Silver 2000 Lunar Dragon snag at a small coin show today

[1970 silver art]

Since I did not find any silver art bars that I wanted at any of the local shops in my area yesterday, I decided to travel today to a small coin show that is near Atlanta, Georgia and I arrived there this morning shortly after the show started. This is a monthly Greater Atlanta Coin Show that is a small coin show (about 30 dealer tables) that is held one Sunday out of each month. Since it was a small coin show, it took me about 40 minutes to check out everything. I was on the hunt for certain silver art bars that I like to add to my collection. I was not planning to spend that many FRNs at this coin show because I am planning go to a major coin show next weekend in Dalton, GA. However, during my hunt for silver art bars, I came across this piece of silver:

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx54/COScollect/2000LunarDragonFront.jpg

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx54/COScollect/2000LunarDragonBack.jpg

It is a 1/2 oz 2000 Lunar Dragon silver coin. Judging by the marks on the reverse side of this coin (see 2nd picture), it appears to be "ex-Jewelry". I am guessing that it was taken out of a bezel because I have seen some bezels that had markings such as the ones on the reverse side of this coin. I paid only $20 for this 1/2 oz silver coin and I thought that it was a good price because I have not seen many Lunar Dragon coins of any size at the previous coin shows that I have attended so far this year.

Buying this silver coin is outside of what I normally buy. I usually buy silver art bars because I am a silver art bar collector but when I saw this Lunar Dragon coin for only $20, I decided to pull the trigger and buy it because 1.) I do not see many Lunar Dragons and 2.) The lunar Dragons silver coins that I have seen in the past have very high premiums on them. Even though this silver coin is outside of what I normally collect, I feel good about this silver purchase.

[TomD]

A dragon for right at spot? That'll work!

[osoab]

Nice score Art.

[Horn]

I was on the hunt for certain silver art bars that I like to add to my collection.

You can omit the above sentence from future posts, we know that already. :-*

[1970 silver art]

You can omit the above sentence from future posts, we know that already. :-*

Yeah I know. It was out of habit. :)

[Horn]

That thing might look good with a faux patina on it, like the Queen herself.

http://www.emilysmith.com/metal_patinas.html

[1970 silver art]

Nice score Art.

I will be honest in saying that was totally unexpected to find a 1/2 oz Lunar Dragon silver coin for that close to melt at a small coin show such as the one that I went to this morning. The dealer that I bought the Dragon from also had a 1/2 oz 2002 Lunar Horse coin for the same price but I did not buy the Lunar Horse because I was more interested in the Dragon and I really did not like the Lunar Horse coin that much. The Dragon looked better than the Horse in my opinion. I was not planning to collect the whole Lunar series. Even though this coin show had about only 30 tables, there is usually a lot of bullion at these Greater Atlanta montly coin shows and most of that bullion was selling for a low premium over spot. As I mentioned in my OP, I did not spend much at this show because the Dalton Summer coin show is next weekend and that show is a much bigger coin show than the one that I went to tis morning.

[osoab]

I will be honest in saying that was totally unexpected to find a 1/2 oz Lunar Dragon silver coin for that close to melt at a small coin show such as the one that I went to this morning. The dealer that I bought the Dragon from also had a 1/2 oz 2002 Lunar Horse coin for the same price but I did not buy the Lunar Horse because I was more interested in the Dragon and I really did not like the Lunar Horse coin that much. The Dragon looked better than the Horse in my opinion. I was not planning to collect the whole Lunar series. Even though this coin show had about only 30 tables, there is usually a lot of bullion at these Greater Atlanta montly coin shows and most of that bullion was selling for a low premium over spot. As I mentioned in my OP, I did not spend much at this show because the Dalton Summer coin show is next weekend and that show is a much bigger coin show than the one that I went to tis morning.

You should have flipped the horse on ebay.

[Grog]

Nice score!

[madfranks]

I decided to pull the trigger and buy it because 1.) I do not see many Lunar Dragons and 2.) The lunar Dragons silver coins that I have seen in the past have very high premiums on them.

3.) It was .999 silver for less than $0.50 over spot. For that price I'd buy the ugliest silver in the world.

[1970 silver art]

You should have flipped the horse on ebay.

Osoab,

That's a good point. Even though I have never sold anything on ebay yet but that would have made sense to flip the Lunar horse on ebay because I am sure that there are probably 1/2-oz silver Lunar Horses selling for at least 2 times melt price (or more) on ebay. I did not even think about that at the time that I was at the show. Oh well.

