Buy Rare Coins ? Tips To Rare Coin Investing

The Heritage Auction Galleries' Central States Numismatic Society Convention Platinum Night Auction has turned out to be quite a show. Besides the "King of Coins" 1804 Silver Dollar going for a cool two point three million dollars, several other incredible rare coins have gone up and been sold for some nice fetches, as well. The legendary 1807-S Seated Dollar, the rarest regular silver dollar in existence, wound up selling for about a half a million dollars, The sixth finest known example of a 1794 dollar went for a half million as well, a twenty cent piece from 1876 went for four hundred sixty thousand, a 1794 silver dollar went for three hundred forty five thousand, and a 1795 Flowing Hair dollar sold for about a quarter million. The total sales of the auction, as of the most recent report, came out to a nice forty five million for combined rare coin prices. Two million for a coin may be out of the price range of many investors, but we know that there are at least a few people reading this who could easily place a competitive bid on one of the big-ticket items on show at this auction. So while the rest of us who buy rare coins, as an everyday investor may have to stick to the slightly more common coins, if you do have the money to invest in the real rarities, you'd be wise to seize upon the opportunity to do so. Again, when you buy rare coins, they do not somehow become less rare or less valuable, so to buy rare coins is almost invariably a smart idea. If you want to know the secret of how to buy rare coins, it is simply this: Know what you're buying, know the history, the artwork, and buy the rarest coins you can easily afford. Between auctions, the price of a particular rarity almost always tends to go up. At times, the growth is marginal, but other times, a coin may be reassessed at a later date and turn out to be twice as valuable as it was previously believed to have been. Of course, on the other hand, you may simply be comfortable enjoying a few good rarities in your collection while putting the majority of your coin money into the $20 Lady Liberty 22 karat gold reissues for investors. Whichever way works for you is fine. In any case, you are protecting your assets against any crisis such as a recession. It's certainly a good idea to get involved in rare coin collecting if you hope to build a strong foundation for your investments. And even if you can't make it to Cincinnati every time Heritage holds an auction in the area, it's still smart to keep up on the new developments at these auctions and bid online, as the final bids at the major auctions tend to have an impact on coin prices at large. In any event, just make sure that you have a way to keep yourself in good financial shape no matter what happens. Be it bars or coins, just know that you're covered through this recession and the next one.

Gold Vs. Dollar – Why Gold May Be The Best Coming Investment Attraction Of The Decade!

United Gold Direct

2945 Townsgate Road, Suite 200, CA 91361www.unitedgolddirect.com ***888.502.3222***

GOING FOR GOLD IN 2010

The struggling U.S. Dollar, inflation fears, strong demand forcommodities in general, and interest in "safe haven"investments have propelled gold and other precious metalsto prices not seen in decades. Where gold will go from hereremains unclear, but one thing is for certain: it remains theultimate hedge and world‟s reserve currency.

During the last major gold bull market – precipitated by theIran hostage crisis in the late 1970‟s – serious geopoliticaltensions and the prospect of runaway global inflation playedmajor roles in gold‟s rise from $300 per ounce to $850 perounce. As current prices flirt with the $1,000 plateau,some analysts are beginning to believe that the all-time inflation adjusted peak of $2,450 may not be out of the question.

Why Gold? Why now?

Buying and Selling GoldBuying precious metals is very simple, but if doneincorrectly, the results can be financially devastating. It isextremely important to buy precious metals from trustedand reputable sources in safe and secure transactions.At all times and in all circumstances gold and silver remainsmoney. Therefore, both gold and silver belongs in yourportfolio at all times and in all circumstances. We recommend a holdings between 10-20% of your assets to diversify in metals.

"You can transform your life and business in just seven minutes a day." If that statement makes you want to read on, consider yourself hooked.There are plenty of theories for the recent surge in gold prices, butas in many past rallies, a handful of common factors seem to be inplay, including:

Dollar Woes: With the U.S. Dollar in the midst of a months-longswoon against the major global currencies, many investors areturning to gold as a commodity that tends to move inverselywith the beleaguered greenback.

Inflation Hedge: High food and energy prices are creatingconcerns about the potential for soaring inflation. Gold is widelyviewed as a sensible hedge against inflation – a store of valueeven as the purchasing power of traditional currencies erodes.

Geopolitical Concerns: Gold has long been considered a "safehaven" investment during times turbulent and uncertain times,and with the constant threat of terrorism, rogue nations, andenergy shocks, many investors have been turning to preciousmetals.

