Welcome to the new age of coin collecting!  Commemoratives offer collectors a HUGE diversity in coin collecting and are quite the rage.  MS (uncirculated) or PF (double strike dies creating bright mirrors and frosted design surfaces) provide two options when collecting the modern commemoratives.  The PF grades provide a beautiful coin for display in albums or in certified slabs.  (NGC & PCGS provide grading services for collectors referred to as "slabbed coins"  -    http://www.ngccoin.com/coingrading/grading.asp)

1st Strike coins, the first minting, are desirable as all edges and relief are crisp from the new stamping dies. Purists prefer the MS or uncirculated coins often referred to as business strikes.  MS usually has a dull surface, which appears ghostly and is very desirable but can be bright depending upon the time of minting.  PF or Proof Coins  are beautiful and striking in  the dimensional  look they provide.  It's your choice whether to  purchase the MS or the PF.  Most collectors are buying both.  Oddly enough the PF bring the  greater value initially but over the years the MS come on strong in value and can easily pass up the PF. 

Slabbing or Certifying with NGC is my preferred method of collecting.  They are the top grading company and the exclusive company for the ANA of America. Certification.  A certified coin is a "finger print" of that coin and is registered in numanistic history.  Certification protects it from damage or outside elements since it is air tight sealed in a plastice case and it provides a  wonderful way to dispay the coin. 

Lastly, the wonderful designs and subjects that are depicted with Commemorative Coins, truly allow for a wonderful and enjoyable collection.  And most modern commemoratives are still affordable in the $20 to $150 range. Of course a few are pricey but that is all part of trying to pick the really great coin for investment that we all desire.  Commemoratives add the element of history and background.

One of the most exciting and new commemoratives for 2006 is a re-strike of the LIBERTAS AMERICANA. It is minted by US Mint & Coin and has a value of $5 with a silver content inexcess of $10 worth of pure silver.  They minted 1,000 MS and only 20 PF coins.  The mint quantity for 2007 is 2,500 of the MS and the PF is undisclosed.  Usually a privately minted coin is of questionable value but since it has the pure ounce of silver and it represents the 1st coin authorized by the 1st Continental Congress it is of extreme value to all collectors.  Only 200 of the original 1783 LIBERTAS AMERICANA are known to exist; two in silver and the balance in bronze.  It is a must commemorative coin for any US Coin Collection.

the present LIBERTAS AMERICANA features a modern mint date and value, therefore establishing  integrity as a collectable coin since is is floating in a free market offering.  It began selling for $25 in February of 2006.  Note:  The Franklin Mint sells a restrike for $150 in silver based upon the original dies but it does not have a nuministic value as it does not have an issue date or value. (neither did the original) US Mint & Coin has stated that this is the only coin it will continue to mint and they have plans to begin the US Mint & Coin grading service by 2007.  A Dansco Album is available for all collectors to support the LIBERTAS AMERICANA coin as a noteworthy collectible commemorative.

As always, I encourage all new and old collectors alike to purchase graded coins by any reputable service.  They provide an instant value when buying and selling that can be relied upon by the general industry.

If you plan your collection with certified (slabbed) coins,  you will always enjoy the ultimate in coin collecting.  Good luck biding for coins on eBay.   It is the ultimate market place for a huge selection and your cost is always based on the fairest price.  True value is what someone will pay . . . not what it is advertised or catalogued for!  There is nothing better than an auction! 

david mouser
Coin Dealer & Collector
"Specialists in NGC Certified Coins since 1962"