Coins Have the Best Chance of Resale Value
Unlike many collectibles, coins offer a reasonably consistent and proven return on investment, making them a safe haven for collectors.
When we collect, do we treat what we collect as objects we enjoy, or are we being egotistical and treating them as trophies? This can be argued about anything anybody collects. However, it also raises the question regarding the future value of an object for which someone paid a lot of money to add that item to his or her trophy case.
The value of collectible coins, in general, can be tracked reasonably due to the hobby's sophistication and the fact that almost all coins are known from multiple examples. Even the famed 1804 Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle silver dollar is known from 15 pieces. When dealing with truly unique items, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan’s famous phrase “irrational exuberance” quickly comes to mind.
Regardless of how much emphasis someone puts on collecting rather than answering the question, “How much is it (or will it be) worth?” the bottom line continues to be that the object will someday be resold for a profit or loss. The venerable auction house Sotheby’s sells works of art. Original art is unique. The Sept. 20 Contemporary Curated auction had high points, but 12 percent of its 122 lots (15 lots) failed to sell. The art market is considered to be weakened right now, according to the Wall Street Journal and a Bloomberg report.
At the time this commentary is being written, the 50th homerun baseball hit by professional baseball player Shohei Ohtani is feeling the Greenspan effect. Can that baseball realize better money ten years from now, when perhaps someone will have broken Ohtani’s record? Each collectibles field is a separate animal. I’m not criticizing the uniqueness of some trophies in other collectible fields, but if you want resale reliability, I’d suggest sticking with coins.
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