The 2010 Boy Scouts of America Centennial Silver Dollars premiered from the US Mint just two weeks ago and not surprisingly, mintage limits are fast approaching and the secondary market is already seeing a decent trade in these commemorative strikes.
Customers were initially able to place orders for the Boy Scout coins beginning on Tuesday, March 23, 2010. The first few hours of availability due to demand saw troublesome issues for those trying to complete their transactions, both via the Mint’s website and through the Mint’s telephone ordering system.
This did not hamper sales much, with more than 200,000 sold in 4 days. The latest Mint’s sales figures as of Sunday, April 4, show an astonishing 266,517 of the pieces were sold, with 179,976 proof and 86,541 uncirculated for a weekly increase of 51,844. More than 76 percent of the maximum authorized mintage are now gone.
Now, these silver dollars are making their way into the secondary market. The online auction site eBay alone has had a few hundred of the Boy Scout coins available in the last few weeks. Sellers and buyers are aware that the coins are still available from the Mint for their introductory price. As such, ungraded uncirculated coins are selling in the low to mid $30s. A few have crept into the $40-$50 bracket, but not many.
Similarly, ungraded proof coins started selling for as little as $40, but with these strikes there is a ray of hope for sellers. Many of the proof auctions closed around $50, giving sellers a potential profit of $10 or so above their purchase price.
Sellers who were quick to have their coins graded faired slightly better, with both MS69 and PF69 grades averaging in the low $50 range — not much of a profit when grading costs are considered.
Of course, the sellers who opted for the grading service were hoping for a better classification of 70. Both MS70s and PF70s have fetched noticeable premiums. Most completed eBay auctions of these have reached above $100. The proofs are generally going for $10 more than the uncirculated versions. Several listed as "Ultra Cameo" have sold for as much as $159.99. Buy It Now offerings have current listings as low as $99 for MS70s. PF70s can be found for $110 and PF70 Ultra Cameos for around $150.
Only 350,000 of the Boy Scout Centennial Commemoratives will be minted. They are available in either proof or uncirculated condition at the US Mint (http://www.usmint.gov/) for an introductory price of $39.95 and $33.95 respectively. If they do not sell out before April 22, 2010, the regular price of $43.95 for the proof and $35.95 for the uncirculated will be implemented.
