In recent months we’ve seen the stock market drop and lose millions of dollars in value. The federal government continues to print fiat which is likely to lead to large scale inflation. Many people are shifting money from traditional investments into precious metals. New investors often wonder which gold coins and bars are best for investment or just a way of storing wealth.
If you’re interested in shifting investment dollars to buy gold bullion with the intent of selling it at a later time, it is best to stick with items that are widely recognized. Sovereign gold coins, such as the Gold Eagle or Gold Maple Leaf will make it much easier to sell down the road.
Gold Eagles and Gold Maple Leafs are some of the most widely recognized gold coins in the world. Along with Krugerrands, Kangaroos and other sovereign coins. Being widely recognized makes them easier to sell.
If the premiums on Sovereign Gold Coins seem a bit much, the alternative is to buy gold bars that are manufactured by widely recognized and reputable private mints, such as PAMP Suisse, Scottsdale or the Royal Canadian Mint.
What makes sovereign gold coins a better investment?
Simply put, coins minted by sovereign governments come with the backing and guarantee of that nation to their purity and quality.
Sovereign coins are minted in large quantities on an annual basis. Coins such as the American Gold Eagle or Canadian Gold Maple Leaf have a well-known and consistent design each year.
These coins are recognized by many buyers. Their purity and specifications are well documented and widely known.
Vintage sovereign coins, such as British Sovereigns, 20 Francs Coins from the Latin Monetary Union and Gold Pesos from Mexico also make a solid investment. In many cases, vintage gold coins can be purchased at a much lower premium than newer coins.
Global demand for silver and gold bullion remains strong. Buyers in foreign countries see the low premiums over spot price available in the United States. Even after factoring in the cost of international shipping it can be cheaper to buy silver and gold from US based dealers.
A common inquiry relates to which online bullion dealers ship internationally.
Which online bullion dealers in the United States ship to customers in foreign countries?
Many US based gold and silver bullion dealers ship internationally. Some may require a order minimum, payments made in US dollars and paid via wire transfer or certified funds.
APMEX – The largest online bullion dealer in the United States ships internationally to 33 countries. Details and requirements are shown on the APMEX International website.
Silver Gold Bull – Based in Canada, Silver Gold Bull is one of the fastest growing online bullion dealers worldwide. They have localized and regional websites specific to many of the countries that they ship to. They currently ship to 35 countries. Details and requirements are shown on the Silver Gold Bull International Gateway page.
SD Bullion – SD Bullion can ship directly to your door or preferred depository in 28 countries. Refer to the international shipping page on their website for specific details.
JM Bullion – According to their FAQ JM Bullion only ships to US Addresses including PO Boxes and APO. Using a worldwide shipping service may be an option to purchase from JM Bullion or other US based bullion dealers that do not directly offer international shipping.
Provident Metals/Silver.com – Both Provident Metals and Silver.com are subsidiaries of JM Bullion and share the same international shipping policy.
Bullion Exchanges – Currently Bullion Exchanges does not offer international shipping. They are currently only shipping to US based addresses. If you are interested in making a purchase from Bullion Exchanges that will be delivered overseas then you will need to use a US Based package forwarding service such as USGoBuy.com.
BOLD Precious Metals – The checkout process on BOLD Precious Metals website currently only supports US based shipping options. However, you can make international purchases from them by first contacting their customer service team. Details on how to contact them and what information they need for the transaction are available on their international shipping page.
Monument Metals – Monument Metals is able to ship international orders that are larger than $1,000 USD. Further details are available on their website shipping page.
BGASC – BGASC is an online bullion dealer based in Southern California. There is nothing within their shipping policies that mentions international shipping. The will ship to mail drop locations only if the order is paid via wire transfer. So it may be possible to use a US Based package forwarding service to have orders delivered internationally from BGASC.
eBay – Many of the online bullion dealers based in the United States also sell most items via their eBay Store. There are services that offer US based package forwarding for eBay purchases.
