Precious Metal & Rare Coin Market News

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 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        

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        

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        

“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        

The Elgin Illinois Centennial half dollar honors the founding pioneers of Elgin, Illinois located 30 miles west of Chicago. Founded in 1835, the area eventually became a village by 1847, then finally a city in 1854. The first person to suggest commemorating the town was Trygve Rovelstad, the son of Norwegian immigrants in the U.S. As a sculptor, he decided that he would erect a statue in Elgin to remember the pioneers that settled the ... >> Read More        

From bank failures to rising interest rates and still high inflation, investors around the globe are rushing into precious metals for safety, portfolio diversification, and as an asset to grow their wealth. Gold is up 10% since the start of 2023 and recently raced above the $2,000 an ounce level. Silver is up 4% and looking ahead Wall Street remains positive on precious metals. Citigroup has a bullish forecast for gold climbing to the $2,300 ... >> Read More        

Gold soared through the $2,000 level yesterday fueled by steady investor buying following weaker-than-expected economic reports and a big jump in crude oil prices. The early April OPEC announcement of a planned crude oil production cut triggered a 6% jump in oil prices to $80 per barrel. And, higher crude oil prices can boost the already high levels of inflation in the economy. Investors turned to the safety of gold in recent weeks amid bank ... >> Read More        

The Mercury dime, struck from 1916 to 1945, gets its unusual name from its depiction of a young Liberty. Her image on the obverse shows her wearing a winged Phrygian cap which gives her a look similar to that of the Roman god Mercury. While the model used as inspiration for the design is unknown, many believe that Elsie Stevens, the wife of American poet Wallace Stevens, served as the basis for the image. The ... >> Read More        

Gold prices have been rising. Since the end of the third quarter of 2022, gold is up about 18% and reached a 12-month high in the last week. Many investors think it will rise even further. How do we know this? We know because the 5-day rolling trading volume of call options on the SPDR Gold Trust has risen more than five-fold in recent weeks. In fact, these inflows into bullish call options on gold ... >> Read More