COINage December 2019/January 2020

Do you know the name Michael “Miles” Standish? Even if you don’t, it’s likely he’s had an influence on your enjoyment of coin collecting. Miles, 55, is one of the most interesting and productive leaders in the hobby today. He’s been collecting coins since the age of nine and bringing innovative ideas to the marketplace for decades. Miles has worked for the American Numismatic Association Certification Service, its successor ANACS, Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and since 2015 has served at Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) where he now is a Vice President and Senior Grader. With former United States Mint Chief Engraver John Mercanti, he wrote the award-winning book, American Silver Eagles: A Guide to the U.S. Bullion Coin Program, and also is the author of Morgan Dollar: America’s Love…

This is a period of time when you should be adding to your coin investment and precious metals holdings. It’s a rare occasion indeed that I sound the “buy alarm” in this column or even use the term “coin investment.” But I am taking the unusual step of advising you here and now to add to your coin collection. And if you are thinking of selling your coins right now, my considered opinion is for you to hold off for a bit. With the Democrat led House of Representatives finally taking the first step to file articles of impeachment against President Trump, we need to look at the last two times a Democratic Congress filed articles of impeachment against a Republican president. The first time was in 1974, after President…

The year 2020 is upon us. How will the first year of the ‘20s of the 21st century unfold? Numismatic prognostication is difficult in this era of economic, demographic, and sociopolitical transition. We’re closing out 2020 with U.S. President Donald Trump facing impeachment, trade wars between the United States and China, continued instability in the Middle East, and increasing concern over climate change and its effects on the global community. What does this mean for the coin market? A lot, really. Metals markets have responded to these and numerous other tensions by posting significant gains in 2019. Growth in the metals market was largely driven by a parade of geopolitically ominous headlines throughout 2019, persuading individuals to embrace safe-haven investments such as precious metals. But the precious metals industry wasn’t…

NEW RELEASE: 2019 AMERICAN EAGLE ONE OUNCE PALLADIUM REVERSE PROOF COIN A new installment of the popular American Palladium Eagle series hit the streets with the release of the 2019 American Eagle One-Ounce Palladium Reverse Proof Coin. This new reverse proof palladium bullion coin, released by the United States Mint at noon eastern on September 12, 2019, has a mintage of 30,000 pieces. These .9995-fine Palladium eagles carry a nominal face value of $25 and feature an obverse design with the likeness of Winged Liberty, a design by Adolph A. Weinman first seen on the Mercury dime in 1916. The reverse showcases an eagle and branch in a motif seen on the reverse of Weinman’s 1907 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Gold Medal. The coins will be packaged in a…

The holiday season is a time for giving, and sometimes that gift is money. Some wag once said: “The color and size is always correct!” My paternal grandmother had 28 grandchildren, and rather than trying to shop for all of us she just gave us each a shiny new silver dollar when we came over for Christmas dinner. Most banks kept at least one bag of new silver dollars in their vault for customers like her, before the supply of silver dollars dried up in 1964. I wish I still had one of them, but I was not a collector yet and every one was spent at the corner candy store as soon as possible. Christmas money was meant to be spent on one’s self, you know! Years later, when…

For over fifty years, I’ve been closely following developments in the gold market and the many factors which affect its price. Today, we are at an unprecedented time when gold’s historic and primary role as wealth insurance is becoming vital. Since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, caused by an implosion of bad debts and credit instruments, the total level of debt in the United States and worldwide has risen by over 50%! Governments’ response to those critical times of debt gone wild was to create more debt. Globally, we have become over-reliant on borrowing as a solution for everything. For the United States alone, in response to the 2008 crisis, the Federal Reserve created or backstopped/guaranteed an astonishing $27 trillion out of thin air to restore trust. “I believe it…