Prices Surge for 25th Anniversary American Silver Eagle Sets

Interest in the 25th Anniversary American Silver Eagle Sets shows no signs of waning now that the United States Mint has started shipping confirmed orders to customers.

In fact, if anything, excitement and activity surrounding them may be growing as those who have them either enjoy their new procurement or ponder their values, while those who were unable to order the sets they desired originally from the Mint search secondary markets to fulfill their needs.

One such secondary market, and perhaps one of the best indicators of true market conditions for modern coins, is the online auction site eBay. While 25th Anniversary American Silver Eagle Sets are no stranger to eBay since they actually started appearing on the site days before they were even released, there has been a flood of new listings since.

A bit of background, however, is in order before we go into the details of these newer listings. First, the United States Mint created the 25th Anniversary set to mark twenty-five years since the American Eagle program debuted back in 1986. Included within it are five different Silver Eagles, three of which are routinely struck and easily attainable separately, including a 2011 American Silver Eagle Bullion Coin, a 2011-W American Silver Eagle Proof Coin and a 2011-W American Silver Eagle Uncirculated Coin.

Two of the coins were minted especially for the set. As such, these two are key strikes in the series with the second lowest mintage of any Silver Eagle to date at 100,000. Those two coins include a 2011-S American Silver Eagle Uncirculated Coin and a 2011-P American Silver Eagle Reverse Proof Coin.

25th Anniversary Set Values Continue to Rise

Recognizing the uniqueness of the set as well as the limited availability of the two strikes, interest for the collection has been astoundingly high. In the days before its actual release, sets started appearing on eBay as presales. Those presale prices averaged between $475-$600 per set, providing a tidy profit for sellers who paid the United States Mint’s issue price of $299.95.

Prices surged higher following the set’s October 27 release as fervor grew when they sold out within four and half hours. However, as a fallout of selling out, eBay began intervening and pulled most of the 25th Anniversary auctions from their site. eBay indicated that listings would once again be routinely allowed after sellers actually had the sets in their possession.

By Wednesday, November 9, orders from the United States Mint started arriving in customer’s hands which led to a bombardment of the sets on eBay, complete with unique photos of the collection to help prove they were legitimately available from the seller. Well over 500 were listed as of Friday, or more than a half percentage of the entire set’s mintage.

Recent Prices Realized as High as $875

Taking a snapshot of the successful closing auctions on eBay gives a glimpse of more details. In a single two hour period on Friday, forty-nine sets had sold. Of those, the average price was $735 per set. The best "deal" during the period was a bit lower at $710, while the high of the time-frame was $875. It should be noted that the average takes into account several listings that included multiple sets, which have higher totals but are typically better buys in the sense that the cost translates to lower per set prices.

Ungraded sets sold outside of eBay are difficult to track down as of this writing. Many coin dealers are showing the 25th Anniversary Sets as "out of stock" or in pre-order status, with yet unknown prices. One coin company, Coast to Coast Coins, is currently advertising complete sets within the U.S. Mint box at $895.00.

Individual Coins from Set as High as $449

Individual coins from the set are also being listed, most notably the two coins unique to the 25th anniversary set. Of those that sold on eBay, the 2011-S Silver Eagle Uncirculated Coin has been averaging almost $250 for a single ungraded strike. Premiums escalate much higher for single 2011-P Silver Eagle Reverse Proof Coins. Average closing prices range between $300 and $449.99. Once again, that was for single ungraded strikes.

Graded Set Prices

A few graded offerings are beginning to show up through other venues outside of eBay. The Home Shopping Network (HSN) appears to be in the upper price range. ANACS sets that are graded 69 are currently available at HSN for $1,499.95 while those graded 70 are being listed for $2,999.95.

Chattanooga Coin Inc. is offering graded sets as well. NGC certified 69 sets are available from the company for $975 while graded 70 sets are listed for $3,975.