Precious Metals Continue as Safe Haven

Uncertainty drives markets. Equities usually respond by declining in value, while precious metals prove once more that they are still the traditional haven to which investors come to weather the latest financial storm. While some investors are seeking a safe harbor through relatively new alternative investments, the clamor for gold, silver and platinum is demonstrating that these metals have not lost any of their proverbial luster.

Demand and prices are up not only for bullion ingots and coins, but for coins with precious metal content as well. It isn’t just the coins that can be bought and sold for prices being based on their intrinsic value. Coins with an additional premium due to collector values are also being impacted, this being particularly obvious in circulation strike gold coins issued prior to 1933.

While attention may be focused on this area of the market, it should be pointed out that new collectors are still being encouraged through some of the many new coin issues recently released, some being non-circulating legal tender commemoratives, but some being coins meant for circulation as well. Most notably among NCLTs are the recently released Negro Leagues Baseball coins, while Native Americans continue to be presented on circulating dollar coins and the latest quarters now feature prominent women. Quarters will continue to do so through 2025.

Coin collecting, as well as all other collectibles and the antique trade in general, go through phases of popularity. The interest in coins has been on the upswing for several years and appears to be continuing to expand. Where do we go from here? It appears the answer continues to be “up.”