Gold and Silver are usually characterized by good electrical
conductivity. However, researchers have now discovered that some
precious metals lose this property if they are thin enough. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-gold-silver.html
Trading The Gold-Silver Ratio During Times Of Crisis
The Pyromet Silver Card is a thin, 1 oz piece of .999 fine
silver. Roughly the size of a credit card, The Silver Card
is a 1 oz silver bullion card that is easy to keep on you at
all times. The Silver Card makes a great gift. It’s thin
enough to cut with a pair of scissors if you want to divide
it up into smaller, fractional silver pieces.
The American Silver Eagle Coin is minted annually by the US Mint since 1986. The US Mint produces only enough coins that they think they will be able to sell to investors. American Silver Eagle Mintages vary year to year based on investor demand.
Annual American Silver Eagle Mintage Numbers
The Liberty Coin Act of 1985 authorized the US Mint to create the first American Silver Eagle coins in 1986. The law set base design specifications and standards for the Silver Eagles that includes:
The coins will be 40.6 millimeters in diameter and weigh 31.103 grams
Each coin will contain .999 fine silver
Each coin will feature a design symbolic of Liberty on the obverse side and of an eagle on the reverse side
Each coin will be inscribed with the of the year of minting or issuance, the words ‘Liberty’, ‘In God We Trust’, ‘United States of America’, ‘1 Oz. Fine Silver’, ‘E Pluribus Unum’, and ‘One Dollar’
Each coin will have reeded edges
The Liberty Coin Act took effect on October of 1985 with instructions that the first coins would be released in September of 1986.
Many collectors want to buy an American Silver Eagle coin from each mintage year to build a complete set.
There are several Silver Eagle Dollar Coins that have continued to rise in price due to their rarity and demand from investors and collectors. The 1996 Silver Eagle Bullion Coin was the lowest mintage to date, with only 3.6 million coins produced. Even coins in poor condition can fetch high premiums.
The release of the 2019-S Enhanced Reverse Proof American Silver Eagle coin in November 2019 was met by incredibly high demand due in part to its limited mintage. The coin was limited to just 30,000 coins making it the lowest mintage of any variety of American Silver Eagle coin. This coin sold out from the US Mint website in under 15 minutes.
For Proof American Silver Eagles, the previously rarest coin was the 1995-W. Only around 30,000 coins were produced that year with the West Point mint mark. The coin was only available as part of a special 10th anniversary set.
During the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020 the West Point Mint was shut down for the period from April 15 until April 21. From April 8 to April 20, the U.S. Mint added silver American Eagle production to Philadelphia. During that period the Philadelphia Mint produced 240,000 Silver Eagle Bullion Coins.
Silver Eagle Mintage by Year
Year
Bullion
Proof
Uncirculated (Burnished)
1986
5,393,005
1,446,778
1987
11,442,335
904,732
1988
5,004,646
557,370
1989
5,203,327
617,694
1990
5,840,110
695,510
1991
7,191,066
511,924
1992
5,540,068
498,543
1993
6,763,762
405,913*
1994
4,227,319
372,168
1995
4,672,051
407,822
1995-W
30,125
1996
3,603,386
498,293
1997
4,295,004
440,315
1998
4,847,549
450,728
1999
7,408,640
549,330
2000
9,239,132
600,743
2001
9,001,711
746,398
2002
10,539,026
647,342
2003
8,495,008
747,831
2004
8,882,754
801,602
2005
8,891,025
816,663
2006
10,676,522
1,092,477
466,573
2006-P Rev Pr
248,875
2007
9,028,036
821,759
621,333
2008
20,583,000
700,979
533,757
2009
30,459,000
0
0
2010
34,764,500
849,861
0
2011
40,020,000
847,473
409,766
2011-S
99,882
2011-P Rev Pr
99,882
2012
33,742,500
832,779
226,120
2012-S
281,792
2012-S Rev Pr
224,935
2013
42,675,000
934,331
221,981
2013-W
235,689
2013- W Rev Pr
235,689
2014
44,006,000
894,614
253,169
2015
47,000,000
696,001
200,016
2016
37,701,500
595,664
216,422
2017
18,065,500
(W) – 389,994