Diversification: Many investors on the look-out for new ways tospread their money around a number of economic sectorsflocked to gold of late. The draw is due not to only gold‟sinherent attractiveness as a commodity component, but becauseit touches so many disparate areas of the economy – frominterest rates and the equities markets to investor sentimentand foreign exchange.Factors Driving the Price of Gold Higher:Inflation adjusted peak of $2,450 an ounce may soon be a reality.On May 20, 1999, Alan Greenspan testified before Congress,"Gold is always accepted and is the ultimate means ofpayment and is perceived to be an element of stability in thecurrency and in the ultimate value of the currency and thathistorically has always been the reason why governments holdgold."Typically, gold is considered relatively inexpensive when 3 orfewer ounces need to match the level of the Dow JonesIndustrial Average (DJIA). Today, by this standard, the price ofgold appears to be relatively low with roughly four times thisnumber of ounces of the yellow metal needed to match theDJIA. Just to provide some historical context, in 1929, justbefore the Wall Street Crash, it took 18 ounces of gold to buythe DJIA, but within three years, it took just two ounces of goldto buy the „Dow‟. In 1966, the ratio surged to 28 ounces, butby 1980, one ounce of gold bought the DJIA. Finally, in July of1999, at the height of the dotcom stock market frenzy, it took44 ounces of gold to buy the DJIA.Gold vs. the Dow & vs. Crude Oil:Ounces of gold to buy DJIAAdditionally, gold also has traded historically at prices between15 and 20 times the price of a barrel of crude oil. Some analystsfeel that the current gold-to-crude ratio which is far below itslong-term average – signals that gold appears to be relativelyundervalued relative to crude and could be poised to movehigher.Ask yourself:Do you expect your retirement portfolio togrow if everything around us is gettingworse?

If the economy were to collapse, wouldyou prefer to have an account full of paperor an account full of gold?

If you are one of the many who lostbetween 20% to 50% of their wealth to therecession, how do you expect to recoverwhat you lost? Or get back to even?

Here is the Answer:Precious Metals - Physical Gold and Silver Coins/Bars Precious metals have had an average annualreturn of 32% since 2001 and Will likely continue its upward trend as the printing press doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.For more information, please visit us as www.unitedgolddirect.com or contact us at888.502.3222United Gold Direct | Going for Gold

By Adam Blaser

Gold Prices On the Move

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Gold prices Wednesday were rising after a disappointing U.S. ADP unemployment number boosted demand for the alternative investment.

Gold for June delivery was adding $9 to $1,114.70 an ounce at the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices Wednesday traded as high as $1,115.30 and as low as $1,103.10. The U.S. dollar index was slipping 0.51% to $81.06. Gold's spot price was up over $13 a troy ounce, according to Kitco's gold index.

Gold futures came under pressure Tuesday after contract rollover hurt prices. Pent-up demand boosted prices Wednesday and prompted gold to reach for the $1,125 area. Gold's appeal as a safe hacven also supported prices after the Automated Data Processing report said the private sector lost 23,000 jobs in March. Many analysts were hoping for job growth heading into Friday's U.S. nonfarm payroll report.

"Gold for the moment continues to consolidate with good volumes of physical and investment demand providing support," says James Moore, analyst at thebulliondesk.com in his daily metals report. The popular physically backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Shares(GLD) held at 1,129.82 tons after investors bought the precious metal this week on weakness. "However, the metal remains capped by overhead mid-term downtrend resistance ... with another stalled rally potentially triggering a re-test of the $1,085 level."

Source: http://www.thestreet.com/story/10714912/1/gold-prices-on-the-move.html

Comex Gold Rallies on Lower ADP Jobs Estimate, Further Dollar Weakness

Comex gold futures pushed to fresh session highs Wednesday in the wake of a surprisingly weak ADP U.S. non-farm payroll jobs estimate that came in at down 23,000. Traders had expected the ADP estimate to come in at up 50,000.

The U.S. dollar index sold off immediately after the ADP release, while gold saw a push to a fresh two-week high of $1,119.90 in June Comex futures. June gold was last traded up $12.00 an ounce at $1,117.70. The bulls have gained some fresh upside technical momentum with Wendesday's rally, and are now focused on taking out solid chart resistance at the last "reaction high" on the daily bar chart, which is located at $1,135.00.

Gold drops as U.S consumer confidence rebounds

CHICAGO, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Gold futures on the COMEX Division of the New York Mercantile Exchange ended lower on Tuesday, as Consumer confidence index and housing data released on Tuesday signaled a sustainable economic recovery. Sliver and platinum both dropped.

