Comments on: 2013 Australian Koala 5 Oz Silver Proof Coin in High Relief

By: Dominic

Dominic — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 20:10:15 +0000

Thank you Douglas , The person that gave the coin to my fiancée and I was a kind and generous man. The coin will stay with us for a long time. And the many others he has gifted us before his passing . I just couldn’t find much info on this on this particular coin. I thank you again for your help . Also because of this man I started my interest in coins .

By: Russell

Russell — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 16:15:36 +0000

Would it make a difference if the CoA you have says #0001?

By: Douglas

Douglas — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 04:04:09 +0000

In reply to Dominic.

Hi Dominic,
The best way I’ve found to discover the value of coins such as the one you got is to go to eBay and enter the description of the coin and see what comes up.

When I did that with the coin you received, I found one seller asking $449.99 or best offer, with free shipping (which would cost the seller less than $5.00. Here’s a link to the listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2013P-AUSTRALIA-S-8-KOALA-HIGH-RELIEF-PF70-ULTRA-CAMEO-381-OF-1000-WITH-COA-CASE-/281613416242?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item419177b732

You could probably get about that much for your graded coin in the holder if you sold it yourself on eBay (minus eBay’s commission); but if you took it to a coin dealer, since the dealer would have it in inventory for an unknown length of time, thereby tying up some of his/her finances, and since the market for more expensive, heavier graded coins is relatively small, you’d probably get only about half or, if you’re lucky, 2/3 of the price the eBay seller is asking for it. That dealer might mark the coin up to what the eBay seller is asking, or maybe more; but it would be questionable how long it would take to find a buyer for that coin.

All that said, the fact that it has a certificate of authenticity from the Perth Mint that certifies that it is the 181st coin struck from the dies used for that mintage, and the fact that it has a limited mintage and is further certified as PF70 Ultra Cameo by what I assume to be either PCGS or NGC, the two most prestigious coin grading services in the world, it is a coin that the right buyer would have little problem paying US$450 to own, As you will see in the comments above, another company sold the same coin that was graded PF70 for over $1,000; so the current seller on eBay seems to be selling the coin for a song, comparatively. Since the Perth Mint originally sold it for a little over $500 Australian dollars, which was about $490 US dollars at the time, I’m guessing this seller got the coin through some special deal and is actually making a profit off of it, even at that price.

Whoever gave that coin to you must care for you very much to have spent so much to purchase that particular coin. How nice to have someone who loves you enough to give you that valuable a gift!

Blessings!

By: Dominic

Dominic — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 00:51:46 +0000

I got one of these as a gift . The Case says , 2013P Australia S$8 Koala – High Relief PF 70 Ultra cameo . One of first 1000 Struck . The coin # is 0181. Can any one tell me what its worth ?

By: Marie

Marie — Sat, 20 Jul 2013 14:58:24 +0000

Douglas,

First, thank you very much for an educational response. I do value, and will get back to purchasing smaller coins from some of the reputable site you noted. Although, I will be putting away the 5 oz Koala coin for the future for my grandchild… I not materially wealthy, but have wealth in spirit. I don’t have the money to purchase high dollar coins, but his one was for my grandchild. I am amongst the government workers that are furlough until September… Not complaining, but it does require an adjustment in my spending habits. I am blessed, no matter what is happening in the world.

Again, thank you very much for taking the time to provide a detailed response.

May God Bless You!
P.S. You got the mint name correct!

