Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 8/17/2009

Question
Dmitry;  I posted the following question to Dan recently only to find out he was not available.  Perhaps  and hopefully you can shed some light on this

Dan;  I saw your answer about the Discovery $5 coin and have a question concerning another Marshall Island Product.

The 1989 $50 Silver Proof collection consists of 24 coins, each depicting a milestone in space exploration history.  Ever seen one?   It was limited to 25,000 complete sets worldwide and has the "face value" of $1,200 (24 * 50).  It is really a beautiful set.

My question is this:  Can you give me (or estimate) a value in today's market for the collection?  I'm thinking it should be fairly valuable, but because it is not US legal tender, it may not.

Would really like to know what you think.....Thanks in advance

Doug

Answer
Hi Doug,
These coins are technically equal in legal tender value to the US dollar, however the government of this island nation makes it nearly impossible to exchange. Unless you know someone who is going there on vacation and needs spending money, you can expect about half the face value for your coins as commemorative collectibles.
Book values on these are around the $25 range per coin, but demand on the current market is not particularly high and 25,000 coins is not that small a mintage for a place with a tiny population.
Thanks for the question and best of luck with your set! =)