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Welcome to Hot Topics.

CAMEO AND ULTRA CAMEO COINS
Cameo and Ultra cameo coins are clearly one of the hottest areas in the market today. People are rapidly becoming more aware as to how few pieces survive. They are also the most misunderstood.
We spoke to a major dealer who had a whole case of Cameoed coins. At the end of the show he was complaining about how few pieces he had sold. He couldn't understand why. We knew immediately why he did so poorly, he failed to recognize the word CAMEO doesn't automatically carry a premium price.
The secrets of value and demand with Cameos and Ultra Cams are the following: #1 CLARITY OF THE MIRRORS AND BOLDNESS OF THE CONTRAST. Haze and dullish/filmy toning greatly diminish the coin's value. NOTE: gorgeous electric peripherial colors DO enhance the value and ARE desireable. Ultra Cameos need to look like headlights/medals to achieve superior prices. Regular (commoner) Cameo coins MUST be close to Ultra Cameos or else they are really only worth about 5% over regular non-Cameoed Proofs (do NOT let anyone claim otherwise). Again, these coins can NOT have ANY haze or drab toning. There is NO distinction in prices between PCGS or NGC graded pieces. In fact, NGC graded coins are preferred by most collectors because of how they look in the holders. #2 RARITY. Does a date normally come Cameoed or Ultra Cameoed? Anything after 1900 with real contrast is rare. A date like an 1898 25C isn't exceedingly rare in Ultra Cameo and should only command a premium if it is spectacular (because this date is known to come nice). While a date like a 1902 25C is rare in true Cameo and will trade for a premium. Best bet to see what is common is to check the NGC pop. reports to see how many have been labeled Cameo or Ultra Cameo for a date. #3 SIZE OF THE COIN. Three Cent Silvers through Quarters don't seem to command as much attention as Halves and Dollars. Copper and Nickel coins in Ultra Cameo command strong premiums (Nickel Cameos are not really rare). Those series are overlooked and are tremendously undervalued.
With so much interest in these types of coins, we see plenty of room for dealer hype and collector error. We hope you can use information to avoid any problems and properly buy some of these incredibly beautiful coins. Please note: the strong prices being realized for these coins are legit (remember, those coins all there) with the number of "players" eagerly seeking out quality Cameos and Ultra Cameos growing everyday.

THE STOCK MARKET AND THE COIN MARKET
Coins have finally outperformed the stock market! For two straight years all we heard was "why should I buy coins? I can put my money in stocks and make real money." Sadly 90% of the people who made statements like that are the ones who got creamed in the stock market. Coins should never be compared one up to that market. They bought into a hyped up stock market (almost like 1989 in coins when "Wall Street" was supposed to come in and buy it all).
The average person doesn't understand that so long as the entire economy is doing ok, the coin market will too. It would take an economic catastrophe for the coin market to collapse (which would cause all other markets to tank too). Plus, activity is vastly different in the coin market than it was only two years ago. Between the power of the web and things such as State Quarters and the Modern Buffaloes, coins have become a "hot" collectable.
We can't predict how much stronger the coin market will get. But we must stress you do ALL your purchasing with the strategy of holding for the long term. There will always be short-term cycles in coins (like when generic gold spiked in 1999 due to Y2K demand) that go up or down rapidly. Right now the future of the coin market looks better than ever!