Where To Sell Gold

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABC) describes the discovery of gold in seven regions of Australia at different times. Traces were first discovered in Fish River, New South Wales in 1823 by Government Surveyor James McBrien, while the first sizeable nugget was found in Hargraves, New South Wales in 1851.It also describes the rising number of gold ownership and mining.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade gives the following statistics:

In 2010, gold exports were third in rank after iron ore and coal, with a value of 15 billion Australian Dollars. This was approximately 6.5% of the total exports. An increase by 3% per year has been registered steadily over the last ten years, indicating a healthy gold market. India and the United Kingdom are listed as the largest market, accounting for about 36% of exports. Thailand, Singapore and China are other big buyers.

Popular industries that purchase Gold locally and internationally are:

1. Coin Minting Industry

The Australian Nugget, minted by the Perth Mint, is an example of a currency made out of gold, and it comes in several denominations.

2. Governments And Financial Institutions

It is standard practice for many governments and financial institutions like banks or exclusive creditors to stockpile Gold reserves as a form of money reserve or trade purposes. The UK is a big buyer for this reason.

3. Jewelers

This is one of the largest 'consumers' of gold, India being the largest internationally.Rings, earrings, bracelets, purses, necklaces, shoes and bags are all adorned by gold and anyone spotted with gold is assumed to belong the upper economic class. Human nature predisposes us to wanting to outdo each other. This being so, it is not likely that the buying of gold jewelry or items draped in pure gold is about to stop.

4. Individuals

There are individuals who pride themselves as being gold collectors, while others, out of a supposed sense of a looming world economic crisis, collect gold to preserve their money. As it is, gold is an international currency.

5. Dentists

Lost teeth are sometimes replaced by gold coated artificial teeth.

6. Art And Decor Industry

Gold sculptures for the high end market are available to decorate homes and offices.

Ornate Gold Carvings, sculptures and statues are highly priced in museums around the world. A statue like the Golden Buddha, the world's largest gold statue, is priced at 250 million US Dollars (approximately 217 Australian Dollars).

7. Award Medals

Winners in almost all sports and championships are awarded gold medals as standard practice.

8. Motor Vehicle Industry

Safety air bags systems have crash sensors which include gold plated steel balls at the ends.

9. Electronics

Gold is an excellent conductor of electricity, is malleable and ductile. It is used in exclusive circumstances, instead of standard copper or aluminum, to make electric cables and in computer circuit systems.

10. Satellites And Rockets

Gold reflects heat, and was used to coat the Apollo 14, which was the first vehicle to land and on the moon. Satellites sent out to space are also coated in films of gold for the same reason.

Gold Dealers

Selling gold can be risky and by far, this is the most viable option since many gold dealers can take smaller denominations of gold even from individuals. They also are keener on market trends and prices, therefore making your sale easier. Virtually all of the other industries have a set minimum, which could be more than what an individual has. Reasonable prices are set and negotiation is easier with Gold dealers.


Australia Gold Dealers have been a registered and a valuable and trustworthy buyer of gold from countless individuals and enterprises. They offer fair prices and have a transparent process in the buying of gold, making them a trusted name for sellers. Abraham is a professional at AGD and incharged with monitoring the buying and sale of gold around the world on a daily basis

What To Know Before Looking For Places Where To Sell Gold Coins

If you are a first time investor in gold you may be wondering where to sell your gold. Before 1976, there were restrictions on the ownership and sale of gold in whatever form in Australia. Holding gold coins of more than $50 was possible only with the consent of the Reserve Bank. Sales were only made to the same institution. Press release number 29 of 1976, however, reversed the situation.

Gold coins sells in different markets depending on whether they are antique, collectible or valuable. Gold coins are actually more expensive than nuggets or bars. This is so because they are complex, rich in detail and elaborate, meaning it costs more to produce them. Consequently, they sell for more money per ounce. They also cost higher in buying the same unit.

Gold coins are sold in particular markets, since not everyone will recognize the value of a gold coin when they see it, they may not even know what kind it is, whether rare or common. Before you sell, walk around to assess and compare prices form various target buyers, in this case, coin minting companies or pawnshops with dealers whom you have concluded to be knowledgeable in different types of coins and exactly what they are worth. Bullion coins, produced en masse, have their prices fluctuating according to world prices while rare coins have a steady value.

If you have a huge collection, classify your coins from the most valuable to fairly cheaper ones and sell them as so. Rare coins obviously have a higher value. Weigh them for yourself with a digital scale preferably and estimate the costs.

The Most Common Coins In Australia Are:

1. The Australian Gold Nugget

2. Australian lunar gold bullion

Rare coins according to the Australian Coin Review and Coinworks include:

1. 1813 NSW Holley Dollar and Dump

2. 1852 Adelaide Pound

3. The 1930 Penny

Exporting Gold Coins

The largest buyers of Gold from Australia is India. The second and the third are United Kingdom and Thailand respectively as at 2010. Before you move gold coins out of the country however, especially in bulk, you should report it, according to the AUSTRACT Act of 2006 which makes moving physical currency whose value is above 10000 Australian Dollars illegal. Currency in this case may be interpreted by the courts to include gold.

Online Auctions

This is a big risk that could offer you great returns however. The best part about it is the auctioning, where prospective buyers will bid for the highest price possible. You might get a higher margin than when selling at a pawnshop or jewelers'. Start by selling the low value coins to 'test the waters'.

Keep in mind that there are wholesale and retail coin dealers. Retailers often give more money for gold coins. Wholesalers, most of the time, sell to retailers. A wholesaler will buy for less since they have two mediums to go through before the final sale of the gold coins is done. Whenever possible, deal with big names that belong to societies like The Numismatic Association of Australia, who require that members adhere to certain standards and ratify codes of ethics.

Rare American Coins and the True Rarity of U.S. Silver Dollars

Generic silver dollars in grades MS-60 and above seem common because there are over 6,859,000 NGC and PCGS graded MS-60+ Trade, Morgan, and Peace dollars. At first glance, Morgan & Peace dollars seem anything but rare.

There are an estimated 40-50 million uncirculated pre-1921 Morgans and 30-40 million uncirculated Peace dollars. The majority of these would grade MS-60 to MS-62 condition, especially in the Peace series.

Almost 850 million silver American dollars were minted between 1878 and 1935. The Pittman Act of 1918 resulted in 270 million Morgans being melted, then later replaced with 86 million 1921 Morgan, and 190 million Peace dollars.

Then, 52,739,000 Peace dollars were melted in 1942 for the WWII effort and never replaced. The total number of Morgan and Peace silver dollars melted between 1883 and 1964 is 333 million. Total surviving Morgan and Peace coins in all grades is around 514 million.

Investment level Morgan and Peace series coins in grades MS-65+ have a combined PCGS and NGC population of 975,000. This seems like a lot of silver American dollar coins available.

If you multiply the figure 975,000 by their average bargain price of $2100 that gives us a pitifully small market of $2.0475 billion. When you compare this to the hundreds of billions of dollars traded daily on equity and exchange markets, the rare silver dollar investment market is amazingly small. There are many Americans with a net worth of more than the total value of the investment grade rare silver dollar market.

Circulated and lower grade common MS silver American dollars are worth only a small price over their spot or melt value. Their market is very liquid and affordable for the average income silver dollar investor.

1794-1804 flowing hair/draped bust, 1840-1873 Liberty Seated & 1873-1885 Trade Dollars are incredibly rare compared to the Morgan & Peace series. 42.2 million Liberty Seated and 35.9 million Trade Dollars were minted.

