Numismatic market seems to have come to life as National Coin Week begins

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Writing recently in CoinWeek, the president of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) issued a bullish prognosis on the state of the hobby as well as the rare coin market.

The market for rare coins seems to have come to life, Jeff Garrett noted. 2016 should be a great year for the hobby.

Garrett attributed the pickup in the numismatic market to the gains seen in the bullion world, led by golds 17% advance in the first quarter of the year. Although collectible coins dont really derive the bulk of their value from their precious-metals content, Garrett nonetheless noted that the same forces that drive bullion prices also can influence the values of rare coins, namely: the need for physical assets to serve as a hedge against inflation and drops in the stock market, as well as the search for yield in a world of low and even negative interest rates.

Iconic Liberty designed revived: Next week (April 17-23) the ANA celebrates National Coin Week with special events at its Edward C. Rochette Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colo. Its theme this year is Portraits of Liberty: Icon of Freedom, which marks the centennial of three landmark coin designs: the Mercury (or Winged Liberty) Dime, the Standing Liberty Quarter, and the Walking Liberty Half Dollar.

Sculptor Adolph A. Weinman designed the Winged Liberty Dime and the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, while sculptor Hermon A. MacNeil created the Standing Liberty Quarter. So iconic are these images that the U.S. Mint is releasing 24-karat gold versions of the silver coins to celebrate their original introduction in 1916, with the 2016 gold dime (a tenth-ounce coin) set to go on sale April 21. The gold quarter will be a quarter ounce, while the half dollar will be a half ounce.

But heres an idea: While these modern reproductions of those classic coins are beautiful tributes, why not focus on acquiring the original silver versions? After all, they have been loved by collectors and coveted by investors since they ceased production decades ago: the Mercury Dime ended in 1945, the Standing Liberty Quarter ceased in 1930, and the Walking Liberty Half Dollars last year was 1947. Their value as collectible coins has now been well-established for decades.

Celebrate National Coin Week by buying a rare U.S. coin today!