Collecting and Selling Hummels on Ebay

                 If you are collecting Hummels, Ebay can offer some real finds.  Bidding often ends long before reaching the price listed in the reference books.  A Hummel that should sell for $300 may go for $30 - $40.  This is because of several factors.  Crazing usually does not show up in photographs, and trusting the seller is required.  But the seller is often a stranger, and this trust must be based on feedback from other strangers.  Small chips can be hidden by careful photography, avoiding the angles that show them up.  Again, you must trust the seller.  Then there are those who will photograph one Hummel and ship another.  This is bad news for the honest seller, but a bargain for those who can identify the sellers wh are trustworthy.

                 If you plan to buy from Ebay, find someone who sells many Hummels, check the quality for yourself with one or two inexpensive pieces, and go back to them if you are satisfied with the quality.  You may pay a slight premium for this, since the people with the reputations for being honest on Ebay usually have repeat business.  You will have to outbid their other regular customers, but it is better to pay a premium than to pay for something that is virtually worthless.  And any piece with any defect, offered by a reputable seller with the proper disclosure of the defect, will bring little as a highest bid.  Defects make Hummels virtually worthless!

                 Selling Hummels on Ebay can be frustrating.  The books say you should get $500, but you barely managed to get $50.  This is a common scenario.  The problems is that while Hummels are no longer in production, that higher fair price for a discontinued piece is discounted because your customers are uncertain what you are offering with respect to quality.  And selling Hummels on Ebay can be expensive.  Ebay fees are high, and do not forget the Paypal fees.  Paypal fees are lower than Ebay fees, but unlike Ebay fees, they apply to shipping.  Shipping can itself be expensive.  You need to procure packaging material to keep the item from breaking.  You can charge insurance, but the problem is people buying collectibles are astute with money, and will add the shipping and insurance to what is bid to determine the maximum they will spend.  This means you get a lower bid if you charge shipping and insurance.  Photographs are another expense, and Hummels require many.  You must make it clear that there are no defects from every angle, and have a photograph of the trademark on the bottom.  That trademark indicates authenticity of the piece, and also helps determine the value.

                 Perhaps, if you have an outlet, buying on Ebay and selling in a physical store might be profitable.  Just remember, if it does not mention a box on Ebay, do not expect one.  So, it will be clear to your customers that the piece was previously owned.

This article is being made available from Black Spaniel Gallery at http://blackspanielgallery.comby the author.  Links to major English speaking mints are available at Black Spaniel Gallery.

Disney Collectible Coins

                Disney produces coins, and some of them have a collector premium.  Generally, those not in a precious metal have little value, but the silver and gold coins often are highly prized coins.  Disney uses the Rarity Mint, and produces limited quantities of their coins.  These are most valuable if accompanied by the numbered Certificate of Authenticity that was originally the coin’s accompaniment.

                 Disney coins are best collected, and hold a higher value, if they are part of the entire set with which they were issued.  The Disney Around the World six coin set is more valuable than the six coins offered individually.  Always sell as an entire set if possible.  But not every coin was part of a set.  The Epcot coin is a typical example of a stand alone item.

                 The notable exception to the value of Disney coins is the silver Snow White series.  They are too abundant, and most are worth just a little over the price of silver.

                 Disney has issued gold, silver, and silver gilded with gold coins.  The gilded coins were a version of the five coins depicting the various castles of the Disney parks around the world.  These were issued a couple of years ago, and a few were still available this year.

                 In addition to the Snow White series, the Around the World series, and the five castle coins, several others have appeared.  The Mickey Mouse’s 60^th Birthday coins depicting Steamboat Willie are rather common, the Epcot opening and the Lion King coins are hard to find, and the Sorcerer Mickey and Sorcerer’s Apprentice coins are rare but can be found with a little patience.  They are frequently offered on Ebay, but command a higher premium than the common coins.

