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The 1838 $5 Half Eagle represents one of many designs to a beautiful coin that had a circulation spanning more than one hundred years, between 1795 and 1929. The piece, consisting almost entirely of gold, was originally enacted in 1792 and was the first gold coin issued by the United States. In its first iteration, the coin was composed of .9167 gold, and .0833 copper and silver. The original design was the work of United ... >> Read More        

Gold isn't the only precious metal on a tear lately. Silver surged 19% from its March low into its mid-May high at $28.57 an ounce. What's behind the big move in silver? Concerns over inflation, a declining U.S. dollar and rising industrial demand as the global economy rebounds are sending silver prices higher. In fact, the booming investment demand for physical silver is causing supply disruptions at the U.S. Mint. Here's what the U.S. Mint ... >> Read More        

In the 1830's, the concept of a silver coin for use in circulation was still something of an experiment. The U.S. had not yet had a silver coin minted for the purposes of everyday use by citizens. The Gobrecht dollar became that experiment and by 1835 mint officials were ready to give it a try. They wanted to see how such a coin would be received by the public. The coin gets its name from ... >> Read More        

Inflation sped up in April. The stock market is rattled. Gold is climbing. Investors are turning to gold as a hedge against the ever-rising inflation risk. Buyers drove gold to its highest level since early February this week. Gold now trades above $1,880 an ounce. Consumer prices jumped 4.2% last month. That marks the fastest pace since 2008. The recipe for classic inflation exists: too many dollars chasing too few goods. People have money to ... >> Read More        

What do Virgil Brand, Louis Eliasberg and Bob Simpson have in common? They each amassed some of the finest known numismatic collections in American history. In case you are unfamiliar with him, Bob Simpson is co-chairman of the Texas Rangers baseball team, a philanthropist and a co-founder of XTO Energy, a natural gas firm acquired by ExxonMobile in 2010. Simpson, now 73 years old, wasn't wealthy when he began collecting coins as a young boy ... >> Read More        

It is common for investors to ask, “what is the right amount” when considering how to portion their investible cash across numerous assets. This question is especially common among gold investors because there has been an ongoing debate about what percentage of the total should be held in gold to generate the strongest possible return. The problem with this question is that it ignores the possibility that there can, in fact, be several “optimal” allocations ... >> Read More        

The U.S. dollar is under fire from multiple fronts – and that increases the importance of investing in tangible assets like gold bullion more than ever before. The U.S. dollar is being devalued at home – by our own government that is printing new money and expanding the money supply at a historic pace. And, it is under threat on the world stage. It's no secret for years China and Russia have been making moves ... >> Read More        

Gold climbed to a seven-week high this week – boosted by weakness in the stock market, signs that inflation is emerging in the U.S. and amid strong demand from India and China for physical bullion. The short-term trend turned positive for gold last week as the yellow metal climbed above its 50-day moving average – a bullish investing signal that confirms the end of the recent pullback in gold prices. Short-term gold target Looking higher, ... >> Read More        

In early 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt made it a priority to update and improve the look of U.S. coinage. However, there were constraints that prevented even the president from getting what he wanted. An earlier 1890 act of Congress made it a requirement that all U.S coins remain in circulation for a minimum of 25 years before they became eligible for a redesign. However, within the verbiage of that act was a path forward for ... >> Read More        

Since the days of the ancient Greeks and the Romans, commemorative coins have been popular as they honored important historical events. The 1925 Stone Mountain Silver Half Dollar is a prime example. America's largest Confederate Memorial is carved 42 feet deep and 400 feet above the ground on the side of a huge granite mountain in Georgia. It features three great Civil War generals: President Jefferson Davis and Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J ... >> Read More