Investment Value of Commemorative 2008 Olympic Gold Coins
Most countries who host Olympic games issue some sort of coinage to commemorate and to raise money by encouraging people to buy gold bullion coins. Indeed, if there is an actual value on the coin, this nominal value will be far less than the gold spot price as raw commodity. That is typical for bullion coins. Like coins minted for games since Hesinki 1952 Olympic Games, the 2008 Olympic coins come in a great many weights and designs, usually forming a somewhat large set.
The Chinese Mint, as it exists today, has only been producing coins since 1987. Since that time they’ve issued nearly 2 million ounces of gold coins for domestic and international customers looking to buy gold bullion coins. Much of this has been in the form of gold Pandas and other types of bullion that is of greater interest to the average gold investor.
Perhaps the most notable of the 2008 Olympic coins issued is the massive 10kg gold coin, with a price of $1 million dollars when issued in 2008. At that price, it is actually worth only $250,000 at the time of minting. Of course, if gold should go over $2,700 dollars per ounce, the investment would pay off on melt value alone, but the odds of that happening any time soon are not terribly good.
Of course, there can certainly be an increased numismatic value for these coins over time. Like many other contemporary mints, a great deal of technical skill is shown in these proof sets. They are also presented in fine and decorative boxes, to be kept for a long time.
Six of the coins in the entire commemorative series are gold, with twelve other silver coins to round out the set. All the coins in the 2008 Olympic Commemorative set feature a common obverse side with a double dragon motif, the date and location. The larger full set is also broken down into smaller series sets that are more widely disseminated.
Among these are three different 5oz gold coins with stylized Olympic rings on the obverse and a series of athletes on the reverse, in addition to the 1kg silver coin – one for each of the three series and purportedly limited to only 100 for North America. Each series also has two gold coins, each of 1/3oz, for a total of six smaller coins. These coins have larger releases and can easily be found in the US and Canada.
Additionally, the Perth Mint has issued 2008 commemorative Olympic gold coins. Unlike the 100,000 yuan (10kg) gold coin and the Perth Mint’s own $1 bronze commemorative coin, the 10g gold coin has no face value but, is considered legal tender in Australia. The US Olympic committee also released a set of 1/5 ounce commemorative gold coins of no legal value.
These coins are intended for collectors and numismatists, so their viability as a hard investment option when looking to buy buy gold bullion coins is limited. The rarity of such coins usually determines their value over the long-term in the collector’s marketplace.
