Ipcress

Yes, agreed. I think there has been an influx of amateur investors in the market in recent years. They're GEF is a graders GVF and it's pushed prices up with Ebay playing it's part int he last decade. " Mint Proof with COA !!! " Wow.

The market is absolutely saturated with piedforts and proofs. Aesthetically, most of them are vanilla coins. Have very little going for them. Even in 25 years there will be so many in pristine condition that demand won't be high enough. You can go to auctions now and there are 30-50 of the damn things in a box. Might as well invest in a nice Edward VII crown and admire it's beauty at the same time. r.e Spinks - i think it's poor practice. Like other auction houses who take in gold and reserve the price at scrap value, BV + 20% - surely that madness has to end. Don't see it as much as i did three or four years ago though.

I once had a collector of modern proof and Royal Mint sets telling me that he expected to make a profit on his purchases and sell them at auction well above bullion / scrap value. Apart from the odd set in recent years, the vast majority i've seen are below their RRP. It's a bit - and i say a bit - like 50's and 60's diecasts. If you're lucky enough to have them in good boxed condition then you could sell them to collectors for a tidy sum but it's far too late in the game to be buying them now and expecting to make a retirement fund from them. Most of these recent oddities just leave me non-plussed. That thing about the £2 coin and the Queen's earrings...although one with the portrait on the date side recently made £25 on Ebay