Hello Kitty

[Paint Your Wagon]

This is really a copyrighted stripfigure to artwork category
Kitty is copyrighted by the Japanese Sanrio company
Toghether with monnaie de paris they made an agreement for a 5 coin series
Most of these coins have gone to Japan and were sold over there in leather bagslets versus the original monnaie de paris boxes
There are only 1000 complete sets out in the world
The flagship is the one ounce gold Kitty in the ice ballroom of Versaille castle dancing with her friend Pierre
( La salle des glaces )
According to Sanrio Kitty has no mouth because she speaks with her heart

Capsule cut out and my trademark bluebackground put in . I am getting the hang of Photoshop 

[Topher]

I wonder if there's anyone here who would be interested in them? 

[scottishmoney]

Those coins were sold with a ridiculous markup that was unbecoming even of Monnaie de Paris.

[TwoShadows]

Did this set come with a litter box? That would account for the extra premium!!!

[Paint Your Wagon]

First it seems that the Sanrio people had a huge public relation campaign and the Japanese version seems to have been put in a kind of leather "Guchi" bag (pic attached) . This ensured the high price since there are a lot of relatively rich Japanese collectors and Hello Kitty is
very popular in Japan

I bought these coins on ebay Germany of course  second hand

A bullion coin like the Wiener Philharmoniker or the Britannia goes up to 12% over melt (8% standard)
I am sure I made the vendor of this coin very unhappy since I only paid 18% over melt with box and certificate MDP included

Apart from that joke coin from Palau I never ever bought a coin the year it was issued
Second hand prices are nearly allways lower then original collector issue prices .
Anyways these are the only enameled coins I have and I could not resist 

[scottishmoney]

I think it is a joke to pay such a commission for gold. 

[Paint Your Wagon]

I think it is a joke to pay such a commission for gold. 

The 18% or the original Monnaie de Paris price ?

[scottishmoney]

Both.  I like coins I can buy at or close to melt.  Even the circulated Libs only go for 2-4% over spot.

[Paint Your Wagon]

Both.  I like coins I can buy at or close to melt.  Even the circulated Libs only go for 2-4% over spot.

Ah yes
I got dichotic or schizo
In my investor mode I pay only less then melt and since I bought most of my coins at half the price they are today I am not worried
In my collector mode on the other hand I do not care what I pay if I want the coin ; my wants are very reasonable ; on the other hand those coins
I paid 40% over melt three years ago are now below melt at todays prices .

This is my anniversary present from 3 years ago : now way below melt

[scottishmoney]

I wisht they had minted some 100ff Marianne coin instead of carrying over the Angel design for the 100FF.  The Mariannes are some of my favourite French coins.

[ElleKitty]

Someone is very interested in them, indeed.  However, the prices the French Mint wants for them is far more than this Kitty is willing to pay when she can spend the same and get silver coins several hundred years old. >.>

Although, the Winter Solstice Secret Gift thing we did at the CCF this past winter, tights24 surprised the tuna out of me with a gift of a silver Hello Kitty from the same series.   I really love it.

[Paint Your Wagon]

Yes that is Kitty and Poodle at the sidewalk Café (bar)

This is from the Monnaie de Paris site

If you click on the word "commander" you get the specifics like official name , weight etc and price
The complete series is sold out though

http://www.monnaiedeparis.fr/actualite/hello-kitty.htm

This is the Hello Kitty website Sanrio

http://www.sanrio.com/index_nf.php

and here the mutual adoration of Paris and Japan coinbuyers

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/04/content_500190.htm

[Paint Your Wagon]

Hello Kitty 10 Euro
Kitty at the Opera
Notice the fields are nearly as black as the black enamel of the dress she is wearing
If this is not deep Cameo nothing is

This is the most difficult Kitty to get because people that cannot afford the 50 Euro Kitty are willing to pay double
the value for the 10 E Kitty which is a quarter oz
But then again for collectors it means the difference between the complete series and missing one coin
I think this is the only complete MDP series I got 

[Paint Your Wagon]

Since the wiring on my lighting set up ended in a shower of sparks 4 inches long and some smoke I am temporarily back to scanning

I realised I still did not post the last two Kitties
Here goes Hello Kitty after an exhausting day of shopping on the Champs Elysées

I have been photograding scans for 8 years now so I got used to the scan look

[Paint Your Wagon]

And this is Kitty above Paris
I wonder whether Mary Poppins did better