Precious Metal & Rare Coin Market News

Breaking news. Just a few days ago, Blackstone, one of the world's largest investment firms, acquired a majority stake in the Certified Collectibles Group (CCG). No small potatoes, this deal was valued at more than $500 million. Who is CCG, you might ask? And, what does this mean for rare coin investors? Let us explain. Founded in 1987, CCG provides independent certification on the value of collectibles such as rare coins, comic books, trading cards, ... >> Read More        

People have used gold as money for thousands of years. Yet here in America, it was the Act of March 3, 1849 that first established coinage of a U.S. gold dollar. Prior to that, early Americans used silver and gold coins brought from Europe, in addition to those made in Spanish possession in the New World. The first gold dollar type that was struck here in the U.S. was the Liberty Head, which was issued ... >> Read More        

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 The piece, consisting almost entirely of gold, was originally enacted in 1792 and was the first gold coin issued by the United States.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        

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        

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        

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        

Frenzy. Hysteria. Mania. These are some of the words being used to describe the exponential surge in the collectibles market during the COVID-19 pandemic. Just this month alone, a football trading card featuring Tom Brady sold for a record $1.3 million. And, Christie's set a record for digital artwork – a breathtaking $69.3 million after bids began at $100. Online auctions for vintage cars, watches and even limited-edition Nike gym shoes and Pokémon climbed to ... >> Read More        

By 1851, postage rates in the United States dropped from five cents to just three. This decrease complicated issues for most citizens, because payment for mailing a letter could not be made with a single coin. As a result the United States Mint made a decision to issue a new coin with a three-cent denomination, making it easier to pay for postage. The U.S. Mint decided to mint two coins for this purpose. The first ... >> Read More        

In many ways, the first dollar coin issued by the U.S. – the Flowing Hair Dollar - was a failure. The uninspired design was criticized by many and, as a result, the coin was only minted in 1794 and 1795. When the U.S. Mint prepared to replace the design with something new they were determined to get it right. What followed was the creation of the Draped Bust coin. The designers had certain parameters when ... >> Read More