The American eagle series is the iconic U.S. precious metals coin series since its release in 1986. Eagles have featured the same individual designs on both gold and silver coins for the last 34 years. However, that is soon to change. A new design and anti-counterfeiting measures will become standard on new American eagle coins...

In the precious metals business, the question, “Is gold money?” comes up a lot. Why? I think a lot of people who buy gold bullion for the first time are understandably anxious about their purchase. They just exchanged a significant stack of dollars for a relatively small, dense item whose “value” (at least its spot...

The physical precious metals market is a weird one, and silver sometimes feels as if it's trying to be the weirdest out of that group. You probably know that investment-grade silver bullets are a thing. Then we get to "junk silver" coins, or what is increasingly coming to be known as formerly junk silver. What's...

It is interesting to look back to Dominic Frisby's analysis where the expert laments platinum's recent price shortcomings, one of several of Frisby's pieces on platinum group metals worth reading. Dated a little over a year ago, Frisby covers all the points that applied back then: historically, platinum was priced at 1.25 the price of gold, yet...

A few things about history have to be said before delving deep into it. We'll avoid Napoleon's quote and instead say that history should be taken with a grain of salt. And we generally have a worse idea of what transpired the further we go back, especially when talking centuries. An example being... The times...

Entry points, entry points... Why is it that an asset with centuries of doing exactly what it's supposed to still suffers from the search for entry points? And really, is there any point in buying gold unless you can pile bars on by the kilo? Let's take a look at two investors on what can...

Just a few years ago, we could dismiss de-dollarization as Russian phenomenon. It's waging a quiet war with the West and dumping dollars to evade sanctions. Russia being Russia and all that. That's no longer the case. These days, wherever we look, we keep hearing about BRICS. Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The...

That numismatics coins appeal to bullion investors and the other way around is one of the many reasons why we like the physical precious metals market. But what's the difference? Which one is right for you? Staunch proponents of either side can easily confuse you, so we'll try to give you a neutral overview and...

America the Beautiful silver coins are notable for a few reasons. Besides their patriotic tint, they might be the only real competitor from the U.S. Mint to the iconic Silver Eagle. They're also huge. Their 5oz-a-piece size means that they probably won't ever truly compete with the Eagle because they're, well, not that easy to...

Nothing like a little hard data to shine a light on market trends. What are the five most popular silver items in our inventory for the last quarter of 2022? Care to take a guess? Will our most popular silver be your typical and expected coins and bars, or could some unusual or unique items...

Johnson Matthey is a lot like other top metal refineries in that it occupies a specific niche. It's not as large or well-known as Credit Suisse or PAMP, but it does have a cult following. Many want Johnson Matthey gold and silver bars, and only Johnson Matthey gold and silver bars. It has a storied...

If there is a world where issuers of sovereign gold coins are being subtle about it, we are not in it. This year has seen some of the biggest pomp on the numismatics market ever, and it has come from both the usual suspects and some less known candidates. First King Charles coins is struck Old Chuck...

A fairly 101 piece about gold on The Balance has a note that even experienced gold investors might not be aware of. "The prices of gold and the dollar may often appear to oppose each other due to investor sentiments and economic factors, but there is no set or official relationship between the two." As bullion dealers...

It's sometimes said that the Royal Canadian Mint competes with the U.S. Mint based on fineness and the Perth Mint based on coin size. Indeed, Australia's mint is home to some of the largest-ever issued coins, as well as some gargantuan mintages that are actually still in circulation. But talking about this particular aspect of...

Dull months in the gold and silver market, or some of the most exciting ones in recent memory? Here's a few points to keep in mind... The Basel III agreement is causing massive paper gold liquidations and squeezes The view is that this is the start of a large re-evaluation of gold's price and a...

Shop smart, shop, shop, shop... The closer we are to Christmas, the more we’re all pressed to spend money. Even with all the spending, and perhaps because of it, the holiday season is where we see the greatest concentration of anti-consumerist sentiment... Buying things we don't need because Christmas bells are ringing and all that....

Gifting a coin collector can be equal parts easy and difficult. On one hand, we know what they want: coins! On the other, collectors have pickiness built in as a personality trait. The wrong coin might make them frown, disappoint, or even... offend. To avoid invoking any of these emotions, we've compiled a go-to guide...

Whether it's a misconception that all gold is created equal or not is a matter of perspective. On one hand, sure. Ore is ore. On the other, as we get away from the periodic table and more towards the consumer side, we understand that there are certain needs. Needs for an assurance of quality, honesty,...

What if there came a time when you hold paper money and it wasn’t paper? What if it actually had intrinsic value? We know, right? A pipe dream, not gonna happen. Or will it? Look, paper money gets a bad rep because of what central banks have done to it. They’re like IOUs from your...

Augustus Saint-Gaudens had as full and colorful a life as you’d expect from a fin de siècle artist. Perhaps the most famous American artist you've never heard of… He belongs to that American Renaissance period, or the Gilded Age, between 1876 and 1917. Think of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago (described so poetically...

Nouriel Roubini, writing for Time, purports that central banks are going to pull back on their hawkish policy and stop with the interest rate hikes. On the International Man, Doug Casey says he expects rates to go higher. The two experienced analysts' opposing views almost paint a picture of the global financial markets right now....

A newcomer who wants to buy silver bullion can and will be misled by silver rounds. It’s easy to understand why! I mean, just take a look… I can’t imagine why people think this is confusing… can you? Honestly, I get it. We intuitively know what coins are supposed to look like. From the first...

How can any gold coin compete with our American gold eagles, anyway? There shouldn't be any competition... In truth, U.S. Mint simply isn’t as innovative or cutting-edge as the two leaders in the industry. The title of world’s greatest mint goes either to Perth Mint (previously discussed), or our neighbors to the north, Royal Canadian...

In your very own version of BullionMax Numismatic News, we have a little bit of the unexpected, a little bit of the strange, and some of the, well, the expected. What's trending in the bullion coin sphere these days? Let's see... Queen Elizabeth 2023 coins are selling really well People want to put a bit...

You can't be faulted for not caring about, or even knowing about, the goings-on within the British royal family. But if you’re planning to buy gold coins, pay attention! Since Queen Elizabeth II is on the obverse of the Canadian maple leaf, the British Britannia and the Australian kangaroo coins, along with the coins of...