Precious Metal & Rare Coin Market News
The 1936 Wisconsin Territorial Centennial Half Dollar
In 1936 the Wisconsin Centennial Commission appointed a Coinage Committee to pursue the development and minting of a commemorative coin to celebrate and help finance the Wisconsin Centennial that year. The Wisconsin Centennial half dollar came at a time when the commemorative coin market was booming. This surge was due to previous commemorative coins that were minted in low quantities causing them to appreciate in value significantly. Many of these pieces sold at a premium ... >> Read More
What’s Going On With Gold? A Deep Dive with Blanchard Senior Portfolio Manager David Zanca
In 2023, there is a shining star in the financial world: gold is shimmering and bright. Since the start of the year, gold climbed as much as 10% higher, traded above $2,000 an ounce, and approached the all-time record high price for the precious metal. You may be wondering – what's going on with gold? To uncover what's driving the big move higher in gold this year, David Zanca, Senior Portfolio Manager at Blanchard, and ... >> Read More
The 1937 Antietam Commemorates the Deadliest One-Day Battle in the Civil War
The 1937 silver 50-Cent Antietam coin was minted to commemorate the 75th anniversary of a Civil War battle that had major national significance. On September 17, 1862, nearly 5,000 were killed and 20,000 were wounded in the Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg, Maryland. it was the first field army–level engagement in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War to take place on Union soil and is remembered as the single bloodiest day of the ... >> Read More
Why the 1960s and 1970s Are the Playbook for Investors Today
Retirement accounts face greater risks today. That risk is inflation. Rising inflation has moderated a bit in recent months. Yet it is still well above the 10-year historical average of about 1.88%. The problem is that many retirement accounts were set up, funded, and invested at a time when inflation was low. That time has passed, but few retirement accounts have caught up to the current environment. As a result, the allocations within many of ... >> Read More
5 U.S. Hidden Treasures Still Waiting To Be Discovered
Mosby’s Treasure in Virginia Idaho Stagecoach Robbery Treasure Pirate Treasure at Hawaii’s Palemano Point Gangster John Dillinger's Suitcase Filled With Cash Jesse James And His Band of Outlaws Lost Loot in Oklahoma The allure of hidden treasure and sudden riches is strong. The possibility of a huge stash of gold, silver, jewels, cash and more has driven treasure hunters on expeditions throughout history. Today we highlight five hidden treasures that are still waiting to be ... >> Read More
How Gold Performs in “Left Tail” Events
An event that has a small probability of occurring is sometimes called a tail event. The “tail” is the sloping far left and right sides of a normal distribution curve. These are the areas that sit outside the main bulge of the curve. If the tail represents uncommon outcomes, why do they matter? They matter because when they do happen, they often present dramatic outcomes. In his 2007 best-seller, The Black Swan: The Impact of ... >> Read More
The U.S. Trade Dollar
The Trade Dollar is an interesting example of how expanding global trade can give rise to new coins. In the mid-1800s, the Mexican peso was a highly valued means of exchange in China. In contrast, the American silver dollar was far less popular due to its relatively light weight. This meant that American merchants had no choice but to use Mexican and Spanish currency when engaging in commerce. Around this time, Louis Garnett, who served ... >> Read More
Gold Soars After Fed Hikes Interest Rates To A 16-year High
Fed Hikes Interest Rates for Tenth Time Investors turned to the safety of gold and silver after the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates for the tenth time in its battle against America's public enemy number one: inflation.On Wednesday, the Fed increased its benchmark interest rate by 0.25% to 5.0-5.25%, a 10-year high. Gold and silver both traded significantly higher after the Fed meeting.Are Rate Hikes Over?In a hint of what lies ahead, central bankers removed ... >> Read More
Three Most Famous Coin Collections
The Louis Eliasberg Collection Bob R. Simpson Collection The Harry W. Bass Collection What do Louis Eliasberg, Bob R. Simpson and Harry W. Bass have in common? They all amassed one of the finest-known coin collections in American history. The Louis Eliasberg Collection Louis Eliasberg was born in Selma, Alabama in 1896, the son of a dry goods and clothing dealer. He wasn't born into wealth and yet he amassed his incredible rare coin collection ... >> Read More
The Native American Woman Behind Lewis & Clark’s Legendary Expedition Westward
“We were now about to penetrate a country at least two thousand miles in width, on which the foot of civilized man had never trod. The good or evil it had in store for us was for experiment yet to determine…I could but esteem this moment of my departure as among the most happy of my life." –Meriwether Lewis, from The Journals of Lewis and Clark. The historic 1803 Louisiana Purchase from France became one ... >> Read More