27 million Trade Dollars were exported to the Orient, never to return to the US. That leaves only 8.9 million examples in all grades for collecting. Even though the Flowing Hair and Draped Bust series coins weren't melted by the US Government, their survival rate hasn't been high.

A total of 162,000 Flowing Hair and 1,284,000 Draped Bust examples were originally minted. Studies show a 3% to 5% survival rate for these early silver dollars. That leaves a combined total of 43,000 to 76,000, 1794 to 1803 silver dollars remain in all conditions.

If 90 million uncirculated silver American dollars from all years of production remain in existence, perhaps one out of four people in the US could own an original issue, uncirculated example. Modern issue uncirculated Silver Eagles are far more plentiful than all the original silver dollars put together.

Even though the numbers sound high, when more people get interested in collecting silver dollars issued and intended as currency, there aren't enough to go around. I'd like to say modern Silver Eagles will always remain common, but there may come a time when they're considered rare also.

How to Invest in Gold for Inflation Protection

The four asset classes in a Permanent Portfolio include stocks, bonds, cash and gold. Each asset class hedges against one of the four economic conditions: inflation, deflation, prosperity and recession. We initially invest 25% each into each asset class and then rebalance the whole portfolio when one of the asset classes reaches a 35% or 15% rebalancing trigger. Gold can be a volatile asset in isolation but when its combined with the other asset classes, it has actually helped reduce the volatility of the overall portfolio. We don't buy gold because we think it will go up in price. We buy gold for the protection it can provide for the savings we can't afford to lose. You actually need to be agnostic about all four different asset classes in the portfolio; each one serves a well defined purpose and will do better than the others at different unpredictable times.

Gold is our hedge against inflation and an uncertain world. Gold prices react strongly to inflationary pressures, currency devaluations or political upheavals. We only use gold bullion in the Permanent Portfolio not gold mining stocks, other derivatives or commodities. Gold doesn't earn any income but it can produce capital gains when the other assets in the portfolio don't. Holding physical gold offshore in a vault and insured is the best way to invest in and hold gold. I also suggest that you purchase and store some one ounce gold coins like the American Eagle or Canadian Gold Maple Leaf in a safe deposit box in a bank close to your home in case of a local emergency.

Gold is the only hard asset that you can include in the portfolio, the rest are just paper assets. You never know what the future will bring, so it's always comforting to know that you have some assets you can get access to outside of the country you live in. If you don't live in Australia, that country could be a good location to store gold since they are a stable country and have a great reputation for storing gold for investors. In many situations though it may not be feasible to hold physical gold, like in your retirement account for example or it's just not convenient for you. In those cases a gold exchange traded fund (ETF) will be your best option. Here are some gold ETFs trading in the USA you may want to explore including their trading symbols:

iShares Gold Trust (IAU)
Central Gold Trust (GTU)
SPDR Gold Trust (GLD)

If you live outside of the USA you should explore similar ETF options.

Joseph Gal is a self-directed investor, author and consumer advocate with over 30 years of investing experience. Joseph doesn't sell investments, insurance or annuities; he educates only. Joseph wrote the book and video "Invest Safely & Generate Income for Life" which is available on his website for $1.99 and you can also contact him

Simple Best Way To Invest in Gold and Silver

If you are looking to increase the viability of your long term financial portfolio, then precious metals should definitely be a part of the discussion. There are many options available to those who want to invest in precious metals. The gold and silver investment strategy that some of the best investors in the world apply to their own portfolios is now available to the average investor.

No matter your previous experience in investing in gold and silver, the potential for profit is better than ever. No matter what anyone tells you about the viability of precious metals in a bear market or in a bull market, the fact remains that good investors can utilize the market for precious metals in many different ways, especially when the vehicle for investing becomes easy to use.

Here are some of the simple ways that you can invest in gold and silver.

- Find a stable precious metals ETF and use it in a diversified, long term strategy.

Whether you have ties with a mutual fund company or not, an exchange traded fund will always be available for you to trade. The ETF gives you the same options as a single stock while providing you with the diversification that is usually only available to people who are investing in mutual funds. Placed into a long term strategy of diversification, the precious metals ETF provides the average investor with a way to get into the market for gold and silver without giving away any financial information to an outside entity for no reason.

- Invest in gold and silver bullion.

Although governments across the world have attempted to make investment in bullion more difficult because they wanted to create a monopoly for themselves, it is still very possible to invest in bullion for yourself. The process is much more defined, and it goes through the government in most nations, but it remains one of the most profitable ways to place gold and silver in your portfolio.

No matter how much trouble it may be, any reputable financial advisor will encourage you to take the time to do the research for obtaining bullion in your portfolio. If done to scale, the effort will have a great chance of paying off for you in the long run.

- Invest in gold and silver products.

Even if you do not want to do the research to invest in gold or silver bullion, you can still invest in gold and silver products very easily. Much of the world's most valuable jewelry is made from gold and silver and still contains a high percentage of the precious metals in the product. Buying one of these products is almost the same as making a purchase of gold and silver bullion, with the added feature that the product can be used in day to day life.

For instance, many of the top investors in the world have made it a point to purchase watches from esteemed companies that are known to put high grade gold and silver content in their products. In this way they are able to invest in the precious metals, maintain the value of their investments no matter how the market moves, and create the added value of social prestige with the product that they have invested in. This example of watches is far from the only way that this can be done. There are all kinds of investment artwork, cars and other precious metal featured products that can be invested in.

Easy Investment Guide to Gold and Silver

Since long time ago, gold and silver have gained the recognition of being valuable. They are the best precious metals in the world.

What are precious metals?

These are metals that include gold, silver, platinum as well as palladium that are majorly used as units of trade. All the mentioned metals have specific kind of value in the industrial sector. Metals such as silver are regularly used in quite a good number of companies. People buy these metals for economic purposes and values. It is significant to note that these metals are very rare, and this is what makes them worth. As far as History is concerned, the metals were used as currency and got featured in jewelry.

Precious metals investment for beginners

As a beginner in this sector, it is important to note that gold is the most valued of the precious metals. The color of gold is bright yellow, and the metal often gets used in jewelry. Gold is a rare precious metal and hence has very few industrial uses.

Silver is another precious metal that a beginner should know. It is in most cases paired with gold investments. Silver is known to have a high conductivity of electricity. It also has a high thermal conductivity of any metal. This makes it fit for use in the field of industry.

Why should a beginner invest in Precious Metals?

Expansion and watchful management of risk are imperative keys to investing achievement. It implies that you need to have numerous sorts of ventures, so that if one speculation does not do well, you will be secured.

Precious metals have been proven to make up around 5 to 15 percent of your complete investment portfolio. Gold and other item metals truly keep up an inherent quality and have a tendency to move steadily inverse the dollar. It means that if the dollar proves to be worth less, your gold will automatically be worth more and the other way around.

Gold, silver, and different valuable metals are unique in relation to different investments. They don't acquire an interest. These belonging are similar to wealth insurance, an approach to ensure that, regardless of what happens in the economy, you will dependably have stores accessible to you. In view of this, individuals looking to valuable metals as a long-haul venture don't frequently sell or exchange.

Advantage of investing in gold and silver

The major advantage of investing in gold and silver is that you can ensure your investment funds against the currency downgrades. You can also ensure your acquiring of power as inflation is consistently rising.

It is advantageous because you can ensure your investment and riches if an economic emergency in China, the US or Europe happens. Regardless of the fact that an economic crisis would bring about (impermanent) flattening, you would be preferred off with gold over being in paper cash or paper resources. It, therefore, ensures that as an investor of gold and silver, you are on the safe side of things.