(S) – 123,906 3
176,739
2018
15,700,000
(W) – 352,141
(S) – 158,761
138,947
2019 1
14,863,5001
(W) – 319,086
(S) – 123,077
118,169
2019-W Rev Pr
99,911 4
2019-S Enh Rev Pr
30,0002
2020 5
11,218,500
(W) – 272,825
(S) – 146,729
135,040
American Silver Eagle Mintage Notes
1 – Sales totals through November 30, 2019. December Sales Totals Unpublished. 2 – Announced Mintage 3 – The 2017-S Proof Coin was released in two special sets. One called the “Congratulations Set” (17RF) with an announced mintage of 75,000 units. The other “Limited Edition Proof Set” (17RC) with an announced mintage of 50,000 units. Sales records show 48,906 Limited Edition Proof Sets sold. Sales records do not indicate how many Congratulations Sets were sold that year. 4 – The 2019-W Rev Proof was released as part of the “Pride of Two Nations” set (19XB) 5 – Year to Date for 2020 as of May 17, 2020. The West Point Mint was shutdown from April 15 to April 21, 2020 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Minting of Silver Eagles was briefly shifted to the Philadelphia Mint and 240,000 ASE were minted. The only distinction of the Philadelphia ASEs is the box tracking numbers on the outside of the Monster Boxes. Box tracking numbers 400,000 through and including 400,479 were used on boxes of coins minted in Philadelphia. A total of 480 2020 American Silver Eagle Monster Boxes were minted at the Philadelphia Mint.
There are a lot of online bullion dealers. With so many online dealers how do you decide which bullion dealer is the best company to buy from?
It doesn’t matter if you’re an investor looking for the lowest price investment, or if you’re a collector wanting to find the best prices on silver coins to add to your collection. Investors and collectors both are always searching to find the best prices on silver from online bullion dealers.
Finding which online bullion dealers have the best prices for silver will depend on which bullion items you’re looking to buy and when you’re looking to buy.
FindBullionPrices.com is the best website for tracking the prices and premiums of a large variety of gold, silver and platinum coins, bars, rounds and bullion items for sale by online bullion dealers.
All of the online bullion dealers will carry a core set of gold, silver and platinum bullion products. All will have some sort of selection of:
Gold, silver and platinum Sovereign government coins such as American Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, etc…
A large variety of silver rounds from popular private mints
Silver bars, gold bars and platinum bars
Hand poured items from specialty mints
Circulated “Junk” Silver.
and much, much more
With so many trusted and reputable online bullion dealers offering such similar products how do you decide which company is the best to buy from? There are several factors to consider, including customer service, shipping charges, sales tax and of course most importantly, the lowest premiums over spot price for what you want to buy.
There are several trusted and reputable online bullion dealers that stand out from all the others.
Some of the best companies to buy silver from include Silver Gold Bull, Golden Eagle Coin, Bullion Exchanges, BGASC, JM Bullion and others.
The American Gold Eagle Coin is minted annually by the US Mint since being introduced in 1986. The US Mint produces only enough coins that they think they will be able to sell to investors. American Gold Eagle Mintages vary each year based on investor demand. The chart below shows the American Gold Eagle mintage numbers for all denominations minted since their introduction in 1986.
This chart only displays the bullion version of the coin. American Gold Eagle proof coins have separate mintage figures.
American Gold Eagle coins are available in four denominations. The largest, weighs 1 troy ounce and has a nominal face value of $50. The one-half troy ounce has a nominal face value of $25. The quarter ounce Gold Eagle carries a nominal face value of $10. The smallest denomination, the 1/10 troy ounce has a nominal face value of $5.
