Precious Metal & Rare Coin Market News

What do Hollywood movie studios and the foreign policy declaration by President James Monroe, known as the Monroe Doctrine, have in common? No doubt it's an odd pairing. The answer is – a 1923 commemorative silver half dollar. In the early 1920s, scandals were tarnishing the reputation of the motion picture industry.  Within a span of a few months, actor Wallace Reid died from a drug overdose, director William Desmond Taylor was murdered under mysterious ... >> Read More        

You bought Bitcoin because it was private. Now you have to check a box on page one of your IRS tax forms and show the government you have holdings. What’s next from regulators? Well, it turns out that central banks are going to create their own digital currencies! And not use Bitcoin. Yes it's true. In recent months central banks have become increasingly engaged in digital currencies. They know they run the risk of becoming ... >> Read More        

Looking back on 2020 – it was an unprecedented year in so many ways. Yet, in other ways, we saw recurring themes that we've seen throughout history. Black Swan Events Can Happen Anytime Rewind 12 month ago – back to early 2020 – the economy was strong and the stock market was climbing. Sure we'd heard about this virus in China – but we had no idea what kind of health, economic and financial carnage ... >> Read More        

Bitcoin climbed nearly 40% since the start of 2021 – breaking through the $40,000 mark. That was followed by a quick 10% slip the last two days, falling below the $32,000 level. This highlights the wild volatility of cryptocurrencies. The escalating, hyperbolic, surge in Bitcoin has all the markings of a FOMO rally. That's a term otherwise known as the " fear of missing out." Yes, FOMO is running on full steam.   Are you thinking ... >> Read More        

It took Congress three separate attempts – over a span of nearly 60 years – to approve the striking of a 2-cent coin. The First Attempt In the spring of 1806, Senator Uriah Tracy from Connecticut first introduced legislation to authorize the U.S. Mint to strike a two-cent coin. Not everyone liked the idea. Concerned about fraud, Mint Director Robert Patterson used his political might to stop the plan. To illustrate his concerns, Patterson sent ... >> Read More        

Many people forget how much of history is governed by chance. There is no better example of this than the circumstances leading up to the Louisiana Purchase. This enormous part of the U.S. passed through several owners before finally becoming a part of the nation’s identity. Originally, the 530-million-acre section of land was owned by France because of French explorers who originally laid claim to the area in the late 1600s. During this time, the ... >> Read More        

What do an NFL player's salary and paying for a hotel on Mars have in common? The unlikely answer is Bitcoin. Tech billionaire Elon Musk recently said any future economy on Mars could run on cryptocurrency. But wait…will that cryptocurrency be Bitcoin? No sir. In fact, Musk suggested it could be the cryptocurrencies Dogecoin or Marscoin. Many people don't realize how many digital currencies there are! As of January 2020, there are over 2,000 cryptocurrencies, ... >> Read More        

In the U.S.,  gold is a often a means of storing, and growing wealth. In 2020 gold served this purpose well as its value climbed more than 24%. However, many gold investors in the U.S. are unaware of the unique ways that gold boosts liquidity for consumers abroad. Gold ownership is common in Indian culture as it represents a level of economic status and often has cultural ties to special events, like marriage, in which ... >> Read More        

By David C. Zanca, Senior Portfolio Manager Winter follows fall, and summer follows spring. The seasons of nature act as a leading indicator for what comes next. After the leaves drop from the trees in September and October and the temperatures fall – winter follows. After months of snow and shorter days, warmer temperatures and longer days announce the arrival of spring. In the economic realm, employment and consumer spending are considered leading indicators. These ... >> Read More        

Recently, President-elect Joe Biden announced a plan to spend $2 trillion during his first term in an effort to accelerate the adoption of clean energy in sectors like transportation and building. The plan is a major step in the renewed initiative to lessen, or even eliminate global warming. The move is large enough to have ramifications across nearly every industry, including gold, because large scale mining operation require an enormous amount of electricity and fuel ... >> Read More