Gold is the only cash that has never fizzled in the 5,000-year history of its utilization by people. On the other hand, Silver is a 'marvel metal'. It is second just to oil as the world's most valuable product.

In times of emergency, gold is the most secure venture that additionally has the best potential to build your riches. As research has proven, those who venture in the business of gold are the richest people. They have a regular flow of cash, and their businesses are steady. The fact of the matter is that gold is a totally private and mysterious venture that is likewise greatly compact.

In conclusion, venturing into precious metals investment for beginners is the best idea and that one can make in his or her life. with reference to the above discussed points, it is clear that this is one of the surest business that cannot fail a beginner for whatever reason.

Eisenhower Silver Dollars, Last of the Traditional Silver Dollar Type Coins

Dwight Eisenhower proved to be a successful leader in World War II, which led to the surrender of the Germans. He later was pursued by both parties for president. He won the 1952 election and again in 1956 as a Republican, and was known as an inspirational leader.

I personally don't care much for Eisenhower silver dollars. I include them here because they were the last of the 1 ounce silver dollar sized coins America ever produced, and a few even contained some silver.

The decade of the 1960's was a time of turmoil and change for the US. It was seen as not practical to use silver in circulation coinage any longer. The transition to cupronickel clad coins began in 1965.

From 1965 to 1969, silver clad copper which formed a 40% silver content was used. Then in 1970, cupronickel replaced silver in all fractional silver coinage. The new coins needed to be accepted by vending machines, the public, and be cost effective to produce.

A huge driving factor in eliminating silver in US coinage was that silver consumption was outpacing production. There was a concern that at the current rate of consumption, the Treasury's supply of silver would be exhausted by 1969. Silver was simply becoming too scarce for continued large scale use in coins.

Dwight Eisenhower died in 1969, and the Joint Commission on Coinage decided to honor him with a silver dollar sized coin. On December 31st, 1970, President Nixon approved the production of the Eisenhower silver dollar coin. The Eisenhower dollar was produced from 1971 through 1978.

Since no silver dollar sized coin had been produced since 1935, mint employees at all 3 branches were unfamiliar with striking coins that large. Denver got some practice with the 1964 Peace dollar, but Americans never got to see the result of their efforts.

San Francisco was the only mint to strike Eisenhower silver dollars with any actual silver in them. San Francisco struck both silver dollars containing silver and the cupronickel versions.

Proof coin production was moved to San Francisco in 1968. The San Francisco Mint struck Ikes containing 40% silver as proofs, and a few special "collector" uncirculated business strikes. None of the circulation strike Eisenhower silver dollars from any mint contained silver. All circulation strikes were cupronickel clad over a copper core.

If you can see a copper core along the rim of the coin, it isn't silver. If there is no copper visible on the rim, it is the collector edition 40% silver strike.

Even the "silver" versions were a compromise. They were.800 silver clad over a.210 silver/copper core. That gave the coin as a whole, 40% silver content.

Mint proof sets didn't necessarily have coins containing any silver either. Proof mintage exceeded 1 million coins, and up to 4 million coins every year of production. Business strikes approached a staggering 175 million coins in 1972. With these mintage figures, the lack of silver content, and low production quality, there is nothing rare or valuable about these coins.

The Eisenhower silver dollar, like the one dollar coins that followed was a package of compromise that completely failed as a circulating coin. The design was uninspired and production quality very low. No wonder there is so little collector interest in it.

Unfortunately as a young person, I saved as many of these coins as I could. I figured they would someday become valuable, and pay me back handsomely. I wish I'd collected Morgans in the 1970's instead. At least they did gain considerable value.

Gold Versus the Dollar

The U.S. owns about 258 million Troy ounces of gold that is of course mostly stored in Ft. Knox, and that gold in 2015 is worth about $310 billion dollars. That's a relatively paltry sum when you think about it, it's only about 1.7% of our current $18 trillion dollar national debt.

Gold increased in value from about $400 per Troy ounce in 2005 to about $1,200 per Troy ounce in 2015 or about three times (3X) in 10 years. Our national debt however went up from about $500 billion dollars to about $18 trillion dollars or about thirty-six times (36X) over the same period.

Doesn't it bother you that gold has increased so little over the past 10 years while our national debt has increase so much over the same time period? Trillions and trillions of paper dollars or just electronically created dollars and the value of gold has hardly moved? Does that make any sense?

It has been argued that the value of gold can not be directly related to dollars but only to its relative value in goods. An example often used is "if a Troy ounce of gold purchased a suit in 1920 the same quality suit could be purchased for an ounce of gold today." I'm sorry, but in my opinion that is a ridiculous comparison. Gold is valued on a supply and demand basis and when there is anxiety about the monetary system money gold prices take off. Gold is one of the few things that is difficult to create. You can't just decide you want to "create" a trillion dollars worth of gold, it just doesn't appear.

As long as gold is seen as a commodity, a material that makes beautiful jewelry, and there is no instability in the monetary system, gold's relationship to currency will remain disconnected. Gold is however scarce, that 258 million Troy ounces of gold the U.S. owns may grow with mining but compared to government dollar creation it's a very small increase.

China, in its ongoing attempts to dislodge the dollar as the favored reserve currency, is said to be hoarding gold and not reporting its holdings. Maybe China is one of the only countries that recognize that gold is a better foundation for money than a printing press. The dollar has defied logic by increasing in value in relation to gold based on nothing more than faith in the government. The question is how long can our increasingly monstrous house-of-paper and debt maintain that faith before gold again becomes a form of money.

1900 Lafayette, America's First Commemorative Silver Dollar

The Lafayette commemorative silver dollar was not only America's first commemorative silver dollar, but the first coin to have a portrait of our first president on it. This also was the only silver dollar commemorative coin minted until 1983.

These coins dated 1900 were actually struck on December 14th, 1899, which was the 100th anniversary of George Washington's death. This was technically in violation of the Mint Act of 1873 which required coinage to display the actual year of mintage as the date. 50,000 coins were minted in one day to be sold as fund raising souvenirs.

So, who was Lafayette, and why were they commemorating him with a silver dollar?

Marquis de Lafayette was born in 1757 to French nobility. He went to college, and then joined the French Army in 1771. In 1777 he became interested in the American Revolution, so he came over to offer his services.

Congress gave him a commission of Major General in the new Continental Army. He soon became good friends with George Washington, and influenced the French to join the Americans in an alliance against the British.

Lafayette's involvement in the American Revolution swung the war effort in the American's favor. This led to the British surrender in 1781.

The year 1900 was the year for the Paris Exposition, a monumental event for the time. All of France was celebrating and the US decided to join the party. The US planned on donating a large statue of General Lafayette on his horse, sculpted by Paul Bartlett.

This coin was minted to help raise funds for this impressive statue. The cost was estimated at $100,000. Therefore 50,000 coins were produced to be sold at $2 apiece to defray the cost.

The Mint's own Charles Barber designed this silver dollar with the pair of heads of Washington and Lafayette on the obverse and Bartlett's early sketch of the statue on the reverse.

School children contributed their pennies to help meet the statue's cost. In honor of their efforts, an inscription was added to the reverse which states "ERECTED BY THE YOUTH OF THE UNITED STATES IN HONOR OF GEN. LAFAYETTE".

The monument was unveiled on July 4th, 1900 in Paris for the Exposition.

Of the 50,000 Lafayette silver dollars produced, only around 36,000 were actually sold. The other 14,000 coins stayed in bank vaults until they were melted sometime before 1945.

Lafayette commemorative silver dollars are mostly found in circulated condition, as the American public didn't see them as particularly special at the time. AU+ examples are plentiful, but truly mint state specimens are really rare American coins.

