Precious Metal & Rare Coin Market News

Throughout the history of civilization, gold has served as money – longer than any other material. In the early days of our union, the American government worked to create a gold dollar as a unit of currency. Indeed, as early as 1791, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton first called for a one-dollar denomination gold coin. Yet, it took our young nation 58 years to actually mint the one-dollar gold coin. Finally, with the Act ... >> Read More        

In March 1933, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York could no longer honor its commitment to convert paper money to gold and FDR declared a banking holiday. FDR issued an Executive Order requiring all Americans to surrender all gold owned by them to a Federal Reserve bank and prohibited the private holdings of all gold coins and bullion. President Roosevelt ordered Americans to sell their gold back to the government, or face jail time ... >> Read More        

The Braided Hair Half Cent is one of the most collectable coins ever issued by the US Mint. The coin, first minted in 1793, was the smallest denomination ever minted and is part of a series consisting of five major types and subtypes which are each part of a series of varieties. This vast array presents collectors with an opportunity to own a diverse set of coins that are all within the same family. The ... >> Read More        

American investors can have short memories – especially when it comes to bear markets. In stock market lingo, a bear market is defined as a decline of 20% or more. You may remember that we suffered a Covid-inspired bear market in stocks in 2020. But, it was one of the shortest bear markets in history. After plunging 20% into the March 2020 low, the U.S. stock market fully recovered to pre-crash levels in just four ... >> Read More        

Sitting through a red light, watching a commercial, and drinking a cup of coffee are all things that last longer than the average amount of time a stock is held in the US. Research published in The Telegraph shows that in the US “the average share holding lasts just 22 seconds.” Incredibly, this is not the shortest time on record. In other periods, this duration as been 20 seconds. Despite the conventional wisdom that “buy-and-hold” ... >> Read More        

Volatility came roaring back to the market this year. The S&P 500 has fallen more than 15% since the start of January. Many analysts cite the Fed’s decision to raise rates as the major contributor to this drop. This move means that the flow of cheap money is slowing significantly. The result is a higher cost of doing business. Meanwhile, many investors who long believed that stock valuations were unreasonably high are starting to see ... >> Read More        

Students of market history know that it's not a question of will there be another financial crisis – but when will it occur and what will be the trigger. History is littered with market bubbles that burst and the crises that followed. Walter Bagehot, editor of the Economist between 1860 and 1877, once stated that financial panics develop when the “blind capital” of the public floods into unwise speculative investments. Today's cryptocurrency market collapse could ... >> Read More        

Have you had a chance to see an 1830 Quarter Eagle?  Because the mintage of these great American coins was very small (4,540) and because many were melted down for their gold content, it is estimated that very few remain today. The Quarter Eagle made its debut in 1796. Of the 10 denominations authorized by Congress in 1792, it was the last to be minted and only in small quantities. When introduced, the quarter eagle ... >> Read More        

The US Mint issued their first half cent coin starting in 1793. Minting continued until 1797 at the Philadelphia mint. Henry Voigt, who served as the Chief Coiner of the first United States Mint, engraved the coin, however, experts are unclear on whether or not he designed the piece. Voigt’s contribution to US currency is just one of his many ventures. Voigt built steam engines, worked as a clock-maker, and even manufactured mathematical instruments. He ... >> Read More        

Silver, sometimes known as the poor cousin to gold, due to its lower price per ounce – flexes its muscles mightily for those who choose to invest in it. While silver is a precious, monetary metal that has served as currency for thousands of years, it is also widely used industrial metal powerhouse. In fact, industrial demand for silver – for use in manufacturing and electronics, accounts for roughly half of all demand for this ... >> Read More