The Market in 2018
The coin market has continued to show some consolidation in 2018, continuing the trend we have seen for the last few years. The Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) estimated that in 2017 the size of the Rare Coin market was about 3.5 billion dollars. This is down from 4 Billion dollars in 2016. Several major coin collections have come to market and it takes a while for these coins to be absorbed The rapidly rising stock market has also taken some of the wind out of the sails (and sales) of Rare Coins. With the Dow Industrials hovering around 25,000, the emphasis has been on paper assets as of late.
This is great news for those that have a 401k and stocks. Very few people predicted such a strong stock market and it’s been good for the economy. The market for Rare Coins and Precious Metals over the last few years has been quiet and the strength in stocks is partly to blame.
The PCGS 3000 is a composite index of Rare coin prices. Below is the index for the past 10 years. As we can see there was a little weakness starting to show in the beginning of 2015. That weakness accelerated in 2016. There has been about a 20% drop in the index in the past 3 years or so. These types of swings are not uncommon to the Coin Market and have happened in both directions many times over the years.
The PCGS 3000 Rare Coin Index Back to 2008
So What’s the Good News?
Prices for nice coins haven’t been this attractive in years. The market usually rewards those who are patient and can afford to wait. There are some nice coins coming on to the market and there are some great opportunities right now. This is a great time to fill some spots in your collection.
Next Time – Which areas look like a bargain?
Stay tuned. Next time I’ll highlight some areas in the market that seem to be a good value at these levels.