Unfortunately, these coins are typically poorly struck, with dull luster and many bag marks. The 1900 Lafayette silver dollar is one of the rarest commemorative coins in MS-65 and higher condition.

The Truth About Gold

The gold market today is full of people beaten down and demoralized. Many bought gold on predictions of inflation that would cause their cash savings to evaporate into thin air. Others have been waiting for a coming crash in the bond market that would push huge pools of money out of the so called "safe haven" of the US dollar and into real assets, more specifically gold, causing an unprecedented rise in its price. As we can see once again the two drivers of fear and greed have been behind the very volatile market. Regardless of the reason, if the person bought on speculation of a higher price in terms of dollars, they have been spectacularly wrong since the bull market broke down in September of 2011 and many now are ready to throw in the towel. I do not discount the predictions that I mentioned above and they very well may come about. I would only like to point out that if you are feeling depressed about your gold allocations performance throughout the last couple years, there is a good chance that you had the wrong notion of buying gold in the first place.

Let me start off by saying that I am a BIG fan of gold. I'm sure that to most people it sounds completely insane for a person to love a shiny rock but I have a reason for my admiration. Since the dawn of man gold has been the best element to use as money. This can be proven rationally and empirically. Rationally though the recognition that the element of gold possesses certain characteristics (durability, portability, divisibility, intrinsic value) which just happen to best fit the bill for what money is (unit of exchange, unit of account, store of value). It can also be shown empirically by pointing out that gold has always been chosen as the preferred medium during instances throughout world history where there has been global trade without a currency being forced on the population. In other words, I love gold because it is the money of free people. It's real, it's tangible, it's value will never fall to zero and it's mostly untraceable. I want to be clear that I am not advocating for a gold standard. People should be able to choose whatever they would like to when trading with one another, it just so happens that this always turns out to be gold.

That being said, this does not mean that I think everyone should go rush out and spend all their money on gold. It is important to think clearly as to your intentions when putting a portion of your portfolio into something so as to not get burned as many are in the gold market today. I feel completely content with every once of gold that I have ever bought. I would like to point out the common misconceptions that have caused those that are upset to learn for their mistakes.

Gold is not an investment

I will start with the most widely held misconception first. Whenever you are considering "investing" there are several parameters that you should be looking at, first and foremost is cashflow or passive income. Cashflow is how much money the asset will put into your pocket on a monthly or quarterly basis. Obviously a gold coin does not produce monthly profits i.e. cashflow, therefore it is not an investment. If you are expecting price appreciation then you are not investing but speculating which is fine as long as you are prepared to lose the money that you are speculating with. You can invest in the gold market by buying gold mining stocks which pay a dividend, not by holding bullion. I think that it is a futile exercise to watch the price of gold but if you are determined to compare it's price appreciation with other things than you should compare gold up against other currencies or forms of money.

Gold is not money

This may seem to be completely counterintuitive to what I wrote earlier but it is not. I said that gold is the money of free people, unfortunately this does not describe society today. We are all forced to use paper "fiat" currencies issued by the government for all taxes, debt and dues by legal tender laws. Also, the cult of John Maynard Keynes has convinced most of those working in the western financial markets that gold is a barbarous relic which deserves no attention in the modern economy. This is how the government has taken away the naturally chosen money of gold an replaced it with paper which they run off of a printing press. Through the insidious process of inflation and debasement of the currencies the governments of the world are able to fund their atrocities without directly taxing the population. What this means practically is that gold is not held by a majority of the population and is therefore very volatile and not a good store of value.

You should never leverage a speculation

Using leverage is a great resource for those that want to acquire a cashflowing asset but a horribly bad idea for those speculating in the market. If not calculating your financing in terms of ROI, you might as well be borrowing money to throw on a roulette table. Also, when leveraging up make sure to read the terms closely and only do so in a corporate entity so as to not be personally reliable if the odds go against you.

No one can predict the market

No matter how much of a sure thing it seems that an investment is, it's not. There is no such thing as a sure thing and this is especially true in a market with unaccountable participants from all over the world. This does not mean that you should never look at market conditions and try to see if you can make some money, but only do so with money that you are prepared to lose. Market prediction is more of an art than a science and although there are many people out there that will convince you that they know which way the market is going, they don't, no one does. For this reason having more than 1/4 of your assets in only one thing is never a good idea.

The bottom line

You should look at gold as your financial insurance. Just like a life insurance or medical insurance, gold is something that you should buy and hope that you never have to cash in. If you cash in your financial insurance it will be in a time that the majority of people are desperate for a stable unit of account which usually means it is a time of all around financial chaos. At a time like this what you do not want is a piece of paper laying claim to some gold on the other side of the world. You want physical bullion that you can put your hands on. The best way to hold gold is in secure places that you can access if times get rough, this could be P.O. Boxes or safes at property owned by you or your family members. Although you may be tempted to tell people about your stash it is not something that you want to advertise, keep the location of your gold to yourself and maybe one or two very close family members. You should spread out you holdings in different locations in different countries and for God sake don't keep all of your gold in the United States. Buy it and forget about it, don't check the daily spot price and don't listen to gold brokers telling you to back up the truck because this time you can make a fortune. Make money in the way that you know how and sleep well at night knowing that no matter what happens in the markets you will never be completely wiped out.

Opportunity Arises Out of Crisis: Buy Gold by the Gram

Some things stare you in the face and you don't see them. Nobody was trying to hide the truth from you. The information has been reported via TV, national magazines, talk shows, books, documentaries you name it. However, you didn't pay it any attention or think about the ramifications to your way of life, your family or your future.

Then something totally unrelated happens and you start to think: The light bulb starts to burn brightly and you can't turn it off. Your immediate reaction to your new found knowledge is fear. Then you settle down and start to think about what you can possibly do to dodge the bullet or minimize the effect of being shot in the face at close range. The one thing you know for sure is that the bullet is coming.

I've been around the Internet marketing block for 20+years. With that knowledge (being fooled enough times will make you wise up) I say no to just about everything you can think of selling. Recently I was impressed by a product because it deals with finance at its base level. I'm in finance by profession and trade in the Forex market. I have a vested interest in global news that affects currency rates, especially Gold prices.

While researching claims about why everyone should buy gold, I heard rumors about the Dollar collapsing. Initially, I gave the prediction the same amount of thought as I gave the prediction that the real estate market was going to collapse: It did and people in the US (myself included) are still hurting from the economic fallout. Not wanting to be fooled again so quickly, I started doing some research on the collapse of the Dollar and how this could affect me and my family.

I was amazed at what the experts are saying could happen within hours of the Dollar collapsing. You can see this drama played out in southern states every time the weather forecast calls for snow, or freezing temperatures. All the basic food in the grocery is gone within hours. People react frantically like the storm will last a week and the truck won't be able to get to the store. If the Dollar collapses, their fears will probably become a reality. The truck may never leave the warehouse coming to their store again. The groceries may not be replenished.

Don't get stuck at the grocery store. Think about all the other ramifications of the Dollar collapsing.


Your job can not pay you in an acceptable currency that's exchangeable for goods and services.
Stocks have no value (the stock market crashed).
There's no money to fund government social programs (food stamps, welfare, housing, energy bill payments, etc.) which almost everyone needs all of a sudden.
You can't buy gas for your car or for heating.
The Dollars in your savings account are worthless.
Crime is running rampant. Riots, home invasion, people killing people to protect property and family, Martial Law. When people can't get food they do desperate things.

The collapse of the Dollar would truly be a bigger tragedy than we could ever begin to imagine. And, the experts say there could be a war and the depression last up to 25 years.

