Has Life Got You Down?

I was more intentional about munis than I was with metals. As a coin collector and an executor I sort of backed into them, not expecting anything more than a store of value. They are 2-3% of my savings and I'm too risk averse to increase that. They provide cash for coin collecting sometimes (20% appreciation in 6 months was an opportunity for me to buy a nice Trade dollar from my buyer), but most of them will end up with my heirs unless things get REALLY bad.

My rate of accumulation is slow and depends on whether I have any free cash. It's a savings plan, transferring excess saved cash into saved metals. Almost all of it is in US pre 1933 gold, mostly scarcer issues, some extremely scarce. There's no plunging or panic. The coin has to sell itself to me.

thank you. I've tried explaining that in very simple terms- like you just did- to people and I get the 'thousand yard stare' and chorus of crickets. so I'm not going to try explaining anything to anyone any longer. it doesn't really help me and it appears to not help them. I guess they don't need that sort of help, so i'll just shut up about it and be on my merry way. I can only help me.




that's me, too.




it worked for me just fine. to clarify, it simply reaffirmed what I already knew, but, again, it's stuff for another place & time.




yes, yes and yes.

so... when I see those videos,

"$5,000 gold tomorrow!" etc.,

i get my daily guffaw & I don't lose my focus. I see that stuff as just --at best-- entertainment. I wring my financial plan from those videos by doing the opposite of what they suggest.




I'm glad to see I'm not the only person who uses that. I actually haven't seen or heard someone say or use that phrase in quite some time.

nice discussion, thank you everyone.

What I'm seeing on the pre 1933 US gold right now is a closing of the difference between prices. Common MS62 bullion coins aren't that far off MS65. At the high end, prices are static and availability is astounding. Many dealers are running virtual museums of 5 figure coins. It's a good time to fill those empty holes in your CC double eagle collection..seriously, I feel sorry for the dealers sitting on this high class dead stock..

Wasn't that inevitable? The supply of gold and silver bullion coins with any theme imaginable has exploded over the years with almost every country wanting to get a cut of the collectors/investors pie.
Forty years ago when the first ASE came out, these coins and the early 20th century coins designed by St. Gaudens did not have to compete with "cutesy-gold/silver-coin-with-picture-of-animal" (or whatever you fancy).

Cheapest Saint Gaudens Double Eagle: $2601.86.
Cheapest Gold Eagle: $2702.60.

These numbers come from a well-known bullion pricing comparison website, which for whatever reason I am not allowed to post a link to.

Probably because they tried to spam us.

The price of gold is up 37% in the last year. Judging from how much the rise has steepened since October 2023, the escalating Mideast wars could be the biggest part.

"Gold is for war. If you want to pay foreigners during a war like WWII, your paper money will only get you so far. Especially if things aren't going well, gold is the only currency that can buy what you need."

-Forbes, 6/17/24

Is sovereign gold buying driving the price increase? Particularly by China, who may be dragging other nations along in their buying spree.

https://internationalbanker.com/ban...uying-spree/

If you happen to hold some gold, you have benefitted greatly from this. But it's not wise investing, just luck. It's no reason to get swept up in panic buying today. The best time to buy was two years ago, not now. We had no idea then that gold was such a bargain. It didn't seem like it at the time. Everyone then was waiting for it to go back to $1200.

And maybe it will. Sell high today, buy low tomorrow.