I think it's just a marketing gimmick. Gold is gold when it comes time for US to sell... but APMEX has a large enough inventory that they can cater to collector's
by selling them by the year... or even mythologize their worth by creating an impression of value where none exists. Not saying they are intentionally trying to
dupe buyers, but if there are some silly enough to spend more for past years then new ones, who are they to complain.
They certainly will not pay YOU more for specific years, they'll offer nothing more than their going rate... which should tell you something.
Marketing ploy, pure and simple.
Unless you have money to burn, use silver in place of gold fractionals. You can obtain much more for your money buying larger pieces... many times at melt. Want my
opinion? Again... gold is gold. Once gold skyrockets in price, individuals will be doing anything to obtain any form of it. Buy the currently unpopular commemorative
series and you can sometimes find them below melt value. Some of them are very attractive... and hey, they're still 1/4 oz (on 1/2 oz) of gold.