We cannot stop the Dollar from collapsing. It's already been set on a course of no return, and history shows that fiat currency (money back by nothing) returns to its original value, zero. But we can get educated on how we can survive in a post Dollar economy. The new money, if Russia and China buying all the Gold they can get their hands on for years is any indication, will probably be Gold or backed by Gold. We need to become Gold buyers and we need to do it now!

We can purchase 24 Karat, 999.9% pure Gold by the gram now. The price of Gold per gram is less than the cost of dinner for two at a mediocre restaurant. A gram of Gold is so small you can store it yourself (I wouldn't put it in a US safe deposit box), or have it stored offshore free of charge. There are monthly gold savings plans available to help us accumulate Gold quickly.

Yes! Opportunities Arise out of Crisis. You can become a Gold dealer and help others prepare for the crisis that's headed our way. Here's the 54 million Dollar question (excuse my pun). From this point forward, are you going to save Dollars or are you going to save Gold? You've been informed. The rest is up to you!

The Pivotal Grading Point of Rare American Coins

The pivotal grading point of a rare coin is defined as the MS grade where the next higher grade is worth more than double the grade just below it. This is essential information for the rare American coin investor as well as collector.

Generally, two conditions will be present for a pivotal point grade. Learn to identify pivotal grading points and use this information to your advantage.

First, the third party grading service population report number of the higher grade must be less than 50% of the lower grade coin. If you review population reports, this is almost universally true.

Second, there will be at least a 100% price increase between the lower grade and the higher grade. Often, there is considerably more than double the price increase.

Pricing information for this article is based on the CDN Greysheet listings for Morgan and Peace dollars.

There is virtually always more than one pivotal grade point for a key date mint state coin. It's the combination of population and price that determines the initial and secondary pivotal point.

The secondary pivotal grading point usually has a more dramatic price increase than the initial. There are a few exceptions to this rule. The 1893-S Morgan is one of them.

The higher the coin grade, the more pivotal it becomes.

Generally speaking, the majority of Morgan and Peace silver dollars have their initial pivotal grade points at MS-65 and a secondary at MS-66.

The really common date Morgan and Peace dollars will have their pivotal point at MS-66 instead of MS-65. For example, the 1922 Peace silver dollar will initially pivot at MS-66 and again at MS-67.

The 1921 Morgan dollar will pivot initially at MS-65, with a secondary pivot at MS-66 and a tertiary pivot at MS 67. This very common coin is relatively uncommon in higher mint states.

Perhaps around 25% of Morgans are at MS-64 initially. Semi-common Morgan and Peace dates pivot at MS-64 or MS-65. The secondary is often between MS-65 and MS-66.

If you look at a price guide, you'll notice the rarer the date, the lower grade the initial pivotal point it will have, and the more pivotal points it will have.

1893-S Morgan dollar prices increase substantially throughout its grading scale, but when you hit MS-60 the price jumps to 6 times the price of the AU-58. Then it pivots again at MS-65, but his time the secondary pivot point isn't greater than the primary.

The difference in price between every pivot point in the mint state coin grades will be substantial, usually several thousands of dollars. To find the exact pivotal grade point, look on current price charts to determine where it is and what the exact price difference is.

What does this mean to you as an investor? Generally speaking, the greatest gains will be made for the grade just below the initial pivotal point. Again, generally speaking, the MS-64 Morgan has the greatest potential for price increases. Consult current price guides for specific information.

The grade right below the pivotal grade has a far larger market than the pivotal grade, especially in a down market. That's because, most collectors and many investors are happy to pay a whole lot less for almost as good.

Rare American Coins and Morgan Dollar Branch Mint Proofs

There is a widespread belief that Philadelphia is the only US mint to produce proof Morgan silver dollars. This is generally true, but the other 3 mints occasionally struck proofs as well. These coins were struck with the extra pressure, from highly polished dies, one at a time and handled with extra care.

All the dies for Morgan and Peace silver dollars were made in Philadelphia. The final steps of basining and polishing were performed when the dies arrived at the respective branches.

Because of the low mintage numbers of branch mint proofs, and how infrequently they were struck, it's commonly believed the branch mint proof dies were just modifications of the business dies. The largest known branch mint proof production amounts to 24 examples.

There is a lot of controversy and conjecture around these coins. Determining positively that a coin is indeed a branch mint proof is difficult. These examples usually don't exhibit the square rims or bold design details of the Philadelphia proof silver dollars.

Employees of the three mint branches weren't experienced in striking proof quality coins. Therefore these coins didn't get the attention to detail the Philadelphia versions got.

Proof coins from the 3 branches are hard to distinguish from exceptional prooflike business strikes. That means they must be authenticated by an expert in the field.

The late Walter Breen was considered to be the ultimate authority on the subject. He had been authenticating these coins since 1963, and was possibly the only person expert enough to authenticate coins as proofs originating from a branch mint.

Montana coin dealer, Wayne Miller may be a close second to Walter Breen in this field. I'm not sure whom PCGS or NGC uses for this purpose.

Authentication starts with mint records indicating that the respective branch had produced proof coins in a given year. The existence of the coin must be well documented to begin with.

The well documented dates, proof coins were struck at branch mints are:

· 1879-O, 12 pieces, of which 4 are known to exist.

· 1883-O, 12 pieces, of which 2 are known to exist.

· 1893-CC, 12 pieces, of which 4 are known to exist.

· 1921-S, 24 pieces, of which 5 are known to exist.

There are other dates that exhibit definite proof qualities, such as the 1887-O, 1883-CC, 1884-CC and 1895-O, but not adequate mint records.

These examples are more than simply prooflike. Legitimate differing opinions exist among several leading and knowledgeable experts as to whether these are genuine proof coins produced at the mint branch or simply specimen type coins.

The well documented dates are known as class I proofs produced by the branch mints. The 1879-O is probably the best known, because it commemorated the reopening of the New Orleans mint, closed since 1861.

The 1893-CC was struck for the closing of the Carson City Mint. The 1921's were struck for coin dealers Farran Zerbe and Henry Chapman. I can't find any commemorative reason for the production of the 1883-O version however.

Where To Sell Gold Bullion, Coins And Jewellery

As the gold price soars to near historic highs reaching in excess of $1,000 per ounce, sellers have been faced by a onslaught of glaring electronic signs, flashy billboards and top level TV ads promising them that it is possible to make a killing through trading in their unwanted gold items especially jewelry. However what those ads are not saying takes the shine off the whole pitch by gold buyers. People are thinking that there is a huge, very easy and fast cash grab that awaits them while this is not necessarily the case. Gold dealers are operating in a self-regulated and controlled industry, which makes it essential for the gold sellers and buyers to fully comprehend how the transactions work.

The big question that needs answering is just how simple is it to dispose of and realize the true worth of your gold ingots, sovereigns, jewellery or unusual gold coins like the US Buffalo, the Austrian Philharmonic or the Chinese Panda? Below we look at a number of tips for those who are interested in knowing where to sell gold.

Get Your Gold Appraised First

Before you sell gold, get an appraisal done by an in independent valuer. Look for an appraiser who is licensed, if possible one who is already an accredited affiliate of a nationally or internationally recognized organization. The American Society of Appraisers would, for instance, be good place to have your gold appraised.

Know The Gold Buyer

If you are going to mail out your jewelry, first carry out research on the company's reputation. Before dispatching, certify and then insure them for protection against theft or loss. In Australia, most jewellers are members of the Jewelers' Association of Australia (JAA) and their website would a good place to start your research. You also could confirm if the company has ever received any customer complaints at your local Better Business Bureau website. It is also in the best of your interests when you only deal with businesses which have established reputations and actual storefronts.

