Precious Metal & Rare Coin Market News

Have Fed Officials Given Up on the Inflation Fight? On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve voted 11-1 to hold its key interest rate steady at 3.5-3.75%, as a new energy shock from the Iran War threatens to worsen the central bank’s five-year-long battle with inflation. The Fed came into the meeting faced with new economic and market challenges following the U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran that began on February 28. Rising global oil prices from the ... >> Read More        

For years, Blanchard has partnered with Dr. Raymond Lombra, Professor of Economics at Penn State University, to extend his research on the long-term performance of gold and rare coins, both relative to each other and to other typical assets like stocks, bonds, and treasury bills found in most portfolios. Assuming at least a one-year holding period, Lombra evaluates risk and return, volatility, and market timing and fluctuations across major asset classes. The full report can ... >> Read More        

How much more are you paying for gas since the start of the war against Iran? It could be fifty cents a gallon or more. Have you ever wondered what oil-producing nations do with their massive revenues? It turns out that, for decades, based on an agreement with the U.S., oil-producing countries would buy U.S. Treasuries. Here’s why that is changing and how it is increasing long-term demand for physical gold. Quietly, and behind the ... >> Read More        

Mexican Libertads distinguish themselves by omitting something nearly universal in modern bullion: a face value. Their identity rests instead on metal purity, distinctive design, and mintage levels that swing sharply from year to year, creating meaningful scarcity across the series. First issued in 1982 and struck in .999 fine silver, Libertads pair the iconic Winged Victory with evolving interpretations of Mexico’s national coat of arms. This article explores how the Libertad coin carved its niche ... >> Read More        

Gold, Chaos, and the Need for Money in the California Gold Rush When gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in 1848, the event triggered one of the most dramatic migrations in American history: the California Gold Rush. Overnight, the remote frontier of California became the center of global attention as prospectors, merchants, and entrepreneurs rushed west in search of opportunity. But there was a serious problem: gold was plentiful, yet standardized money was scarce. In ... >> Read More        

When missiles are firing, and soldiers are in harm’s way, investors look for stability. The war in Iran quickly raised important questions about what comes next for oil, inflation, the stock market, and the economy.  Amid all the uncertainty, one thing remains as certain as ever: gold’s ability to preserve and grow wealth. Gold, long regarded as the ultimate safe haven in times of uncertainty, ​has hit multiple record ​highs and climbed over ⁠23% so ... >> Read More        

In numismatics, we tend to associate true rarities with the 19th century. But every so often, a modern issue forces collectors to rethink that assumption. The 1975 No-S Roosevelt Dime (Proof) is one of those coins. At first glance, it’s just an ordinary dime from the 1970s. But look closer, and understand what you’re looking at, and it becomes one of the most elusive modern rarities in U.S. coinage. Only two examples are known. One ... >> Read More        

Activity at factories and mines in the United States cranked up in January. U.S. industrial production rose 0.7% last month, the biggest jump in nearly a year, the Federal Reserve reported. Gold traded around $5,000, and silver traded around $78 as precious metals continue to tread water in a quiet, sideways, orderly market trading. Digging deeper into the economic news, U.S. factories produced more computers, electronic products, machinery, and cars in January. Bigger picture, the ... >> Read More        

In 1916, the U.S. Treasury held a competition to redesign America's silver coins, inviting artists outside the Mint for the first time in decades. Sculptor Adolph A. Weinman seized the opportunity and created a half dollar unlike anything before it. His Liberty didn't stand still: she walked, flag flowing behind her, striding toward the sunrise. Mint officials questioned whether the ambitious design could be produced reliably, and early strikes confirmed their concerns. Refinements in striking ... >> Read More        

While some parts of the country are seeing an early spring thaw, the U.S. housing market is still on ice. U.S. existing home sales tumbled 8.4% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.91 million in January, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced Thursday. The news was far worse than expected and marked the biggest monthly decline in nearly four years. High home prices, falling consumer confidence and a shrinking housing inventory are all ... >> Read More