.
So is the allure of the snake typeset the packaging? All of the coins are available in other forms.
Hidalgo,
It seems that way. All the component pieces of the typeset (excepting the proof coin) do not perform very well in their standalone formats. The bullion and colored bullion coins are basically common pieces (albeit the latter won’t be released for some time), and the gilded coin is the most common numismatic product.
In spite of that, though, the typeset seems to be a reliable performer. I guess it’s because of a mixture of packaging and a mixture of the convenience of having those four issues bundled together for convenience. Part of the reason I didn’t buy a one ounce snake bullion coin is because I could conveniently get one in a typeset.
Did anyone get an email confirmation of their order. Though my order is confirmed and it is reflecting on the tracking order section of the Perth Mint site under my id, I have not received an email confirmation..which is quite strange, as I usually receive an email within a couple of minutes of placing the order..
Anand,
I received my email within moments of placing the order. Contact their customer service and let them know you didn’t get your email receipt. You may wish to take a screenshot of your order confirmation/completion screen if it’s still open.
I will get in touch with them.. I didnt capture the screenshot.. However I have the order #.. so hopefully should be ok…
Got caught up in work and missed the window. I’ll try again tonight. The colored snake is really awesome looking.
For the life of me, I can not see how many of what is left on this counter everyone seems to speak of, am I blind or is there a trick to see it. Someone point me in the right direction please.
And for those counting, I ordered a UHR right off the bat, that’s all I am interested in at the moment. Good luck to those waiting for the 9 PM window hoping for more type sets.
B
According to Talisman… Please note that this Snake Silver Dollar with Color in this set is NOT the same coin as the Snake Proof Silver Dollar with Color. This is a different coin: it features a reverse proof finish, and the coloration of the snake is different.
Not sure this was mentioned or not.
Brooster- Type in a very large number like 5000 in the quantity and then it will say X number left. Works the same way at APMEX, Talisman, etc.
Rather than endless variations of the same thing, check on Fiji’s snake coins with much lower mintages. The filigree coins are really nice as are the yin and yang, which tend to do well after sell-out (not as much for the filigree). Available from RSMint for pre-order or on e-Bay for higher prices.
Thanks Louis, thats pretty sweet. Only 454 UHR’s left, so they say.
B
ibex, i actually like the colored BULLION one from my experience from the dragon. the color proof one juts looks cheap. for the dragon, the proof colored, is just red color. but the colored bullion one is kind of orange/red with the not-shiny finish, it is very beautiful. i have the 5, 2, 1/2 oz ones, just missed the 1oz one.
Well, I placed my order with Perth for the snakes I wanted and the Sydney Cove. if all I cared about was trying to come out ahead, I would have loaded up on HR snakes, but it takes effort to sell things, and I have found that when something really captures your imagination like the Sydney Cove, the new Burmese dissident bronze medal (which is awesome), and others, they bring joy to you every time you look at them. Plus the plate is real Wedgewood and I can either display it or it would make a great wedding gift or other major gift-giving situation.
By the way, another reason I skipped the type set is I have the opposite view of Samuel. I like the black and yellow proof snakes but find the green and yellow, at least in the pics, somewhat cartoonish. Just my subjective opinion……..
Louis,
This may have something to do with Perth’s terrible stock photos. The photos actually don’t do much to make the coins look attractive. I have a feeling it will probably look better in-hand. I find that with almost every Perth release, it looks significantly better in a “live” picture than in a stock photo.
Downies is out of the Typeset.
Speaking of Downies, I ordered the Snake Proof coin from them on 9/3…I just called them to check on the order status…and they had no record of my order…said my last order from them was the Funnel Web Spider….so I just sent them a copy of the email order confirmation they had sent me on 9/3. Hopefully, they won’t come back and tell me they can’t get any more.
As someone said earlier, eventually the type set will go back to issue price or very close to it if you have the patience to wait.
Speaking of their poor stock photo’s, when I ran across a gilded dragon at a coin show, it looked way better in hand than in an photo. I may very well pick up a gilded snake later down the road, but, I am still waiting on the spouse coins, so saving my funds for now.
B
Louis, can u explain a little bit why you said “I would have loaded up on HR snakes,…. “. i m struggling whether i should buy more. a couple of days ago, it was sold around $200 apiece on ebay, now u can buy it now for <$130 there. i personally like the dragon. and this time perthmint does not apply 1 per member kind of thing. i dont know why.
Steve, my proof snake and HR koala will arrive tomorrow. remember HR koala is NYM exclusive! i am kind of disappointed with Downies because lately for some coins, they marked up the price and had very limited quantities even they are perthmint coins.