Know The Gold Karat Content

It is important to appreciate that the quality of gold varies. The majority of gold jewelry is normally in the range of 14 to 18 karat, and rarely does it come as pure 24-karat gold. In most cases, the karat content is etched somewhere on your jewellery.

Do Shop Around

Before accepting a sale, obtain several offers from diverse gold dealers. The recommended business technique is to get at least three quotes before you decide as this is to your advantage. Patience is a virtue in any business sale transaction.

Be Vigilant With Gold Coins

When you plan on selling your gold coins, be wary of doing that by the gram. It is possible that they could be worth much more in the eyes of a gold coin collector.

Taken on the face value of it, ingots or bars may look like the better option in terms of value for money, since they usually are sold and bought in larger quantities. However, in an article with the heading, 'Buy gold, they say - but how do you sell it?' by Emma Simon published on The Telegraph in March 2013, she advises that in case you wish to just cash in a portion of your gold assets, this could be simpler and easier when you possess coins. For example, when you got 10 sovereigns, you could opt to sell just one.

Reasons To Sell Gold For Cash

Selling gold became one of the most popular ventures since the recession. Why? The reason is because the value of gold jumped through the roof during that period. It has succeeded in continuing to give some great cash benefits over the years. Instead of buying stock, people searched through every gold item they had to sell for instant cash, whether damaged or not.

Another reason is the opportunity it creates for people to settle their financial problems, especially with the rise in living standards. The cash they get from selling gold goes a long way to cover most of their bills and mortgages.

There is also the business opportunity that comes with making a career out of selling gold. Some people buy gold from family members, friends and neighbors. They pay them a small sum of cash and turn in the gold to gold buyers for a profitable sum.

How To Get Cash For Selling Gold

There are many gold buyers out there who would trade in some cash for gold. One of them happens to be local jewelers. People need only walk into their places of business, have their gold items weighed and given cash depending on the weight of the gold.

Gold buying companies also exist for the same reason jewelers do. The process is the same in these companies as well. Walk in with the gold, weigh it and cash is provided.

Gold buying websites are other avenues to venture when in need of selling gold. The selling process here is a bit different as it does not require a face-to-face approach. People should first send a sample of the gold they intend to sell as proof. Then they weigh the gold and communicate with the website of their weight which follows with a value provided of how much the gold is worth. Afterwards, they send the gold to the gold buying company on the website and their cash is sent in immediately after verification of the weight. This process takes longer, but it is just as effective in the long run.

What To Do Before Turning In Gold For Cash

It is always is important to conduct some research on the current value of gold and the selling process before engaging in any selling. This is so people do not get ripped off for a lower sum of money or no money at all.

Therefore, the first thing to do is weigh all the gold items. The next step is to find out what the current market gold value is and come up with an estimate of the amount of cash to receive. The next thing is to conduct some research on gold buying companies that someone may want to sell their gold to. This way, one can know their nature of business, if they are legit or not. When it comes to websites, reading a couple of reviews would be very helpful.

Better Business Bureau stated gaining some knowledge on the different kinds of gold weighing scales is also very important before selling gold. This is because companies and jewelers use different types of scaling machines with different gram sizes for an ounce of gold. For instance, the standard weight of an ounce of gold is 28 grams. However, some companies and jewelers use the Troy ounce which weighs an ounce of gold at 31.1 grams. Others use a pennyweight which is 1.555 grams.

Rare American Coins and Morgan Silver Dollar Proofs

Proof coins are the showpieces of the series of any coin and are therefore handled with extra care every step of their production. They represent the ultimate examples of that coin series.

In the case of Morgan silver dollars, by far the most proof examples were produced in Philadelphia. On rare occasions, the branch mints would strike proofs. This is covered in another article I've written on branch mint proofs.

The planchets are hand selected for perfection, the dies are carefully polished. The press runs slowly and exerts far more pressure than on the circulation strike. Finally, the blanks are hand fed and retrieved to minimize damage during production.

To qualify as a proof, the coin details must be exceptional and fully struck. Morgan dollar specimens will exhibit squared off rims compared to the business strike.

If a proof looking Morgan dollar doesn't exhibit the telltale squared off rims, no matter how good it looks, it isn't one. Prooflike circulated silver dollars can occasionally be so well struck, they can almost fool the casual observer into thinking they are actually the real thing.

The fields will always appear mirror-like and are very easily damaged. Unlike their circulated siblings, care was taken at the mint during handling to avoid nicks and bag marks.

Even with all the care taken during production, these Morgan silver dollars still have a problem with hairlines in the mirror fields. Hairlines are the extremely fine scratches that show themselves because of the shiny field surfaces.

After the Morgan proof silver dollars left the mint, they were still subject to damage from handling. This came about because, the few coin collectors in the 19th century had no way to properly store their prizes. Back then, consideration was rarely given toward proper handling techniques.

Careless handling sometimes caused scratches to the mirrored silver surfaces. Depending on the location, depth, and length of the scratch, the coin may be deemed ungradable. Scratches, unlike hairlines are painfully obvious from any angle.

During the 20th century, some examples were harmed from albums or the edges of plastic flips. At least this sort of damage appears on the high points where it is less noticeable.

Some Morgan proofs have weak strikes even though the coin presses are supposed to exert significantly more pressure on proof coinage. Problem years are from 1888 to 1893 and to a lesser extent from 1901 to 1904.

Proof Morgan silver dollars will continue being at the top of collector interest in this series. They have a long term track record of significantly outperforming the circulation strike coins in price appreciation.

Rare American Coins and Prooflike Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars

A prooflike silver dollar is struck from a polished die that produces a reflective surface usually on the field and occasionally on the device. Prooflike coins were intended for circulation and no special care was taken in their handling.

Most prooflike Morgan silver dollars are boldly struck, but a few will lack full detail. The degree of reflectivity varies from mirror like, to little more than a regular frosty circulation grade silver dollar, which is known as semi-prooflike.

Prooflike silver dollars are highly desired among collectors due to their tremendous eye appeal, and form a special niche in the market.

Morgan dates can have a high circulation strike number, with only a few prooflike specimens or just the opposite can happen. The degree of reflectivity will vary from date to date, and mint to mint.

Three factors contribute to a circulation strike silver dollar looking like a proof. They are: reflectivity of the mirror surface, degree of contrast between the device and field, and mint made surface imperfections resulting from careless handling.

The cameo version of the Morgan silver dollar is the closest thing to an actual proof coin of any of the business strikes. They are the easiest to identify and of course the most valuable.

What's known as brilliant prooflike Morgans have a shiny finish on both the fields and devices. They can be distinguished from polished coins because the date, lettering and mintmark won't be shiny. Obviously this won't happen on a polished example.

A grey brilliant prooflike silver dollar has a subdued luster. It is reflective, but will never appear cameo. Because these coins aren't easily recognizable as the cameo, or brilliant, they aren't as desirable.

Prooflike dollars show bag marks, abrasions and wear very easily. They frequently have annoying hairline swirls in the fields caused by incomplete die polishing.

The mirrored surfaces are easily dulled or destroyed. Temperature and humidity changes over the years can produce cloudy or milky spots on the reflective surfaces. Salt water will also ruin their surfaces.

Several factors alone, or in combination with others contribute to the prooflike traits of Morgan silver dollars. They are:

First, the master die was a cameo die with a highly polished field. This was then transferred to the working die. Generally, the first 500 to 2000 coins struck from these dies have the attributes of a proof.

Cameo circulated Morgans were fairly common in the early years, and had disappeared by 1900. This is because the cameo master die had weakened with duplication of working dies over the years. Die deterioration made successive examples less reflective, and therefore semi-prooflike in appearance.