Although each Gold American Eagle coin has a nominal face value, the intrinsic value of the gold contained in each coin is worth significantly more.
Precious metals like gold, silver and platinum are a good store of wealth and value. They provide a way for those with the means to store a wealth away from traditional fiat currency.
Buying and investing in gold coins or silver bars is a good way to do store wealth, but not always practical for everyone or every situation. Some choose a wearable wealth as an alternative option.
What is wearable wealth?
Buying and investing in wearable wealth follows the notion that if you don’t hold it, you don’t own it. It’s a way of converting precious metals like gold, silver and platinum into something that is wearable, transportable and concealable. It can take the form of jewelry or other objects that can be worn on the body.
Not all jewelry can be considered wearable wealth. Karat gold, such as 10k, 14k or 18k gold has an extremely high retail markup. The markup can sometimes be as high as 500% over the retail value of the gold. Traditional gold karat jewelry is not practical as a store of wealth if you lose a tremendous amount of value when you buy it.
Higher karat gold, such as 22k or 24k is a better alternative. The concept of having wearable wealth in 22k or 24k gold is not new. The idea has existed for centuries among the wealthy and elite.
In countries like India, gold has long been seen as an indicator of wealth. There is a cultural aspect to it. For many generations gold has been accumulated by wealthy families and passed down through families. Gold is considered as a way to stay financially secure. It is fairly common for the wealthy in India to hold as much as 20 percent of their net worth in gold.
The gifts primarily takes the form of jewelry. It is still very common in parts of India to give gifts of gold chains and rings to the groom’s family during a wedding celebration. The groom’s family will also gift gold jewelry to the bride.
The jewelry is often high purity karat gold in 22k. Twenty-Two karat gold is 91.6% pure gold which makes it suitable as an investment. Having an alloy of 8.4% of other metals provides some additional strength and hardness.
How can wearable wealth be used as a store of value?
The most common wearable wealth today still takes the form of jewelry. In today’s precious metals markets it is possible to find 24k gold shaped and formed into jewelry and other everyday objects.
Traditional 14k or 18k gold jewelry that is sold through retail jewelers at a high markup. This is not the case with 22k or 24k jewelry. High purity gold jewelry can be purchase through traditional bullion dealers at a much lower markup and at a low premium. The premium on 24 karat gold jewelry is often similar to those found on gold coins and gold bars.
Online bullion dealers offer a variety of jewelry items that are made from 24 karat gold. 24 karat gold bracelets, such as those offered by Money Metals Exchange can be bought for around 10% over the current gold spot price. This is a premium markup that can be found in gold coins, which is far less than those found with retail jewelry.
Benefits of Wearable Wealth
Wearable wealth comes with a variety of benefits. When you buy wearable wealth you are taking fiat currency and putting it into a physical asset that has value in virtually any currency. Having wearable wealth in the form of jewelry allows you to easily travel with assets.
If an emergency arises while you are traveling and you need quick access to cash, converting 24 karat jewelry into local fiat currency is often as easy as a quick stop at a reputable jewelry store, pawn shop or precious metals buyer.
For example, a situation could arise while you are traveling in a foreign country and you accidentally lose your wallet that contains your credit cards and cash on hand. Getting replacement credit cards could take days or longer. How do you survive in the meantime? If you’re traveling with a couple of 24k gold bracelets a quick stop at a local jeweler that buys precious metals and you can have enough cash on hand to get by until your replacement credit cards arrive.
Wearable wealth often takes the form of jewelry. When you are traveling internationally personal jewelry that is worn or carried may be considered exempt from customs declarations. This depends on the country and circumstances so it’s best to verify each country’s requirements before you travel.
In many cases, airport security agents may not notice or pay any attention to gold jewelry like they would if you were carrying cash, coins or bullion.
Not only does this make gold bullion jewelry easily transportable but it is also easily concealable in plain site. The jewelry can easily be worn, whether it takes the form of a necklace, bracelet, broach, hair clip or a button on your shirt.
