Unnamed set - 149163
2008-W P$10 BURNISHED

Owner Comments:

If you collect business strike/ mint state Platinum Eagles by type, and most people with an interest in the series do, then you only need five coins: two Eagle Over the Sun reverse issues, one being a reverse proof appearance bullion issue and the other being a matte finish, plus the three-coin Foundations of American Democracy issues. These short little sets are struck on 1/ 10th ounce of platinum, can be completed in high grade for under $ 1,500 and are rarer than Mercury dime proof sets. The structure of collector’s sets tends to be influenced by what is being produced by the Mint, but there is a lag time before it shows up. The concept of the short set is not new to numismatics, but the current Mint practice of having thematic short sets with cohesive designs and changing reverses is. New collectors being exposed to interesting thematic short sets like the Life of Lincoln cents, Westward Journey nickels and Sacagawea Native American reverse dollars are likely to gravitate to higher-end expressions of this structure as they mature. Mint employees have the tendency to call stable obverse changing reverse thematic sets “collector series.” The problem with most collector series is the key dates (rarest members) are so common that their long-term development prospects are limited. But being too common is not an issue when the entire population of the 2008-W or 2006-W $ 10 Platinum Eagles will fit in a lunch bag. If you take the time to graph price growth rates verses denominations for various classic “unified design” issues that were prevalent in the 1800s and early 1900s, you will find that in general smaller denominations tend to grow in value faster than the

Jordan, Eric; Maben, John (2012-05-10). Top 50 Most Popular Modern Coins (Kindle Locations 847-861). F+W Media, Inc.. Kindle Edition.