Second is in the planchets. Planchets formed by new rollers would have a shinier surface than ones made by rollers worn from service in later years.

Third is when left over proof silver dollar dies were pressed into service after their initial use was complete. They still had a lot of working life left in them and made exquisite business strike coins.

With so many prooflike Morgan silver dollar specimens produced, you might wonder about proof and prooflike Peace dollars. Well, there aren't any. A possible reason could be that Peace dollar working dies weren't basined (or polished).

Technology advances had eliminated the need to individually hand polish working dies by the early 1920s. There also weren't any proof Peace dollars struck. Therefore none could be pressed into service for business strikes.

Rare American Coins and the Creation of the Peace Silver Dollar

Farran Zerbe was the coin collector who founded the Chase Manhattan Bank Money Museum in New York City with his own superb coin collection. Farran Zerbe is credited with initiating the interest by Congress in a new silver coin commemorating the recent peace from the World War.

He campaigned for a new silver dollar coin intended for circulation. Finally, on May 9th, 1921 a joint resolution by the House and Senate brought the Peace Dollar into existence.

The Pitman Act now provided for replacement of the 270 million silver dollars melted for the war effort. President Warren Harding signed an Executive Order on July 28th, 1921 for a new Peace silver dollar coin.

It still took until November 23rd, to announce a competition for Peace silver dollar proposals from 8 prominent sculptors. Entries were due by December 13th, 1921. Mint employees worked furiously to have the working dies ready by the deadline of Monday, December 26th.

Because of the extremely condensed timeframe for having a working prototype, the contest winner, Italian immigrant, Anthony de Francisci used his 23 year old wife, Mary Teresa Cafarelli as the model to represent the Lady of Peace. She was the last model to pose for a representation of Liberty on a US coin.

Anthony de Francisci lived from July 13, 1887 to October 20, 1964. He immigrated to the United States in 1905 and was married to Mary Teresa Cafarelli in 1920. Mary Teresa Cafarelli de Francisci lived from May 4, 1898 to October 20, 1990 and died exactly 26 years after her husband to the day.

The original high relief design quickly proved to have problems during production, because the extra striking pressure considerably shortened die life. High relief dies broke easily and had a very short service life.

The relief was reduced soon after production began to solve the initial problems. Reduced striking pressures made the coin flat and weakly detailed. This made the Peace Dollar one of the flatter silver dollars minted in the US. It is second only to the Eisenhower silver dollar.

Unfortunately, the flattening process made this coin lose most of the beauty intended by its designer. The beauty and bold design of this coin was lost in 1921, never to return.

The pride taken in minting the Morgan silver dollar didn't carry over to the Peace dollar. The Philadelphia Mint produced coins with off white blotches and San Francisco was famous for its poor strikes. They DID manage to get a half million coins out of a die pair though.

How To Appraise Gold And Silver In A Changing Market

With the aim of cashing in on the rising prices of gold and silver, people are bagging up virtually every scrap of precious metal that they own and flocking to shops that are willing to buy them. Knowing how to appraise, or get the value, of your gold and silver is vital if you are to get a good deal.

The simplest way in which you can appraise the value of a gold or silver item is by considering its bullion value. This is the value of the raw if it were to be melted and recycled, based on its weight and purity. There are a few basic determinants, however, that can tip the scales. Consider the following points on how to appraise gold and silver.

Gold Appraisal Tips

First, check the weight of your gold item, preferably with a pair of digital scales. The heavier the item, the more valuable it is.

Second, use a jeweler's lops to examine the gold for a hall-mark. This is usually found on the reverse of jewellery, and in some cases on the inside of trinket boxes. Most often, gold is mixed with another metal such as copper, depending on its purpose. Purity markings that determine the carat will help you appraise the value of your gold. It is generally expressed either in parts of 24 or in parts per 1000. In either case, the higher the marking, the higher the value of your item.

Third, consider the item itself - if it is a collectible or a coin, it might have more value than a piece of jewelry. For example, a gold watch by a renowned watchmaker will be appraised above its bullion value.

Silver Appraisal Tips

Start off by weight your silver items using a digital scale. The current market value of silver is multiplied by its weight to give you its current spot value.

Silver, too, has a purity marking and most silver items will be clearly marked. For example, Sterling silver is said to be of 92.5% purity, and will be hall-marked as.925. The general appraisal of silver is in parts of 1000. The higher the number, the purer the item, and greater its value. If your silver is not clearly hall-marked, test it with an acid tester. This involves rubbing the silver on a stone rubbing slab and then wiping the stone with nitric acid. The colour of the stone changes based on the purity of your silver.

Finally, do a lot of research on the silver item in question. The rarity of the object determines its final price, which could turn out to be much more than the melt value of silver. In the case of old coins, their age can give you a price much higher than the silver they are made from.

In summary, the above points provide a basic outline on how to appraise gold and silver. Keeping these points in mind will help you get the right appraisal and get the best value for these precious metals, irrespective of whether you are buying or selling. It is important to keep in mind that the current market values are constantly changing. Therefore, keep up to date with these changes so that you will be able to get the correct appraisal

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Do Careful Research to Find Out Where to Sell Gold

With the price of gold on the rise, many people are rummaging through their dresser drawers for any loose gold jewelry that they can sell for extra cash. If you have some pieces that you are ready to part with, you need to be aware of where to sell gold. It can be tempting to contact the company you heard about on last night's infomercial, but if you are not careful you may end up as prey for an illegitimate business.

In order to avoid being gullible and falling for a dishonest gold buyer, you should educate yourself as much as possible. The more you know about your pieces and their value, the less likely you will get taken. You can find an honest buyer who is willing to pay the best price if you are aware of how much gold your pieces actually have in them. Some gold buyers tell their customers that their gold is worth much more than it really is, getting the sellers stuck in a deal before taking advantage of their trust. You should be aware of the carat of gold and the actual value of every piece you intend to sell.

Many gold buyers have websites that promote great deals, but you should look beyond face value to find out more about the company. If possible, you should check with the Better Business Bureau to see if any other customers have filed complaints. The best gold buyers should be free from complaints, suggesting that they are willing to work fairly with consumers. A flashy website can be distracting, so do not attempt to make a sale unless you have really researched anyone with whom you want to do business.

Full-time gold buyers are often the most reputable. Other businesses may simply buy gold as a way to earn some extra cash. When buying gold is a company's dominant business, they are more likely to give you the best prices for your pieces without trying to take advantage of you. These companies also often offer insurance, so make sure to check on how much liability they offer.

Selling your gold locally is often a better option than trying to mail your pieces to a buyer in a distant location. When you ship your pieces to an out-of-state buyer, it can be difficult to ensure that you will actually receive payment. You can work face to face with a local buyer to make your sale without having to wonder if you will ever receive a check.

By completing careful research before buying, you are more likely to find an honest buyer willing to work with you to make a deal.

Ralph Mueller & Associates have been serving the Valley of the Sun for over 28 years, and have over 60 years combined experience in buying and selling diamonds and precious gemstones between their two senior Graduate Gemologists. Over the years the company has purchased millions of dollars of fine gemstones and jewelry from people all over the world. Since 1983 Ralph Mueller and Associates has been building an impeccable reputation in the jewelry trade, and international markets. Ralph Mueller & Associates' mission is to provide SERVICE in the highest professional, courteous and respectful manner.

