Limited Edition French 1000 Euro Coin Sparks Huge Demand

The demand was so high, a line-up developed to reserve one and the coin has sold well above its issue price in the secondary market:

Hundreds of people lined up Friday as the mint opened reservations. Coins must be reserved by May 7 with delivery expected in mid-June.

By Saturday morning, buyers on line were offering €1,200 for the coin....

What makes this coin unusual is its face value is well above its bullion value. The €1000 coin contains 20 g of gold, worth about 655 euros. Since the bullion value doesn't deter circulation, it might be spent in shops.

The French mint plans to issue only 10,000 of them. More's the pity.