ComputerHunter.org

 

Numismatics are for Collectors, Not Investors


As a precious metals investor, you may heard much about numismatic and "semi-numismatic" coins, particularly the St. Gaudens $20 double eagle gold coin. While coin collecting can be an interesting hobby, it is not necessarily related to metals investing. Coins of this type vary in value with the ebb and flow of the collector market and are not strictly tied to metal value. Also, these coins often go for much more over spot price than bullion coins.

One of the concepts that gets bandied about quite a bit is the idea of U.S. government confiscation. While it is true that the U.S. government did have a gold recall in 1933 by executive order of FDR, gold coins of a significant value over gold value were not subject to this recall. Many dealers use this to imply that in the event of another confiscation these older coins would fall in this category in order to sell these types of coins to the unsuspecting or newer metals investor. However, the confiscation issue is a red herring for several reasons:

  • The dollar was backed by gold in 1933 and the recall was designed at least in part to stop the run on banks; the dollar no longer has any metal backing.
  • St. Gaudens $20 coins in almost uncirculated to mint state conditions are still very common even considering their age due to decades of mass storage in European bank vaults.
  • There is nothing that states that numismatic items could not be confiscated in the event of another recall; the original executive order no longer has any force of law.
  • Gold is no longer used in regular-issue U.S. coinage (the American Eagle gold coin, although it has a face value, does not count) and is typically used only in jewelry and privately-held investment vehicles such as bars and bullion coins which would be harder to recall and account for. The majority of recalled gold coinage in 1933 was housed in bank vaults.
  • As gold is no longer used as a monetary instrument by the U.S. government, confiscation is unlikely in any event.

Now, you may be wondering about silver in regards to this as well. Silver held sway as coinage for longer than gold, and some silver coins can still be found in circulation. However, silver has never been subject to confiscation, and its status as an important industrial metal gives good reason to believe that there will never be a silver recall.

90% and 40% silver U.S. coinage is still widely available, and although it sounds contrary to what I stated above, these coins are a good value - as long as they can be bought at near silver spot or less. This is an important distinction to make, as old silver coinage (often referred to as junk silver) often carries very little to no value as a collector item over the metal value. These coins, if anything, are semi-numismatic, but don't bank on collector value.

In short, if you approach this from the perspective of a metals investor never look at a coin for collector value. Collector markets are often hard to get a pulse on, and numismatics are much more illiquid than their bullion counterparts. If you're paying more than spot plus a modest premium, you're paying too much.

Find more articles on gold and silver investing at Gold and Silver: The Future of Real Money.







Google News - Top Stories

CTV.ca

Feds get it: Banks need equity capital
San Francisco Chronicle - 49 minutes ago
(10-13) 20:33 PDT -- The Bush administration is expected to release details Tuesday about its recently hatched plan to spend up to $250 billion of the $700 billion authorized in the bailout bill to buy newly issued stock in banks.
Treasury to Invest in `Healthy' Banks, Kashkari Says (Update4) Bloomberg
What Treasury is planning CNNMoney.com
AFP - Washington Times - New York Times - The Associated Press
all 1,989 news articles


WELT ONLINE

GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks soar, bonds tumble on broad crisis plans
guardian.co.uk - 54 minutes ago
By Kevin Plumberg HONG KONG, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Asian stocks surged, with Japan's Nikkei up more than 13 percent on Tuesday after governments around the world readied plans to take stakes in banks to keep the global financial system from collapsing.
Asian stocks soar after US rally; Nikkei up 13 pct International Herald Tribune
Asian stocks rise sharply Financial Times
ABC Online - Bloomberg - MarketWatch - Forbes
all 796 news articles


Sky News

McCain Attack Ads Called Inevitable -- And Ineffective
Washington Post - 2 hours ago
By Howard Kurtz Joe Trippi, the veteran Democratic strategist, said there's a reason John McCain's attack ads don't seem to be hurting Barack Obama.
McCain's political attacks inciting far right San Francisco Chronicle
McCain Says He’sa Leader for Troubled Times New York Times
CNN - Los Angeles Times - Salt Lake Tribune - The Week
all 1,879 news articles


ABC News

House Race Is Shaken by Report of an Affair
New York Times - 1 hour ago
By IAN URBINA WASHINGTON - The Florida congressman who succeeded Mark Foley after he resigned because of a sex scandal is now embroiled in a sex scandal of his own, and has requested a Congressional ethics investigation to clear his name.
House to investigate lawmaker for alleged affair, ethics lapse CNN
A Florida (House) Bombshell Washington Post
Palm Beach Post - The Associated Press - ABC News - CBS News
all 315 news articles


Sydney Morning Herald

Wildfires threaten LA homes; two people dead
Reuters - 3 hours ago
By Steve Gorman and Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Deadly wind-driven brush fires roared out of the foothills and canyons on the northern fringe of Los Angeles on Monday, destroying dozens of homes and threatening hundreds more dwellings.
Video: LA Fire Officials Try to Get Ahead of Blazes AssociatedPress
Wildfires force frantic evacuations near LA; 2 die The Associated Press
New York Times - AFP - San Diego Union Tribune - NBC 11.com
all 3,582 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base