Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 i COINage

Some things, like the seasons, never change. I don’t need a crystal ball to predict that spring will follow winter this year on March 20, and that it will come in like a lion. One of the great underlying propellants that keeps coin collectors going as spring approaches has always been the “gotta have it” mentality of instant gratification: “I’m down in the dumps with the winter blues – so let me rush out and buy something new for my collection that’s diverting and fascinating to take my mind off tax season, snow, and freezing rain!” This is a simple and satisfying action plan to add renewed cheer to the winter months and to re-ignite that old collecting flame that dies down from time to time, even in the most…

There are some great opportunities as well as areas for caution for collectors and investors in Bust coinage. I know I’m supposed to write about the “gotta-have” coins. But in identifying those specimens of value appreciation promise, I came across others where it isn’t so clear that they will soon appreciate. So you might not have to have them, even though at first glance you might want them. I have been collecting Bust coins for over 30 years and developed a deep passion for U.S. Bust silver coinage, specifically Bust half dimes and dimes. I attend local, regional, and national coin shows and follow auctions tracking these coins and carefully following their trends. Also, I communicate regularly with collectors and dealers, and I carefully keep track of their observations and…

In these uncertain times, you would be well served to protect yourself against a downturn in the economy or more personal misfortune that could destroy savings. Throughout history, the favored method of protection has been to lay aside items of value, ranging from diamonds to coins containing precious metal, namely gold and silver. Bars of five or 10 ounces have also been used in precious metals portfolios. My advice relating to the gold and silver coins I analyze here for insurance against calamity does not focus on this $100,000 rarity or that million dollar prized proof coin. I will leave those sophisticated nuanced rarities for another time and another place. This article focuses on great mainstream coins whose values are derived primarily from the metals they are made from, and…

Have you ever walked into a coin shop or clicked on a coin dealer website and just felt like you had to buy a certain coin right then and there? It seems most coin collectors at one time or another feel an overwhelming desire to purchase this or that piece at a certain time, either because the price was right or the item had languished unfulfilled on a want list for months, even years, and then – the opportunity to purchase the coin finally presented itself. While we all have certain coins itching at us, there are several pieces that for one reason or another you really must buy now. In some cases, the coins profiled in this article have come down in price after falling from lofty highs; those…

In our information technology-based world, the desire to experience pleasure or fulfillment without delay predominates. There are probably a few things you “gotta have” and can’t be without. High on the list is the latest iPhone, anything Bluetooth, and Alexa-powered speakers. In the realm of rare coins, there are a handful of coins that you need to have right now. I’ve selected and described five affordable coins that you can’t afford to be without. My short list spans the basic coinage metals: copper, nickel, silver, and gold. The coins here that are on my “gotta-have” list gotta have green grade-verification holographic stickers from my company, the Certified Acceptance Corporation (CAC), based in Bedminster, New Jersey, and be certified by grading services Numismatic Guaranty Corporation or Professional Coin Grading Service. Coins…