Samuel,
I am not Louis, but I think the reason they lifted the “one per customer” restriction on the high relief snakes is because they weren’t sure how the high relief snake would perform given that it’s a relatively new product, and also given that the half ounce and kilo proofs released last month seem to have underperformed.
I figured between the 7500 mintage, no limit on how many per order, and the popularity of HR Perth coins, it should do well long-term. That’s all. And it’s a first year of issue. But there are opportunity costs, as economists like to say, to buying an extra one or two of one item and then finding you can’t buy something you really want later. If I can get the color bullion specimen later like happened with the dragon for a bullion price, I will probably add it. But it made no sense in my case to get the set as I have several proofs and regular bullion already. Plus this comes right on the heels of all those interesting Canadian coins last week.
Typeset collection available again.
typeset is back up for sale
got it in less than a minute
Picked up the typeset and High Relief
Thanks Michael, picked my 2nd set for today.
Scored another typeset. HRs back up to 630 plus all the dealers have them at list so looks like a loser as an investment. I do collect them however but no reason to chase them.
i just got HR because of free shipping.
OK its gine agin the typeset.
opppsss gone i mean
Typeset available as of 7:35 pm MT.
it is up again. how can u guys get 2nd set? the website wont allow me to put the 2nd set in cart because of the one this afternoon.
gone again.
Samuel@ Thats where the friends and family comes in, simple as that.
I’ve decided to pass on all of the lunar snakes except the high relief. I’m reevaluating what I should be collecting, and the snakes didn’t make it in.
Going forward I’ll probably just stick with Perth’s high relief coins.
Talisman wants $500 now!! There is virtually no chance of any upside at that price and plenty of downside potential.
Why does Talismanp want $1500 for the 2010 Tiger typeset?
If you want to make your head spin, check on Perth’s mind-numbing line-up for next month!! Be sure to hold on to something while doing so. Apparently they are doubling down on snake releases. Not for the feint of heart, or those with anything less than unlimited resources. Perfect for the 1%.
Noticed that 12 coin 2 oz Lunar Silver proof set. Some one mentioned that the 2 oz from the three coin set would be the most sought after of the Snakes. Might want to wait and see what the mintage numbers are for that set. Hopefully low.
Good lord, Louis, you weren’t kidding! The rectangular coins, what appears to be more colored silver proof coins, a 2012 high relief proof four coin set (which will contain presumably all the 2012 high relief coins, including the high relief dragon), a high relief gold snake, which is a new product, and most interestingly, a “Australian Lunar Series II – 2oz Silver Proof Twelve-Coin Collection.”
If we assume the two ounce proof collection comes with every two ounce proof coin currently minted for Lunar series 2, which began in 2008, the cost for it will probably be something like $900-$1000. I suspect there will some complaining about this degrading the value of the three coin proof sets. However, I am not too surprised Perth is doing this, as the two ounce proof coins are currently the lowest mintage (and therefore the most desirable) of the Lunar products. The real question is how many of these sets will be produced. If the mintage is very low (say, 100 sets) they could charge a big premium and probably still expect it to sell out within a day or faster. Of course, it’s possible buyers might be skeptical of this because it’s not a “core” product. We will have to see.
The high relief gold proof looks really interesting too.
Unfortunately, I will probably not be able to afford any of this stuff. I’ll definitely pick up the new Dragons of Legend coin and this “four seasons” coin sounds interesting too. The other stuff I will have to give a pass this time around.
According to SilverLunar (http://www.silverlunar.com/2012/10/australian-lunar-series-ii-2oz-silver.html) the 2oz set will have a mintage of 1000 with only 100 being available via Perth Mint directly. This is going to hurt the proof sets for sure, esp. the snake one which now doesn’t have a unique coin anymore. This set will probably cost around $1,100 to 1,200 (12oz of silver) – too much for me right now.
And since they are going to do this for the 2oz proof, they are likely going to do this for the 1/2oz and 1oz proof coins as well sometime in the future…
i think perthmint is crazy.
Can any of you guys tell me where to look to see how many coins are left on the perth site. thanks i just haven’t found it
K, put 9999 in quantity and add to your cart, it wil tell u only 333 left……..
Thanks Samuel
Hi K bo,
What you need to do is type “9999″ as the amount you want to add to your shopping cart for a given product. It will add the website’s remaining stock to your cart. Then just remove the products from your cart after you’ve looked at the number.
Frankie, I could see them doing it for the one ounces, but I think the half ounces are a dubious prospect given how the sales of the standalone half ounce proof were relatively weak.
I would love to get the gold high relief, but I think the initial asking price will be somewhere in the neighborhood of $3000. It could come down later on the secondary markets but it is still likely to be priced too high.
Regarding the November 2 oz Lunar II proof set….while I realize series 2 began in 2008, why do some of you assume this set will only contain six coins(2008-2013)?