By: Douglas

Douglas — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 04:44:08 +0000

Marie,
You don’t say what company sold you the Koala, but I assume it is NY Mint/First Federal Coin. Their mailings come from Burnsville, MN. Since they have exclusive rights to all of that type of coin to be sold in the US, they’re obviously looking to capitalize on that fact in terms of the price they ask. However, if one compares the markup on this coin with coins of lesser value, it can be seen to be comparable for graded coins. You don’t say when you purchased the coin, but let’s say you bought it on June 1, 2013, when $510 Australian equaled approximately $490 American. Therefore, the markup from your coin worth $490 was $660, or about 135%. Several things contributed to the initial price over the value of the silver: Perth Mint is one of the most prestigious mints in the world; 5 oz of almost pure silver is more difficult to mint perfectly than is 1 oz or less; there were only 5,000 coins minted, making them relatively scarce, even fewer were available outside of Australia; and they were minted in high relief, meaning that the design is especially detailed and prominent – and more challenging to mint to perfection. Then, when First Fed got them, they had all of them graded by one of the most prestigious grading services in the world; the grading was either perfect (PF70) or nearly perfect (PF69); they were judged to be Ultra Cameo, a further point of appeal; and you got one that was among the first 1,000 minted (as certified by NGC), which is when the dies used to strike the metal planchet are able to make the most nearly perfect impression, since theoretically, each strike wears the design away slightly on the original die. Looking for a coin that is comparable in several ways to this, I find the US 1 oz 2013 Girl Scouts of the USA Centennial Proof Silver Dollar (which contains only a little more than 3/4 oz of silver), of which the US Mint has minted 350,000 (70 times as many as the Koala!), being sold by the Mint for $59.95, while an NGC-graded PF70 Ultra Cameo Early Release is being sold by dealer PNG for $149 on eBay – almost a 150% markup, and PNG doesn’t even have exclusive rights to the sale of that coin in the US, because an individual could purchase it from the Mint directly and have NGC grade it (at a cost of about $30), though there could be no guarantee that it would grade PF70 or Ultra Cameo, and it could not get the designation of Early Release; so the privately graded coin would not command the same price as the one with the greater number of certified features, even if it ended up with a PF70 grade. All that said, though, it’s clear that there is a very small number of human beings that would actually think of putting that much money into a 5 oz hunk of silver, how ever beautifully designed and highly rated it might be, But, among that handful of people could well be several who would come into the market for just the coin you have at just the time you want to sell it; and they would give you many more times the price you paid for it initially, even taking inflation into account. However, high value graded precious coins tend to be a buy-and-hold type of investment that provides a foundation for one’s wealth rather than being something for which one seeks a quick turnaround to gain a significant profit, since the pool of potential buyers is quite limited, and to sell such a coin, one might need to have it on the market for months, if not years, before one is able to get one’s preferred selling price. Also, selling such coins is rarely done privately – such as on eBay – since buyers can’t be sure they’re getting an authentic coin from a private seller in the same way as they might be assured when purchasing it from a reputable company. Thus, one often needs an agent, who would take a commission that would be added after the sale price was set. All in all, unless you want to hold such coins as part of your estate or display them or get more seriously into dealing in the purchase and sale of such coins, you’re probably better off buying smaller, less exclusive and more sellable coins from a reputable dealer such as Modern Coin Mart, Gainesville Coins, SilverTowne, PNG, or some other agent rather than NY Mint/First Fed. And if you can get a Certificate of Authenticity along with the coin, that’s so much the better when it comes to trying to sell it.

By: Marie

Marie — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 20:23:34 +0000

Reading your discussion, I am wondering was I over charged…? I purchased the 2013P Australia $8 Koala – High Release PF 70 Ultra Cameo One of the First 1000 struck. Although, it was graded by the NGC, placed in an expensive looking case, I am now wondering have I been taken.
My cost is as follows:
Product Cost: $1,250.00
Shipping and Insurance: $29.95
Total Shipment: $1,279.95
I will apprciate any comments or suggestion you have in while the difference in cost…I do have a Representative who supposed to let me know the latest and best rear coins buy.
Thank You!
Marie

By: Douglas

Douglas — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 05:23:23 +0000

Paul, First Federal Coin and New York Mint are the same company. They have a huge catalog of high-end US and world coins they market via glossy printed catalog, Internet, and phone. I purchased a coin from them and was assigned an “account representative” who calls me every few weeks to offer me coins for which they have often gotten exclusive US distribution rights. I’ve found, though, that for coins for which their distribution rights are not exclusive, I can often find them on eBay for a 10%-20% lower price than they charge.
In terms of price, it’s important to remember that a variety of things contribute to the original pricing from the mint and additional things to the pricing by the retailer. This starts with the value of the metal, the weight of the coin, the quality of the minting – especially when it’s assessed and certified by one of the recognized grading services – the number of coins minted (rarer being more desirable and, therefore, more expensive), and even the “cool factor” of having coins of a certain kind, particularly if they are in a series, and you own the earlier ones in the series that end up being harder to get as the series grows.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:36:54 +0000

Lorayne What you said is interesting as the New York mint says that they have the other 4700 I wonder who is telling the truth or is it that they are all in this together to over price a 5 oz coin the price at New York mint is the same as you said first fed coin was selling them for makes ya wonder doesn’t it

By: Lorayne

Lorayne — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:17:06 +0000

correction PF70 – $1150