The most active gold contract for June delivery dropped 5.8 U.S. dollars, or 0.5 percent, to finish at 1,105.7 dollars.

The Conference Board said on Tuesday that the Consumer Confidence Index rose to 52.5 in March, exceeding previous forecast.

Due to the fact that many factors had impact on consumer confidence in March, such as harsh weather that shut business and hindered job-hunting, as well as concern over Greece's debt crisis, March's positive confidence report gave investor hope that the economic recovery will be sustained.

The S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city index showed that home prices inched higher in January for an eighth month, suggesting the housing market is stabilizing while the economy expands.

The optimistic economic data made investors feel confident about the economic prospects, reducing gold's demand of safe-haven.

Meanwhile, euro remained vulnerable amid concerns about the fiscal crisis of Greece. The stronger dollar also made gold less attractive as a hedge.

May silver was down 5.7 cents to 17.33 dollars per ounce. July platinum declined 5.4 dollars to 1,626.1 dollars an ounce.

American Buffalo 24K Gold Coins

American Buffalo One Ounce Gold Proof Coins are collector versions of the official United States Mint American Buffalo Gold Bullion Coins. Each coin contains one ounce of .9999 fine, 24-karat gold and is presented in an elegant hardwood box with a matte finish and a faux leather inset, and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the Director of the United States Mint.

American Buffalo One Ounce Gold Proof Coins will be offered in 2010. The on sale date has not yet been determined. 

After the late release and limited availability of the prior year, collectors and precious metals investors are hoping that the offering of 2010 Gold Buffalo coins runs more smoothly.

By law, the United States Mint is obligated to produce the one ounce 24 karat American Gold Buffalo bullion coins each year. Due to the continuing high demand for physical precious metals coins, this obligation has become a challenge to fulfill. During 2009, the release of the Gold Buffalo coins had been delayed for much of the year. The bullion coins were finally available during a short two month window near the end of the year, followed by the release of the collectible proof version of the coin.

The bullion version of the coin sold out after 200,000 of the coins were purchased. The proof version of the coin reached sales of more than 40,000 coins by mid-December.

After the sell out of the bullion coins, the US Mint did not offer any information about the time frame for the 2010 Gold Buffalo bullion or collector coins. There is a good chance production may be delayed once again. Towards the end of the year, the US Mint was forced to suspend sales of the more popular 22 karat gold bullion coins and implement a rationing program. In the past, when the US Mint had to resort to such measures, the issuance of other bullion and collector coins was delayed in an effort to focus production.

PCGS Announces PCGS Secure Plus™, The Most Important Innovation in the Coin Industry Since the Advent of Third Party Grading.

The Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com) has launched PCGS Secure Plus™, a revolutionary new process with high-tech security and scrutiny to increase the confidence of collectors and dealers, and a new certification designation that potentially can increase the value of coins.

The PCGS Secure Plus process uses laser scanning to help detect coins that have been artificially enhanced since their last certification, combat “gradeflation” and excessive resubmissions of the same coins, and can also be used to help identify recovered stolen coins. Additionally, PCGS expert graders can now designate deserving, superior-quality coins as “Plus” within their respective grades, an important distinction when there are big differences in value between one grade point and the next.

Announcement of the unprecedented breakthrough was made by PCGS executives on the opening day at the American Numismatic Association National Money Show™ in Fort Worth, Texas. They explained how the new process of digitally scanning each coin to capture its distinctive characteristics is being integrated into the PCGS grading system and how it helps resolve important issues in the rare coin marketplace by offering:

• Increased precision and consistency in grading
• Improved detection of altered coins
• Less chance of “gradeflation”
• More likely recovery if a PCGS Secure Plus coin is stolen
• Increased value of high-end coins within each grade

Developed after years of extensive software and hardware development and testing in partnership with Coinsecure, Inc. of Palo Alto, California, the PCGS Secure Plus service digitally captures a unique “fingerprint” of each coin that is then entered into a permanent data base.

PCGS Secure Plus will introduce a new level of confidence and security in the coin collecting market” said PCGS President Don Willis. “We believe that PCGS Secure Plus addresses several of the leading issues affecting the industry today. PCGS Secure Plus is a patent-pending process wherein a coin is laser scanned, imaged and registered in a permanent data base. Every coin has its own identifying characteristics. Coins are like snowflakes at the micron level; they are very different from each other. If a coin has been previously registered in our system it will be identified whenever it’s again scanned by us, so duplication of coin information will be eliminated. As a result, population reports, condition census and other potentially distorted information will be much more accurate for PCGS Secure Plus coins.”

