Was checking out the Russian coin forum and was shocked at this auction:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...em=290131497306

Hello?

I simply dont understand.
what is going on over there?

Most 1974 mintsets that I've seen are in red instead out blue.

At €985, I would make mine blue with envy too.

Same here.

Even if the set was green with purple polka dots, that price would still be breathtaking.

Who ARE the people who pay these prices?

To think that (within living memory!) there was a time when it would be a struggle to give such things away...

Yes, I can remember writing to the Bank for Foreign Trade to get these, but then seeing them in dealer junk boxes later for $1 each. But buying from a dealer was not as exciting as getting a package in the mail from Russia.

most probably very rar 20 kop coin is in the set

No, it's just the blue packaging that made it go skyrocket. I have seen several 1974 mintsets but red and that barely goes over 40USD unless I didn't pay attention to the varieties.

In the late 70s and early 80s I used to buy mint sets if they were cheap. I have
about a dozen 1974 sets but all are red and none is blue. One wonders if this was
part of the Olympic sales (i.e. restrikes) where a blue background generally signified
proof and red meant proof-like. If this speculation proves to be true, then perhaps this
is an explanation for the extraordinarily high price.

RWJ

The blue color is not so common as the red one but for sure not the rar one. You can see it sometimes on ebay. I don't believe this is a reason for such price. The rar variant of 20 kop cost according to Fedorin ~600$. This could be only a reason for such price

Hey gang what do youy make of this set? It appears to be in black. Is this rarer than the red sets?

I have a red 1978 set that I have all the original paperwork with from Paramount coins that sold them back then, with notes about toning, the 1977 60th anniversary coins etc. I will photograph it later, it wouldn't be as interesting without all the paperwork with it.

I looked on Molotok, and these things seem to be going in the $36-$40 range in Russia now. I bought mine for $1 about 10 years ago.

Cool thanks Scottishmoney.

Is it worth $1300 USD

I wish .I bought it because I like it and because it is the year I was born. Don't know much about Russian coins.

Hussulo, most likely it's around the 40USD range. Sorry but it's not worth like the crazy blue set there.

There was a particular set that I remember that had a RED cardboard packaging, 1976 that went over 150USD where a normal set would have cost 100 USD or so. People are paying extra for packaging I guess.

I am just happy that I see the 1978 sets going for $35-40 on Molotok.ru, I paid $1 at a local coin dealer about 10 years ago for mine. It replaced a 1975 set that had rotted out and I gave to one of my friends sisters.

No problem. Bought it for $26.50 so I'm still happy. It looks neat and was the year I was born so its a keeper.
So why are some sets black and some red?