I was bored this morning. Really bored. So, I did a little research, and was somewhat surprised at the results.

2006 BU (Mint) sets

I could not figure out how to navigate the USMint website, so I don't have data for the US.

UK BU mint set:
<UL><LI>10 piece set, face value of £6.38 (US$11.14)</LI><LI>RM website price of US$29.50</LI><LI>2.65 times face value</LI></UL>

Canada mint set:
<UL><LI>7 piece set, face value of CAN3.91 (US$3.45)</LI><LI>RCM website price of US$13.61</LI><LI>3.94 times face value</LI></UL>

New Zealand mint set:
<UL><LI>7 piece set, face value of NZ$8.85 (US$5.91)</LI><LI>RAM website price of US$29.87</LI><LI>5.05 times face value</LI></UL>

Australia mint set:
<UL><LI>8 piece set, face value of AUS3.88 (US$2.90)</LI><LI>RAM website price US$15.96</LI><LI>5.5 times face value</LI></UL>

French (Euro) mint set:
<UL><LI>8 piece set, face value of €3.88 (US$4.65)</LI><LI>MdP website price of US$31.08</LI><LI>6.68 times face value</LI></UL>

The UK proof set is approximately the same factor (2.66 x face value), includes 3 pieces not in the BU set (all base metal CUNI). The Australian proof set has a special .800 silver 50c piece, so it's factor is much higher (10+ x face value). The Canadian proof set has a special gold plated .9999 silver $1, so it's factor is much higher (10+ x face value).

That's an interesting pattern.

I did a quick check on Japanese BU and proof sets and had this interesting data.

Japanese BU mint sets usually range from 1700-2200 yen, depending on the packaging and that excludes tax. The total face value of them is usually 666 yen (Yes, not though. 1+5+10+50+100+500 = 666)

Assuming that we take 1700 yen and add the tax of 5% if I am not wrong, the cheapest, it is around 2.68 times the face value.

Proof sets however range too gross, from 7,500 to 13,000 yen - yet there ARE buyers. That's over 11.82 or 20.50 over the face value. *evil marketing schemes*


As well as, if I remember right while I was in Russia, there was a 2002 Moscow mint set of the total of 8.86 rubles, and yet the set was selling at 600 rubles. Now that's a genuine terrible mark up of 67.72 times! As well as, a 1997 St. Petersburg mintset was going at 450 rubles, which is 50.79 times the norm. However I am not too sure if that was the official price from the mints and they don't pop up often in the markets these days.

Kuhli, isn't the aussie face value, 3.85AUD? We don't have 1 and 2 cents any longer.

Actually, it is 3.88AUD for the 2006 set. To commemorate 40 years of decimal currency (1966), the RAM struck 1 & 2 cent pieces for both the mint and proof sets.




This anomaly may affect the price of the set. Didn't take that into account in my initial appraisal.

Seems the 2006 unc set is not listed yet. Scheduled for June/July ...
http://catalog.usmint.gov/webapp/wcs/store...catalogId=10001

Here are two more euro sets, and less expensive ones than the French set:

Ireland 2006 (8 coins, face €3.88)
Set Price €22
http://www.centralbank.ie/frame_main.asp?p...&nv=ncn_nav.asp

Germany 2006 (9 coins, face €5.88)
Set Price €12
http://www.bwpv.de/sammlermuenzen.php3?mid=0&uid=0&iid=554

As for euro coins, note that not all the denominations are issued every year. So euro collectors who want to have all coins from all years will have to buy sets ...

Christian

Thanks, Christian. I didn't think to check Ireland, and I had no clue who is authorized distributors for German sets, so I couldn't find them. I hoped you would check in with that information.

this one is still 5.6 times face value.



but this one is a great deal at just over 2 times face value. (but don't I have to buy 5 sets to get ALL of the coins issued?

If you want all the different mint marks, then yes. I collect the German ones "by year" only, and the others "by type" ...

Also, I do not care much about the cardboard and plastic around the coins. So I can very well live with the fact that the German BU sets look a little dull. But those collectors who find such sets interesting may rather pay €20 or even €30 for a nicely designed theme set (such as the Irish ones) than "only" €12 for a fairly sober set.

Christian