“The process also can help detect if a previously registered coin has been artificially toned, dipped or processed in some other way in an effort to get a higher grade. Not since PCGS introduced encapsulated third-party grading in 1986 has such an important step been taken to protect the consumer. We believe PCGS Secure Plus will totally revolutionize the coin grading business,” said Willis. 

“Thousands of tests of the current PCGS Secure Plus system now have been performed, and not once did a previously registered coin go unmatched and not once did we get a false-positive match. Extensive testing was done by many individuals in an attempt to break this system, including all the gimmicks and coin altering processes PCGS has seen over the years, such as foreign material applied to a coin’s surface. We even tested coins that had been scratched and marked up. All of them were recognized and matched with the PCGS Secure Plus system. No one has been able to beat this system,” Willis stated.

Secure Plus is an innovative service that also addresses the significant price gaps between one grade point and the next by formally recognizing high-end specimens within respective grades,” said David Hall, Co-Founder of PCGS and President of its parent company, Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT). “The reality of the marketplace is that coins considered high end for the grade are recognized by sophisticated dealers and collectors and such coins are worth a premium in the marketplace. The term ‘plus’ has been a part of the everyday trading and grading lingo for years. The high end for any particular grade represents the top 30 percent of the scale within a grade and I estimate that the plus designation would apply to approximately 15 percent to 20 percent of the coins within a grade. Those technically superior coins in the high end for their grade will now have a plus sign (+) on their PCGS insert label.”

“The evolution of the rare coin marketplace has produced significant price gaps between some coins that are only one grade point apart. For example, the PCGS Price Guide lists 1880-O Morgan dollars as $2,000 graded PCGS MS64 and $25,000 in MS65. PCGS Secure Plus will more accurately reflect the quality and market value of coins designated as ‘Plus’ and meeting our strict requirements,” said Hall.

The Plus designation will be available only in conjunction with PCGS Secure Plus service and in grades XF45 to MS68, except for MS60 and MS61.

Another benefit for the hobby is that if a PCGS Secure Plus-certified coin is ever lost or stolen and subsequently resubmitted to PCGS, it can be automatically identified and the recovery process will begin for the rightful owner.

PCGS Secure Plus is being offered as a separate, new service. All existing PCGS services will continue to be offered without change except for Rarities and Ultra Rarities which now will only be offered with the PCGS Secure Plus service. Initially, PCGS Secure Plus will be offered for Walkthru, Express and Gold Express services only for raw coins, re-grades and re-holders.

“When PCGS opened in February 1986, we ‘flicked a switch’ and changed the rare coin market. We’ve just flicked another switch, and this changes everything. Imagine a world without coin doctoring. Imagine a world without ‘gradeflation.’ This is the right thing to do,” said Hall.

“This is an exceptional development,” declared well-known numismatic consumer advocate Scott Travers, author of the award-winning Coin Collectors Survival Manual and a paid consultant to PCGS. “PCGS is going to be acknowledging what most of us have been trying to increase awareness of for years by recognizing coins that are at the high end of the spectrum. Consumers are now going to have this singularly valuable piece of information available to guide them in buying and selling coins.”

For additional information, contact PCGS Customer Service at (800) 447-8848, or visit at www.PCGS.com.

ETF Securities Releases Results of Gold Bullion Vault Audit

New York – ETF Securities released the results of a third-party audit with the purpose of showing its commitment to transparency. The audit was performed on the bullion stock held on behalf of the ETFS Swiss Gold Trust (SGOL) at the vaults of UBS Zurich. 

In an issued press release, ETF Securities stated that the audit conducted by Inspectorate International Limited found that the account held title to 757 London Good Delivery, Large Gold Bars said to be a purity of 99.50% minimum, up to and including 99.99%. As per the weight list records of the Custodian, the bars total 304,549.565 fine troy ounces of gold.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to transparency to the market and, most importantly, to our investors, ETF Securities engages Inspectorate International Limited to audit each ETF Securities gold bullion bar held in the vault bi-annually, once at the end of the calendar year and once at random,” said Fred Jheon, Managing Director and Head of Product Development.

ETF Securities Ltd is a leading promoter and issuer of ETF Securities exchange traded products (ETPs), specializing in commodities, with global assets under management of over USD $17.2 billion.

The press release stated, “Each individual gold bar held by the sub-custodian, was agreed to the records of the sub-custodian as being held in the name of the above mentioned account. All bar numbers, brand and purities of each bar was checked against the records of the sub-custodian. The weight of a representative sample of bars was taken and then checked against the sub-custodian’s records.”

