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VA: No "authorized distributors"


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In the latest issue of MünzenRevue there is an interesting ad: The Vatican's Numismatic Office (UFN) warns, on half a page, against coin dealers who claim to be authorized distributors of Vatican coins.

 

gallery_35_74_61771.jpg

 

It states that there are no such distributors, and that any company that uses the UFN and/or Vatican logo may be sued. I wonder which dealer/s might have been the reason for that announcement ...

 

Christian

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Ha, I just learned what that UFN warning might refer to. ;) Here is a picture of a "certificate" that a German coin store sent to its customers ...

 

http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/8761/wa...vatikan41to.jpg

 

Note that it says "Distributor for the Federal Republic of Germany" and refers to a "direct distribution" price of €495 ( :ninja:). That company for example (gfmshop.de) may soon be in trouble, Roman Catholic or not, hehe.

 

Christian

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And that is for one proof set? :ninja:

No, that is for a BU set. ;) The official issue price was €30 but due to the low mintage (only 60,000 sets) that Sede Vacante set was sold out very quickly. (In this case, the Vatican/UFN did not issue a proof set at all.)

 

The last John Paul II set, issued earlier this year, had a mintage of 85,000 unc. (UFN price €23) and 16,000 proof (€125). And yes, prices are considerably higher if you cannot buy directly from the UFN ... I suppose that next year the Vatican euro craze will be about as bad, at least here in Germany - that is when the first coins featuring the new Pope will be issued. In a few years things will hopefully calm down.

 

As for the €495 price, well, HSE24 (the German version of HSN so to say) charges even more:

http://www.hse24.de/Product-ID1525483.html

Not exactly surprising; shopping channels are often expensive when it comes to coins. But the point is, HSE24 and most other sellers do not claim to be official distributors ...

 

Christian

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