[TomD]

Was the monthly show on Peachtree Dunwoody in a tent behind the hotel just north of the perimeter? I used to hit that regularly but I lived only 15 miles away in east Cobb near Roswell. It was mostly for dealers. I went there one day and traded 20 100 oz Engelhard bars for gold Maples at 50:1. That worked for me because the ratio went to close to 70:1 over the next year.

[1970 silver art]

Was the monthly show on Peachtree Dunwoody in a tent behind the hotel just north of the perimeter? I used to hit that regularly but I lived only 15 miles away in east Cobb near Roswell. It was mostly for dealers. I went there one day and traded 20 100 oz Engelhard bars for gold Maples at 50:1. That worked for me because the ratio went to close to 70:1 over the next year.

The monthly coin show is in a new location now. I do not know exactly when they moved to that new location but the monthly Greater Atlanta coin shows are now held in Marietta at the Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel & Conference Center. The new location to me seems harder to get to but then again I am not that familiar with Atlanta area. The few Atlanta monthly coin shows that I used to attend last year used to be located at a hotel that was located on Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. Since I was an out-of-towner attending those shows, that Chamblee-Dunwoody Road location was easier for me to get to because it was right off of I-285. Since the monthly show moved to the new location in Marietta, it was somewhat harder for me to get to because it was not a direct exit off of the interstate and I got lost getting there the first time that I attended a monthly coin show there earlier this year. I eventually found it thanks to the google maps function on my smartphone and from that point on I remembered how to get there when I went to the coin show this morning. :)

[JJ.G0ldD0t]

Osab's got the right idea... but wait till November when Silver hits $50 /oz :D

[TomD]

The monthly coin show is in a new location now. I do not know exactly when they moved to that new location but the monthly Greater Atlanta coin shows are now held in Marietta at the Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel & Conference Center. The new location to me seems harder to get to but then again I am not that familiar with Atlanta area. The few Atlanta monthly coin shows that I used to attend last year used to be located at a hotel that was located on Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. Since I was an out-of-towner attending those shows, that Chamblee-Dunwoody Road location was easier for me to get to because it was right off of I-285. Since the monthly show moved to the new location in Marietta, it was somewhat harder for me to get to because it was not a direct exit off of the interstate and I got lost getting there the first time that I attended a monthly coin show there earlier this year. I eventually found it thanks to the google maps function on my smartphone and from that point on I remembered how to get there when I went to the coin show this morning. :)

Might have seen you there, I used to commonly go to that show, Chamblee Dunwoody, not Peachtree Dunwoody just north of Perimeter Mall, I remember now. I've been to the Dalton show 5-6 times too. But I live in rural NW Florida now, big change.

Thanks for the heads up on the location change, that show is a good place to buy and sell, especially bullion. Not hard to get to, just get off 75 at the south loop (Hwy 120), go west to the dead end and take a left. I had an office about 3 miles away for 10 years, know it well.

[1970 silver art]

TomD,

I am sure that you saw me there during the times that you attended this show. I have been going to Dalton Summer coin show since 2007. I always look forward to going to this Dalton coin show. This year's Dalton Summer show starts this Friday (August 19). I have also seen some gold and silver Lunar coins at past Dalton shows but it has been the same dealer that has them for sale but I do not know what he sells them for because I usually focus my efforts on finding 1-oz '1970's silver art bars when I get there.

[ximmy]

I have a pretty nice 1/2 Horsey somewhere around here... nice catch on the Dragon "three thumbs up"

[osoab]

I have a pretty nice 1/2 Horsey somewhere around here... nice catch on the Dragon "three thumbs up"

So you have been Fukushimaed?

[ximmy]

So you have been Fukushimaed?

not me... not literally... but it was more of a blessing... if that is your thing... :p

[osoab]

not me... not literally... but it was more of a blessing... if that is your thing... :p

;)

.......

[1970 silver art]

I am leaning towards doing this but I have not made a final decision yet on this. I might take the Lunar Dragon to my main area coin dealer this week to get it cleaned. It might be hard to tell from the pictures in my OP but this Dragon coin is heavily toned on both sides. I do not mind a certain amount of toning but I do not like heavily toned silver coins or silver bars. Heavy toning on silver makes them too dark IMO and I like my silver nice and shiny. :) The main dealer that I go to does a decent job of cleaning silver IMO. I think that the Lunar Dragon will look better after a dip in the "cleaning pool".