Gold Ends Firmer on Weaker U.S. Dollar

June Comex gold futures closed up $6.10 at $1,111.50 Monday. Prices closed near mid-range and were supported by a weaker U.S. dollar index and sharply higher crude oil prices. More short covering and fresh speculative buying interest supported gold Monday.

Precious metals traders are awaiting Friday's U.S. jobs report, which is expected to show gains in U.S. non-farm payrolls in the latest month. Wednesday is the last trading day of the quarter and of the month, which could add to price volatility in the metals this week, due to position squaring to end the periods, and due to fresh trading positions added to start the new month and new quarter.

Gold bulls were also encouraged Monday as the Euro currency saw a short-covering bounce from recent selling pressure. London traders said the news late last week of an EU-IMF aid agreement for Greece provided traders with more risk appetite.

The London P.M. gold fix was $1,107.50 an ounce, versus $1,096.50 for the previous P.M. fixing.

Technically, June gold prices are still in a four-week-old near-term downtrend on the daily bar chart. Bulls' next upside technical objective is to produce a close above solid technical resistance at $1,135.00. Bears' next downside price objective is closing prices below solid technical support at last week's low of $1,086.10. First resistance is seen at Monday's high of $1,116.00 and then at $1,120.00. Support is seen at Monday's low of $1,104.20 and then at $1,100.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 5.0.

May Comex silver futures closed up 48.1 cents at $17.387 an ounce Monday. Prices closed near the session high and were supported on short covering and fresh speculative buying interest amid the weaker U.S. dollar, sharply higher crude oil prices and firmer U.S. stock index futures. Silver bulls have regained the slight near-term technical advantage. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at last week's low of $16.55. Bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at the March high of $17.665 an ounce. First resistance is seen at Monday's high of $17.44 and then at $17.50. Next support is seen at $17.25 and then at $17.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 5.5.

May N.Y. copper closed up 1,325 points at 353.55 cents today. Prices closed near the session high and hit a fresh 10-week high. Prices also closed at a fresh 20-month high close Monday. The copper market was supported by bullish "outside markets" that included a weaker U.S. dollar index, sharply higher crude oil and firmer stock index futures. The copper market bulls have the solid overall near-term technical advantage and gained more power Monday. Monday's price action produced a bullish upside "breakout" from the recent sideways trading range. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at 337.50 cents. Bulls' next upside objective is pushing and closing prices above solid technical resistance at the January high of 355.00 cents. First resistance is seen at 355.00 cents and then at 356.00 cents. First support is seen at 350.00 cents and then at 348.70 cents. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 8.0.

Gold coins will make you happy every time

Gold bullion coins are an excellent place to start. Although they more expensive if the basis is the investment value of gold itself makes it a very attractive option. Gold will be bought and sold regularly on the commodity market, it will stay on top of the gold price just makes it easy to follow the price of your gold coins. This makes gold coins the equivalent of shares or bonds for coin collectors.

It is not always easy to get into the market for gold coins. Finally, gold is costly, so that coins will be made from gold rather expensive. There are usually several weights available, so you see the situation, something to fit your price range. If you are looking for gold coins, it is usually easy to find right to a dealer. Several coin dealers gold coin market are linked and if they can not sell them directly to you, they will be able to connect with someone who can.

There are also a few e-tailers, the gold coins, but it is a good idea to be cautious when shopping online. There are a lot of dealers out there, but there are also many shady people looking to make quick money. Before purchasing online, keep in mind some of the research, and check the provider thoroughly. Watch what you are selling coins to the prices that are lower than the market value for gold. This is a case where everything seems too good to be true is absolutely too good to be true, because nobody will sell you something at a loss - especially not with all commodities such as gold.

Gold is often bought and sold, the value of your gold coins can be easily tracked. The price of gold bullion coins can be viewed online, in newspapers and on the evening news. The prices of gold bullion coins, tied to the price of gold it contains, you do not have to worry about the coin market itself. While collectors can have coins and downs, gold not only increases in value, but often also hold their value very well and this also means that gold coins a way to stabilize your investments as you place your money in a very tangible resources are.

When looking for a solid investment that does not require a high level of knowledge and research, gold bullion coins are a very good start. They are easy to find is to determine their value easily, and they are stable, reliable investing that hold their value better than almost anything else. So, let's face it, gold coins are considered to be just nice and if you are looking for a significant, strong investment not only valuable but also attractive, gold coins will make you happy every time.

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