When traveling in foreign countries it is good to know that you have some peace of mind in the event something happens.
Growing Popularity of Wearable Wealth
Along with the economic growth over the past few years investors are looking for ways to preserve wealth and hold onto their investment gains. Precious metals have long been considered a safe haven investment.
As investors become more savvy they are looking for alternative approaches to wealth preservation. Converting fiat currency into wearable wealth has become quite popular in recent years. Numerous companies have sprung up over the past few years to capitalize on this trend. One such company is Mené which creates contemporary jewelry and gifts in both 24k gold and platinum.
Their offerings include products for both women and men. In addition to traditional jewelry items such as rings, chains, bracelets and charms, Mené also has some unique products that can be discreet and concealable forms of wearable wealth. 24k Gold Wearable Wealth Men’s Cufflinks 37.15 grams or roughly 1.2 troy ounces
Such as 24k gold men’s cufflinks that have a combined weight of 37.15 grams or roughly 1.2 troy ounces. They are stylish, functional and have the added benefit of being made from 24k gold or platinum. If the gold color feels too flashy they are also available in 24k platinum which has a fineness of .995.
Other offerings include buttons made from 24k gold or platinum. Buttons like these could easily be sewn onto a shirt and worn daily. The buttons come in two different sizes, one with a 22mm dimension that weighs 16.74 grams or roughly .54 troy ounces. The other is slightly smaller at 15mm with a weight of 6.895 grams or roughly .22 troy ounces.
These buttons certainly have some weight to them compared to modern plastic buttons. However, that weight also provides the peace of mind that having wearable wealth can provide. Gold buttons seem a little flashy on most dress shirts and might easily stand out to would be pickpockets or thieves. These buttons could easily be concealed by coating with some paint or lacquer.
In the event you need to exchange a few gold buttons for some local fiat the lacquer or paint could easily be removed with acetone or other paint removers leaving behind the .999 fine gold buttons. A standard dress shirt with 10 buttons could easily accommodate over 170 grams of gold which is roughly 5.5 troy ounces. It would be hard to conceal that much pure gold in plain site any other way.
A question that is asked often is what is the difference between a poured silver bar and a cast silver bar?
Both poured and cast silver bars start with melted or liquified silver that is then poured into a mold. The difference mainly depends on the mold itself.
Johnson Matthey 100 oz Poured Silver Bar
For poured silver bars, the heated silver is poured into an open mold, typically made of graphite or other heat resistant materials. The metal is left in the mold to cool. In doing such, the silver that is exposed to the open face of the mold will show cooling lines or striations.
RMC 5 oz Cast Silver Bar
Cast silver bars are also poured into forms or casting molds. However, these forms or molds will not have an open face like those used for poured bars. These will not typically show pour lines because the mold is a usually a closed mold. Casting is a technique often used when making silver and gold jewelry and silver art pieces.
Poured and cast bars can have a similar look to them as they are both poured silver. Other types of silver bars, such as those that are manufactured using stamping or extruded methods will look distinctly different.
There are many investors and silver stackers prefer to buy poured or cast silver bars. These styles of silver bars often unique and show the craftsmanship that goes into creating each silver bar. Some that collect vintage silver bars, such as those made by Engelhard, Johnson Matthey and others have a preference for poured bars.
There are some current private mints that produce poured and cast bars. Scottsdale Mint, has a line of cast silver bars that are available in 100 gram, 5 oz, 10 oz and 20 oz weights. They also manufacture some poured varieties, including the 5 oz poured silver buttons. Silvertowne Mint also has a line of cast silver bars that are available in a variety of different weights. Both are very popular with investors and collectors.
In 1986 the United States Mint launched the American Eagle program. The American Gold Eagle and American Silver Eagle were established as the nations first and official bullion coins. In this first production year, the Silver Eagle enjoyed immense popularity that would lead to high demand the following year, as well.