The Perth site calls it the “12 coin 2 oz proof set”…if it only had six years of 2 oz coins, wouldn’t they call it the “6 coin 2 oz set”?
There is enough space in the case to collect the remaining 2oz proof coins. This lunar cycle runs until 2019.
The Perth site calls it the “12 coin 2 oz proof set”…if it only had six years of 2 oz coins, wouldn’t they call it the “6 coin 2 oz set”?
Or it could be 6 coins plus subscription for 6 more to come.
This is also rather strong evidence that we might see a standalone release of the two ounce proof for future Lunar years. I am rather dubious that people will take the two ounce proof out of their three coin proof set set to put it in this case, so I think there is likely to be standalone two ounce proofs for 2014 and onward.
I honestly think the Perth Mint is taking the p**s… (me being British for a second).
On a different note, APMEX is just selling the 1oz 2012 PCGS MS-70 dragon for $79.99 as part of their 24h sale (runs until 11am ET Oct03). 3700+ in stock. Is that a good deal? I think so considering the bullion alone was $59.99 a short while ago as part of their 24h sale. Worth buying a couple I guess.?
Frankie,
Probably only for dragon fanatics.
The problem with buying slabbed 70 Perth coins is that in my experience, raw Perth coins tend to be really good quality for the most part. I have made many, many purchases from both Perth direct as well as from third party dealers and have yet to receive a Perth coin with any real problems visible to my naked eye or my jeweller’s loupe. I honestly don’t see the point in buying Perth bullion rated at 70 unless you’re hoping for flipping profits.
Grading companies are good for older coins or for modern mint known to have production problems, but I don’t really think Perth stuff benefits much from being graded.
F, if they have thousands, u better wait until next, next, next on sale. u see the 20 for 20 coin? they have been there several times!
I think $80 for an MS70 snake is fair if you like graded, but I tend to agree it’s not worth getting that stuff graded. On the other hand, MCM sells PF-70 versions of the dragon proof 1 oz for around $300, which is a good premium.
The Nov. line-up is forcing me to give serious thought about whether there are many Perth products I still want to collect, maybe just the HR and bullion Lunar coins at this point and 1 oz and special edition Kookaburras, which I really like.
Anyone else having a problem logging into your account on the Perth Mint website? I get a message saying, “You are not able to login at the moment. We apologise for the inconvenience.”
I have serious doubt whether I will continue to collect Perth Mint Lunar II coins if it turns out that the 2oz proof set, scheduled for next month, is the same 2oz proof coin from the 3-coin annual set. The premiums the 3-coin sets command in the market, will be substantially harmed by such a move and will, undoubtedly, have considerable impact on loyal Perth Mint collectors, such as myself.
Let’s hope that this is not the case.
Schalk, from what I can tell it is the same coin. Check Bullion Baron’s post here for more details: http://www.silverlunar.com/2012/10/australian-lunar-series-ii-2oz-silver.html
Keep in mind that even if the mintage of the two ounce proofs are increased, it should still be the lowest mintage Lunar II coin. The one ounce proof has a “true maximum mintage” of 7,500 and seems to perform fairly well when all is said and done.
I do think this could have an unfortunate impact on secondary market values, however.
I will continue to collect Lunar II coins, but I am going to restrict myself primarily to the core products at this point. There’s just too many snake products coming out, and this is only month three! I don’t have the money to keep up anymore, and I stretched myself considerably just to get most of the dragons.
There’s already weakness showing in the snake lineup with the failure to sell out of the one ounce kilo proof and the half ounce proof from September, and the colored proofs from this month. Sales of the high relief snake are moving at a good clip, but aren’t flying off the shelves like the dragon high relief was. I think there needs to be fewer snake products, not more. The pace set by the 2012 dragons is unsustainable.
Captain, u said 2oz snake “should still be the lowest mintage Lunar II coin”. # of snake is different than that of the dragon?
got a proof from downies, with series # <50.
Samuel, I didn’t mean to confuse.
The two ounce proof coins, overall, are still the one of the lowest mintage Lunar II coin, even with this new set that is being released. The overall number of two ounce proofs for each Lunar II release has been increased from 1,000 to 2,000. I was referring to the Lunar II series in general rather than just the snakes.
I don’t think there are any Lunar II coins which have a mintage lower than 2,000 except the kilo proofs (of which they mint 500).
Captain, thanks for the clarification. perthmint’s numbers are always confusing. a thousand here , a thousand there,,,,,,
Two Cents,
I had the same problem and had to re register to check out with the HR snake. I’m not sure what the problem is.
the typeset etc are “picked”!