Best Gold IRA Rollover - How to Choose The Best Gold IRA Company

When it comes to buying gold, an IRA company is of great importance to you. The company is your custodian and is responsible for a number of things which include:

Buying IRS-approved gold for you
Setting up your self-directed IRA
Ensuring that your gold is secure and safe
Rolling over your existing IRA into a Gold IRA without any tax penalties

Due to the importance of an IRA company, it's good that you do your research and identify the best company in your area. A good company should be willing to do the following:

Rolling your existing IRA to a new gold IRA
Investing your funds in a number of other precious metals other than gold
Providing you with a secure storage facility for your gold
Keeping track of the market conditions for gold and other precious metals
Offering good deliver and guarantee policies
Offering a flat fee for your account
Advising you on what to do on a number of issues

Factors to consider when choosing an IRA company

For you to choose the right IRA Company you need to consider a number of factors such as:

License: all IRA custodians are required by law to be properly licensed by the internal Revenue service (IRS); therefore, you should ensure that the company that you want to work with has the necessary license.

Insurance: it's good to work with a protected company; therefore, you should work with a company that has the FDIC insurance. The good side with working with an insured company is that you are sure to get your investment back in the event there is a calamity in the company.

Online reviews: many people write their experiences with a company online; therefore, if you are looking for a reputable company you should visit online review sites and see if there are any reviews about the company that you want to work with.

If there are no reviews, chances are that the company is new thus it's not good to work with it. If there are reviews, you should ensure that they are positive. One of the best sites that you should visit is the Better Business Bureau website.

Conclusion

These are some of the factors that you should consider when choosing the best gold IRA Company. When you find three or five good companies you should schedule an interview with the representatives of the companies in order to determine if the companies right for you. As rule of thumb you should only work with the best company.

How to Quickly and Confidently Spot a Fake 1893-S Morgan Silver Dollar

1893-S Morgan silver dollars are so renowned, that more exist today than were originally minted. Most Counterfeit 1893-S Morgans consist of altered versions of existing genuine Morgan dollars.

The majority of 1893-S Morgan silver dollars are certified, so why would I need to know how to tell a fake one when I see it? Hasn't NGC and PCGS already done that for me?

I've seen fake 1893-S Morgans both graded and raw. I have to assume PCGS and NGC graders both know how to spot a fake 1893-S Morgan, so when I see an example of a counterfeit slabbed in a legitimate looking holder, I have to figure the holder is as fake as the coin.

I also run across fake coin denial. Owners of these coins don't want to admit they were fooled into buying a counterfeit coin. That's a hard pill to swallow, especially when the owner paid top dollar for a graded coin with the confidence of it being blessed from a major third party grader.

The 1893-S date/mintmark is the most valuable of the Morgan designed dollars. Because of this, most counterfeit versions have been made by altering either the date, or the mintmark.

Learning to tell a fake 1893-S Morgan is simple, because ALL 100,000 coins were made from the same obverse die and two reverse dies. That makes the diagnostic really easy.

They all have the same obverse characteristics and not terribly different reverse characteristics. Any coin that doesn't possess the telltale diagnostic characteristics is a fake. Learn what to look for, and you can spot a fake raw coin AND a fake graded coin.

The date is probably the easiest thing to pick out. Unlike other dies from the S, O, or P mints, the date has a flaw and a certain characteristic the altered coins won't possess.

First, look closely at the 1. Does it line up exactly with the dentil directly under it? Can you draw a line right through the center of both?

Next, study the last numeral. As the date progresses, it slopes upward to the right, in relation to the edge. The 3 is noticeably higher than the 1 at the beginning. This is the easiest way to quickly spot a fake.

There are things to check in the "T" and "R" on LIBERTY, but they would need a microscope to detect. There's a tiny die scratch in the "T" and a detail that resembles "rabbit ears" in the base of the "R". ALL genuine 1893-S Morgans have this detail, if you happen to have a microscope check out this diagnostic detail.

You don't really need to turn the coin over to make any more diagnostics on it.

Further diagnostics will only tell you how the alteration was made. The genuine "S" mintmark is clear and rounded. It isn't a mushy blob. The top serif on the "S" is a vertical line, while the bottom serif is more like a triangle.

The next mintmark giveaway is the alignment of the "S". It should be perfectly aligned. I've seen the "S" mintmark noticeably slanted, and it shouldn't be. Also, the "S" is slightly filled in between the upper curve and the slant of the "S" as well as the lower curve and the slant.

Since most counterfeit 1893-S dollars are altered, continue to study the coin with a 10X glass. Rotate the coin and look for tooling marks around the 9 or 3 for signs of a date alteration on the obverse. Altered coins are usually the 1898-S, 1883-S, or 1893-P.

As collector values continue to increase with the 1893-S, the fakes will get even better. With emerging technologies, counterfeits will become almost perfect replicas of the original. My hope is that as technologies to accurately copy a coin advance, technologies to detect such copies will also keep up.

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The Original and Counterfeit: 1804 Draped Bust Silver Dollar

The 1804 Draped Bust dollar is the most interesting and desirable of all U.S. coins, with many mysteries and underworld type stories surrounding it. Known as the "King of coins", it is one of the most famous and valuable coins in the world.

No 1804 dated silver dollars were actually struck that year. These coins show evidence of a technology which wasn't available in 1804, but 30 years later.

Official mint records show 19,570 Draped Bust silver dollars were produced, but it's believed that all the dollars actually struck in 1804 have been dated 1803 or before. This was a practice at the time to save the expense of creating new dies every year. The silver dollars actually minted in 1804 are indistinguishable from their 1803 predecessors.

15 specimens of the 1804 Draped Bust dollar are currently known, and all 15 are accounted for. They are categorized into Class I, II, & III. There are 8 Class I examples minted in 1834. 1 Class II, and 6 Class III coins were minted off the record by Mint employees between 1857 and as late as 1870.

All Class I 1804 silver dollars will weigh 416 grains, the standard prior to 1837. Class I and Class III 1804 dollars have a lettered edge of the style used from 1794 to 1803, while the Class II dollar has a plain edge.

The 1858 Type III restrikes were made on whatever planchets could be found at the time. They didn't necessarily weigh the new 412.5 grains dictated by Congress. Besides their non-uniform weight, Class III coins can be distinguished from Class I by their slightly different reverse design.

It is thought that originally 15 Class II dollars were illegally struck by mint employees, which were later returned to mint officials. The only remaining Class II 1804 dollar has gone to the National Collection in the Smithsonian.

We now know that the 8 Class I, 1804 dollars were minted in 1834-1835 for inclusion in presentation proof sets given to dignitaries by the US Government. One is found in the King of Siam proof set, the other went to the Sultan of Muscat.

When the U.S. mint exhausted their original supply of 1804 dollars, an additional 7 more pieces, the type III were made to satisfy collector demand in 1858 & 1859 and released over the next 20 years to collectors.

All of these coins are uncirculated, although 4 of the 7 were made to look circulated. That way their owners could have an explanation for their acquisition, not tying them directly to the US Mint.

In the late 1960's there were thousands of cast dollars dated 1803 & 1804, as well as Trade dollars sold to American soldiers returning from Viet Nam. These coins sometimes exhibit an I or ! after the word AMERICA on the reverse. They are cast copies of an 1800 Draped Bust silver dollar, with the last 0 retooled into a 4.

Cast copies typically have poor, indistinct features. The fields are porous in texture, which is in keeping with cast coins. They are also light in weight, coming in at only 22 to 23 grams. Finally, the 1804 date is nicely cut regardless of wear. A coin with blobs on the date is counterfeit.

Alterations of other dates from genuine 1801 to 1803 Draped Bust silver dollars account for the rest of the known counterfeits. Most date alterations will show tool marks around the altered date fairly distinctly, though a few have been deceptively well done.