The inaugural release of the American Silver Eagle coin was produced by the San Francisco Mint. The San Francisco mint struck both the BU and Proof Strikes of the coin. The San Francisco Mint would continue to mint both versions of the Silver Eagle coin until 1993 when proof coins shifted to the Philadelphia Mint. Bullion coin productions was shifted to the Philadelphia Mint in 1999.
The 1986 Silver Eagle was the first year the series was minted. It was also the first .999 fine silver bullion coin produced by the US Mint designed for investment. The mintage for 1986 American Silver Eagle coins was relatively high as was investor demand. The coin was released late in the year and was only sold for two months.
It also marked the first year that Silver Eagle proofs were struck. American Silver Eagle proofs are marketed towards collectors. More than one-million proof Silver Eagle coins were solid in 1986.
Coin Highlights:
1ST Mintage Year of the American Silver Eagle coin from the US Mint.
5,393,005 1986 Silver Eagle BU Coins Minted.
1,446,778 1986 Silver Eagle Proof Coins Minted.
Contains 1 oz of .999 pure silver.
Carries a face value of $1 (USD) and is backed by the US Government for purity, weight and quality.
Features the iconic Walking Liberty design on the obverse.
Includes a heraldic eagle design with shield and talons holding an olive branch and arrows.
S mint marks on the proof coins from the San Francisco Mint.
With a mintage of almost 1.5 million coins, the 1986 Silver Eagle Proof is the largest Proof Silver Eagle mintage to date.
The obverse is Adolph A. Weinmans Walking Liberty design from 1916, which was also featured on the Walking Liberty half-dollar coin. This is complemented with the reverse design of the heraldic eagle of the United States by then-Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, John Mercanti.
The US Mint is releasing a new, limited edition Enhanced Reverse Proof 2019 American Silver Eagle coin at 12:00 noon on November 14, 2019. The offering price for this coin from the US Mint is just $65.95 plus shipping.
The mintage of this coin is limited to just 30,000 coins. It is the lowest American Silver Eagle mintage ever produced. Slightly lower than the 1995-W Proof coin that was only included as part of a special limited edition set. The 1995-W Silver Eagle Proof is one of the key dates for any American Silver Eagle collection.
Of the 30,125 1995-W Proof Silver Eagle coins produced, only 373 are known to exist with a PCGS grade of MS-70, the highest grade available. In a 2013 auction one of those coins sold for nearly $87,000.
There is a lot of hype surrounding the release of the new 2019-S American Silver Eagle Enhanced Reverse Proof coin. There is also a household limit of 1 coin allowed per buyer. Combined, it’s expected that demand for this coin will be much higher than the available supply and that prices after the release are going to skyrocket.
As such, dealers are offering high bounties for those who are able to get their hands on one of the coins and are willing to part with it.
Monument Metals is offering a $100 bounty for people who commit to selling the coin to them on the release day.
Pinehurst Coins is also offering $100 bounty, however in order to commit to the you’d need to hand over your US Mint login and password, plus your credit card verification code. All very risky.
Several buyers on the BullionStackers.com forum are willing to buy for as much as $295 per coin, which is about 4.5 times the asking price from the mint.
It should be obvious that these dealers and buyers know that demand for this coin will skyrocket after the release. Even is MS-69 condition, the 1995-W Proof coin has sold at recent auctions for close to $3,000. MS-69 is likely to be what many of these 2019 Enhanced Reverse Proof ASEs will end up being graded.
It’s hardly much of a risk the limited supply of this coin and the upside potential is tremendous.
Update:
On November 15, 2019, Pinehurst coins began selling the coins purchased through their buyback program through their eBay store for $599. As demand has continued, they have raised the price twice. Initially to $650, then to the current (as of 11/18/2019) $699 per coin. Other’s are selling the coin on eBay for similar amounts and more. Check out the eBay listing for the 2019-S Enhanced Reverse Proof American Silver Eagle.
