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Prices on just about everything continue to slide. I've seen three Gold Stars (with research - it's impossible for them not to be researched) sell in the last month for around the $3,500 mark. I do see the price continue to slip into the foreseeable future. I may pick up one or two this year if things go well.
The number of whole collections I'm seeing come onto the market is a sight I've not seen in years. So many people are just selling up. Trying to make any sort of profit on items is becoming increasingly difficult for dealers. If they're buying up stock one week and the next week the prices are down even more it's not really conducive to profit.
I don't know about Red Stars for $10 yet but I have picked up two in the last month for $25 and seen researched wartime ones for as little as $45. A glut of Red Banners has hit causing another drop in prices too. If they go down to $20 I'll be shocked but I can't write it out.
One dealer I've been purchasing from for years, who in the past would not accept less than $60 for an unnumbered Medal "For Bravery" (I certainly wasn't buying those!) is now struggling to get $22 a piece for wartime serial numbered examples
I also have a strange situation now where I get messages from another dealer saying that a certain award is going to be "expensive" before hitting me with prices of $25 a piece delivered. A very strange time where $25 is seen as "expensive" in Moscow.
Another dealer I work with, who is located in Ukraine, has felt the squeeze so much that now the deal I have with him on purchases of Orders is that I just pay him $1.50 over the price he obtained the Order for - that is how tight margins have become.
Yet another dealer I work with (yes I work with a fair number of dealers I've built good relationships with over the last few years) now has sliding prices. If I don't commit to buy an item during a particular week for the price he offers me the item, I get a 5% discount on that price every week it goes unsold. This is probably one of the most indicative factors. His prices are good to start and I'm even happier when I wait a month or 6 weeks on items I wasn't falling over to buy. Sometimes his prices are just so good that I have to snatch his hand but my enthusiasm alone is not going to hold back the tide of falling prices.
This very strange situation where deals are so good that there are too many of them and not enough cash which just means that the prices will have to keep falling.
Good old supply and demand.
(Also note that the items I am posting are only the tip of the iceberg of items that are coming in, do not by any means think that what I'm throwing out is everything. I have a good backlog of items I have here at my "alternate address" and it may be an ever growing backlog that I am never able to clear at my main address. Only time will tell.)
"Signed with his own rubber stamp"
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Gents,
The well-known NYC-area dealer currently has five HSUs available. It's been ages since that's been the case. I can only assume it's connected to the ongoing price devaluation seen across this collecting area as others have noted above.
Regards,
slava1stclass
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It has come to the point now that many awards are selling for around their metal content. The silver labour medals can now be picked up for a single digit a piece (a couple of dollars more for the paperwork).
As I stated before, expect Mongolian awards to flood onto the market at reduced prices, they have. Not only Mongolian awards but all of those in the "sphere" of Russian/Soviet awards collecting.
There have been a lot of dealers giving up, drastically reducing prices or simply turning to fraud to keep their business going.
Caution must be used as always just not as many funds.
I don't see an end to the fall in prices but there has to be a bottom somewhere. A recovery may or may not happen and 2009 prices may have been an anomaly.
"Signed with his own rubber stamp"
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Greetings to All.
Came across consecutive numbers Bravery medals. Almost all of the obverse enamel are gone. What do you think a fair asking price for these?
Thanks for your replies
Dat
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$50-70 unless they have 5 or less digits.
The common serial numbered awards have really dropped. Even researched they're still not much more (research has come down in price too).
"Signed with his own rubber stamp"
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Prices have come down, but consecutive serial numbers are a pretty rare occurrence. Most important thing is to find a price with which you are comfortable.
