Precious Metal & Rare Coin Market News

1873 was the year that gave rise to the Morgan Dollar. The immensely popular coin came out of the Bland-Allison Act of the same year. The act required the U.S. Treasury to purchase an amount of silver then introduce it into circulation in the form of silver dollars. The amount to be purchased was between $2 and $4 million, largely from western mines. There were several motivating factors for the act. First, mines were yielding ... >> Read More        

Let's face it. As much as we might like to, we all can't spend $50,000 on a historic, high-grade coin. For astute investors, the rare coin market continues to outperform the price of bullion. Looking back in 2017 that means a $20 Saint-Gaudens gold coin outperformed the gains seen in a one ounce Gold Eagle coin. If you are looking to diversify your portfolio, which may include stocks in your 401k to some recent dabbling ... >> Read More        

Rare coins always have a story to tell. Pacific Octagonal Coin In 1915 Congress decided to commemorate the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco. The legislation allowed for five unique coins to be minted, two of them were $50 pieces. One, particularly unusual in design, was octagonal. Quite a bit of effort went into minting the coins; professionals hauled a 14-ton press all the way from the Philadelphia mint to San Francisco. Interestingly, all ... >> Read More        

People start collecting coins for many different reasons. It was John Jay Pittman's grandmother who first infused in him the sense of wonder and history captured within each coin that she gave to him. Make no mistakes, John Pittman was not brought up with a silver spoon. He was born in North Carolina in 1913, the oldest of 7 children. His father worked at the railroad.   John Pittman was a man of humble roots ... >> Read More        

In the 1800's, American proof coins were minted primarily as gifts for kings and foreign dignitaries. In later years, fortunate U.S. congressmen and senators were also bestowed with these exceptional gifts.   President Andrew Jackson’s 1836 gift of a U.S. proof coin set to the King of Siam is a numismatic legend. The first U.S. envoy to the Far East, Edmund Roberts, took the coin set with him on a voyage aboard the USS Peacock ... >> Read More        

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you."― John Bunyan Each year at Christmas time, generous donors around America walk up to a Salvation Army Red Kettle and drop a gold coin in as a donation. It makes headlines each December, when the "first gold coin" donation is excitedly found. Last year, on a cold and snowy night in late December in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a ... >> Read More        

Some events are so rare they last only for moments. This was the case for the Langbord family in 2003 when they found $80 million in rare gold coins. One such coin fetched $7.5 million at a Sotheby’s auction in 2002. The family made the discovery after drilling into a safety deposit box that belonged to their deceased father, Israel Switt. Inside were 10 coins, each a 1933 Saint-Gaudens. They are among the rarest coins ... >> Read More        

Out for a Stroll The weather was nice one day in northern California, so a couple took their dog for a walk. They left their house as a regular pair of middle-class Americans. When they returned home, they were multi-millionaires. The woman noticed the edge of a rusted can sticking up from the ground and dug it out to get a closer look. Inside they discovered a hoard of 1,427 gold coins totaling $10 million ... >> Read More        

If you make an error at your job, you may get a gentle reminder or a stern reprimand. But, rarely does the error make your final product more valuable. Not so, if you are in the coin minting business. In fact mint error coins and misstrikes typically hold a higher value than a coin in its intended condition. Some of the rarest error coins are worth $75,000 or even more. Collectors value error coins according ... >> Read More        

Do You Own These Coins? A Model Rare Coin Portfolio As Bernard Baruch famously said around the turn of the 20th century: "Nobody ever lost money taking a profit." If you are like most investors, you probably have the majority of your assets invested in the stock market. The equity market has been riding high for several years now and your investment returns likely show impressive profits. Congratulations. Now, it's time to listen to Mr ... >> Read More