Which classic european gold coins do you guys think will outperform gold? I've become a big fan of french angels, and I'm going to get some of them for sure - but besides them... rubles? marks? lira? corona? korona? something else? I want to get a variety I guess, but there are so many... which will be the best to have? And if someone may list a site / multiple sites on the web where these coins are available in B.U. condition @ fair prices. No auction sites. I am really new at this and I will appreciate anyone's help in these inquiries. Thank u.
Since I'm not a registered investment advisor I don't violate state and federal law by giving investment advice. I truly believe that this type of question belongs in an investment forum, not a coin collecting forum.
I dunno about the gold prices and things cos i don't tend to follow up on them. But i do know collecting. British gold guineas always seem to do well, especially the pre Geo III. In November 2002 i bought a 1688 James II gold half guinea grading Fine for $400, i held onto it for 1 and half years till spring of this year. I sold it for $590. It's the only decent profit i ever made. But what i can tell you is the bargin is made when buying, not when selling. And the old gold coins with true collector value with raise with collector value, not with the gold value. Anyhow i saw a rarer denomiation of a rarer monarch (reigned 1685-1688) at a very good price, it was decent grade and problem free. I did good, for once! Three things; Collectable scarce coins, old gold where the value is way beyond the gold and buy it for a good price.
I have to agree with Roy: this question could better be answered on an investment forum as opposed to a collector forum. The people on this forum board tend to collect for various reasons, with the emphasis definitely not on investment. Why not try here: http://www.gold.org/value/invest/
I was always of the opinion that to make money in gold coins near spot you gotta be ahead of the market and it'll be small profits all the way for most of the time. Small adds up, but you gotta know the market. Which is totally beyond me. Economics doesn't interest me in the slightest.
I have read posts on this forum for over a year where people have discussed where to get the best deal, is e-bay this or is e-bay that, as well as how much is my penny worth, etc., which I don't mind. It is part of the forum and is worth while information to those who ask, read, and respond. What I don't get is why the cold or negative reponse when someone discusses the price of silver or the potential of gold coins. To me there seems to be a population of people out there who are interested in this as well. Lets face it, there are many reasons why people collect coins. Even those who invest in coins, for the most part, love those coins they are investing in and realize that the return if any would not compare to other investment options. I enjoy reading about Sylvester's velvet coin chest as I am also interested in airtites and not every posting could be about the history of the British Shilling. If so, we would have a good coin forum but not a complete one. Let us embrace all of our passions and not cast stones at another's love of interest.
Reflects my thoughts as well. Perhaps some of the people will begin to invest and then see that what they really want to do is collect. If not, they should at least learn from this resource how to properly handle the coins that they do have. A positive response may inspire another person to begin a collection Some experts here may not see any connection between coin collecting and bullion investing, but we should see how easily a "newbie" may make that connection. Not everyone is at the same place on the coin collecting learning curve. Dave in WV
This is most definitley not an investment forum. But if there is one question that is asked more often, in this forum or any other, it is - what's it worth ? Facts of life folks - it aint ever gonna change. Now soon after someone asks that question and they start collecting coins one of the next questions they ask is - what coins should I collect ? This question can be phrased in many ways - but it always means the same thing. For no one wants to buy a coin that is going to be worth less than they paid for it. It's just human nature to be that way and I don't blame them. But what those new to the collecting hobby don't know is that just about ANY coin you buy is worth less than you paid for it - assuming you try to sell it soon after you bought it. That is also assuming you paid retail for it. Experienced collectors know this - but only because they're experienced. They've been there done that. So I never have a problem answering these types of questions - they are to be expected in my opinion. However - I don't think there is anyone here, or anywhere else, that can say that I have ever suggested to anyone new to the hobby or otherwise - that they should buy this coin or that coin because it will go up in price. I tend to speak in generalities only in that regard. So to answer your question db330 - this is what I would suggest. You asked about gold world coins and which ones will outperform the price of gold. Well that's not really a question anyone can answer - because they don't know. And the reason they don't know is because it all depends on which coins will become the most popular in the days to come. Sylvester told you about his success with a British gold coin. But what he did not mention is that British coinage has gone up about 300% in the past few years - and not just gold. It simply became extremely popular. And popular means more demand and more demand means higher prices. But it doesn't do you any good to know that about British coinage - because it's already happened. It is merely an example of what you need to know to answer your question. And for me or anyone else to tell you an answer would be meaningless. Because all we could do is give you our opinion - and it could easy be wrong. So what I will do here is give you some basic guidelines - because in the end only you can make such a decision. First of all get yourself some books on the subject - the Krause catalogs would be a good place to start. Then spend some time doing a bit of research on which coins from which countries have lower mintages. By looking at them you will soon see which coins are abundant and which ones are not. Then go check the ads for these coins in the trade papers like Coin World & Numismatic News and see what the prices are and which coins appear in these ads the most often. The more often you see them - the more popular they are. But what you want are the ones which are not popular - but yet still appeal to you. For they will be the most reasonably priced. Then make some decisions. Other than telling you to collect coins because you like them and not to make money - that's really the best advice I can give you. Hope it helps
This was how I got interested in "coins" generally before I collected. From 1971 to 1991, my interest was mainly in the bullion value, but I also liked having an array of examples and better examples look nicer. As a result, the Angels, Sovereigns, etc., that I bought for close to bullion, I sold for more than spot gold. To do that, however, requires actually seeing the coin and grading it. Not all "Mint state" coins are equally attractive. There are active collectors of Sovereigns, so if you know the series, you can find nominally better dates, etc. For aesthetic appeal, the Angels outshine Nicholas 5 Rubles. For "rarity" in a common coin, again the Angels take the lead over 20 Coronas. One little area that is not well appeciated is Romaion ("Byzantine") Gold. Those coins were struck in large volumes to pay off invaders and can be found for less than double the spot price of gold, which is seldom true of any other coins so old. Again, you need to be able to see the coin to grade it and you have to know the history and the collectibility of the series. The bottom line is that you cannot just go out online, click up a bunch of transactions, and sit back and watch the profits accumulate. Lenin said, "He who does not work, shall not eat." I think that applies here, also.
Ah well GD i only told half of the story with that Half guinea. When i was in the shop i had a choice of either the James half, or the bigger and older Charles II full guinea. (twice the gold weight), same price, same grade. I think i made the right decision. Although the market has slowed down lately, he had a Charles II 1674 Half guinea there for months and months before it went.