Archive for the ‘Shopping’ Category

Rare Gold Coins Make a Smart Portfolio Addition

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

The close of 2009 marked one of the first decades in history that the stock market delivered negative returns. Over that same time period, gold bullion prices went up exponentially. The year 2009 alone saw prices move from around $800 to over $1,000 per ounce. This makes gold a very smart addition to your investment portfolio, and rare gold coins are a prime method for expanding your holdings and improving your returns.

Collecting gold is an investment that makes sense in hard times. Unlike paper currencies, which can be inflated, deflated, devalued, and reprinted by governments, gold is a hard asset with an absolute value.It can be trusted. This is the reason why so many investors all over the world are racing to accumulate more gold bullion.

However, instead of merely going for plain bullion, you can further enhance the wisdom of your gold investment decision by opting for rare gold coins. Rare gold coins provide you with the security of the underlying bullion weight while also adding in artistic and historical value.You can collect coins that are coveted the world over for their beauty and their history, ensuring that your investment value remains high due to unmet demand for these limited numbers of coins.

Naturally, you can’t buy rare gold coins at the corner store. Working with a trustworthy coin vendor is important.You need someone that can talk to you honestly about the projected worth of a coin, its historical trading patterns, and its overall availability in the market place. You don’t want to worry about being left high and dry after a coin purchase falls through.

Working with a trustworthy dealer also allows you to pursue specific coins for your portfolio.You will be able to discuss what types of coins you want and get your dealer on your side looking for the coins on your behalf. This will enhance the speed and efficiency of your portfolio growth.

Quickly and effectively building a rare gold coin position in your portfolio is important for preserving and growing your wealth. You will be able to close out unprofitable and non-performing positions in your existing portfolio and replace them with gold coins that will hold and appreciate in value.It’s a wonderful way to take yourself out of the underperforming stock market and protect your portfolio for the years of uncertainty ahead.

 

Understanding the Morgan Dollar

Saturday, January 9th, 2010

While there are many different historic coins that have stood out as being highly collectible, there are certain coins that are even more collectible than the rest. One coin that collectors very much enjoy collecting is the Morgan dollar. Why has this coin become so rare and so collectible? Why do people wish to include this in their collections more than most other coins? Here, you will find the answers to those questions and more.

When were the Morgan dollars minted? Only around for a very short time, the mint dates of this particular silver dollar coin only spanned from 1878 to 1904. The coin was minted again just for one year in 1921. Since the coin had such a short mint span, it is a very rare find for collectors.

Where did the coin get its name? In the eighteen hundreds, the American currency style was changing drastically. In the wake of a legislative act that required all coins to be on an even cent value, meaning no more half cents, a number of various coins were being minted.

When three people were commissioned to create designs for a new silver dollar coin, it was the design of an assistant engraver that was chosen. John T. Morgan designed the style that would become the dollar coin, thus giving it its name.

What does the dollar look like? The design on the coin was crafted in the image of a young lady named Anna Willis Williams, who had been used as the model for a number of designs that John T. Morgan had worked on.

Are there certain dates that are particularly collectible? In the late eighteen hundreds, the United States slowed down the amount of silver that they were importing. This happened due to a change in the silver buyback laws that had been in effect. There was a span of three years when silver dollar coins were printed only in small amounts. The years include 1893-1895. Any Morgan dollars from this three year span would be considered highly collectible.

This dollar coin is considered highly collectible because it is extremely rare. Many of the coins were melted when silver was needed to fund the War Time Act of World War II. The estimated of specialists indicate that less than twenty percent of the Morgan dollars created are still in existence today. If you have one of these coins, then you have an excellent addition to your collection. If you do not have one, then it may be something you would like to add.