They are definitely on the ball in regards to shipping. My status is “picked” too. I expect I’ll probably get a shipping notice tonight.
they need to “pick” it for abt 4 days, according to my experience with the 3-coin set,
Captain, i just checked my record, i did not receive any shipping notice email for the 3-coin set last month. did u receive one?
I cannot see how flooding the market with similar colored coins is good for the hobby. Personally, they look cheap to me (along with every colored or gemstone coin I have seen).
I’ve been picked as well. The Wedgewood plate is larger than I realized after seeing the video. I am looking forward to the Sydney Cove.
Samuel,
I did receive a notice, yes. I’ve gotten one for every Perth product mailed to me so far.
Louis,
The Wedgwood plate is about the size of the average dinner plate. If you were crazy, you could eat food off it. The box itself is huge and is a little bigger than what an average board game comes is. The shipping container will be enormous.
Incidentally, if you don’t mind my asking, what did they charge you for shipping? I assume you didn’t go over $400 AUD for the free shipping?
Louis,
It’s kind of funny how big the shipping box is when all you really want is the coin. And I still haven’t found a place to put the OGP that doesn’t get in the way.
I to have been sent a email for every order from perth mint
My Perth order is on the way, for anyoe keeping track, and I did get an e-mail notification.
received the snakes (really fast!!!) and the august order at the same time from talis.
I quit funding the Perth mint operation a while ago. Their products are mostly overpriced and seldom increase in value. They do remind me of the Franklin mint. IMHO.
Yes, Ikaika, you are right. But as a collector you may want to stay onboard because their coins are surely one of the prettiest around…
I just received an email from a German Perth Mint distributor to pre-order the 2oz Proof Set. The price is EUR749.90; adding postage of EUR30 and subtracting 7% tax (which you won’t have to pay if you live outside the EU), it costs roughly $980-$1000 depending on how the exchange rate goes. That works out at roughly $83 per oz of silver. Not bad at all. They also offered exclusive pre-purchasing for the remaining 6 coins.
Needless to say I jumped on the bandwagon.
Frankie can you provide the website of this German distributor? Thanks.
Frankie, personally I like the Canadian Snake coins a lot more than the Perth Mint’s. The Scallop proof is striking in hand and much more appealing than the Perth Mint coin. Even though they have a much higher mintage, the Perth Mint cannot beat them for design – or the packaging provided for the 12-year cycle – the most beautiful wooden case for coins I have ever seen (Alone worth $150+).
I have no affiliation with them, but ordered a few times before: http://www.silber-corner.de/
Use the google translator function at the top of the screen and then drop them an email using the contact function at the top right.
Just ask them to send you an invoice for the 2oz proof set and that you would like to pay by credit card (2.5% surcharge). If you give them your address they should be able to do at no problem.
They still have more than 100 snake typesets in stock if anyone is interested. Shipping is a flat rate of EUR30 to the US, but don’t order for more than US$2k or you will have to pay duty (you shouldn’t if it’s lower than that, at least I haven’t had to so far).
their price is very good. and they have 100 sets? thats why people cant buy from the mint directly.
Schalk- I agree about the RCM’s lotus snake. It is absolutely awesome! Certainly one of the best coins of the year, and I like the box it came in. Would make a great gift if one knows any snakes.
For what it’s worth, I find German dealers to be very reliable. You will get what you paid for, but I have not tried the specific one mentioned here.
Frankie,
I could not see the 2 oz proof set pre-order. Where did you see it
listed?
Thanks.
It’s not listed yet. I subscribed to their newsletter which had details about the 2oz proof set. As I mentioned above, just contact them and ask about the 2oz proof set.
Thanks, Frankie.
It looks like we’ll have another “exclusive to …” coin coming:
•Australian Lunar Series II – 2012 Year of the Dragon 1oz Gold Proof High Relief Coin (excluding USA)
I’m really tired of that…
Australian Lunar Series II – 2oz Silver Proof Twelve-Coin Collection (excluding Europe)
Australian Lunar Series II – 2012 Year of the Dragon 1oz Gold Proof High Relief Coin (excluding USA)
Frankie,
I’m not a big fan of the exclusions, either.
However, in the case of the high relief gold snake, it’s not to the advantage of collectors to buy it from Perth’s website anyway. The initial asking price is likely to be around $3100, and I think the best thing for those who want this coin is to buy from a third party dealer once the pieces have been released. I expect the price will come down quite a bit. I have seen this happen with other gold Perth coins in the past which had excessively high premiums.
I really like the idea of a gold proof snake, and think it will be a great looking piece, but I think it’s very unlikely I’ll be able to afford it.
h. thatThis summer I bought young collecters mythical creatures for $30 and now I see it on Gainesville coin for $300,Any one know whats going on with that.