                 Most of the silver coins are struck in the one-ounce 0.999 fine silver proof condition.  A few are in unusual sizes, so always read the specifications.  And there are those that come in multiple sizes, like the Steamboat Mickey coin, which can come in the one-tenth ounce size when mounted on a card, and the Snow White series can come in the one-half ounce size, also mounted on a card.  Smaller coins are often mounted on a card, while larger ones often come in a display case.  A few come larger, such as the five-ounce Sorcerer Mickey silver coin.

                 Disney also has issued at least one Christmas coin in silver.

                 Coins bearing the likeness of a Disney character, especially an old animated character, seem to hold the best value.  Several of these can be found, but not as easily as many other coins.

                 Disney gold coins are often in fractional sizes, such at one-fourth of an ounce.  They are collectible!  Even the Snow White coins are highly priced because of the price of gold.

                 Disneyanna, the vacation club that annually gathers at Disney, has issued a few silver coins of its own for its gathering.  They are also collectible if in a precious metal.

                 To find Disney coins on Ebay, search Collectibles, Disneyanna, and type in silver coin or gold coin.  If you do not restrict your search you will wade through many toy coins, such as the Star Wars weekend coins and the pirate coins.  These may appear if you restrict your search, but will be less common.  The Disney Epcot coins of the world sets are inexpensive foreign coins.  None of these are worth obtaining.

                 Before you buy, have the seller assure you that the coin is in the display case, or on the original card, and the Certificate of Authenticity is included.  It may be the card for the smaller coins.  Also, the condition is important.  If it was ever taken from its case and used as a toy, consider avoiding the purchase.  Handled coins lose their value quickly.  The usual protection is a transparent acrylic holder, and it should be included if it originally accompanied the coin.

                 Even if a coin remains sealed, toning can occur.  Coins can tone beautifully, or become ugly.  If the coin is not recently issued, ask for pictures of both sides.  Another disturbing feature of coins is some can develop spots, often white in color, even though the coin is permanently sealed by a mint.

This article is being made available from Black Spaniel Gallery at http://blackspanielgallery.comby the author.  Links to major English speaking mints are available at Black Spaniel Gallery.

Do I Need to See Both Sides of an Uncirculated Coin I am Bidding on?

                Even if a coin remains sealed from the mint, toning can occur.  Coins can tone beautifully, or become ugly.  Another disturbing feature of coins is some can develop spots, often white in color, even though the coin is permanently sealed by a mint.

                 In silver coins, always look for black carbon spots, black circles around the rim, and white spots.  Unfortunately, these do not show up well in photographs.  So asking for a second picture is of little value.  Read the auction, and read the feedback.  Undisclosed flaws should be noted in the feedback comments.  And do not just look at the negative and neutral feedbacks.  Some buyers do not leave negative feedback, but make comments in the positive feedback that warns other buyers.

This article is being made available from Black Spaniel Gallery at http://blackspanielgallery.comby the author.  Links to major English speaking mints are available at Black Spaniel Gallery.

Coca Cola Silver Bars

 Usually, silver bars and silver rounds are worth little or nothing over the spot price of silver.  This is not true of Coca Cola silver bars.  These highly collectable bars were made to celebrate the 75^thanniversary of Coca Cola, and were released in 1979.  The collectors of Coca Cola items is a large community, and they pay higher than silver prices for these one-ounce bars.  So, some coin collectors, and most Coca Cola collectors, have interest in them.

                 At the time of this article being written, they were averaging about three times the spot price of silver, with some bringing in much more.

They are not all equally valued.  Different bottling plants are depicted, and some from smaller towns are harder to find.  Yes, there are many different bars, with a Coca Cola bottle shown on one side and a bottling plant on the other.  When they appear for auction, like on Ebay, some are run using Coca Cola in the title and some using the Coke in the title.  To view everything available you must conduct two searches.  Searching Ebay regularly for about a year will probably reveal all or most of the varieties available.

The number available appears to currently be increasing, possibly due to the economic times.

This article is being made available from Black Spaniel Gallery at http://blackspanielgallery.comby the author.  Links to major English speaking mints are available at Black Spaniel Gallery.