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1985 British Gold Sovereign Proof Set

1985 British Gold Sovereign Proof Set
Photo Credit: APMEX

1985 British Gold Sovereign Proof Set

Buy It Now Price: $2,987.50 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This impressive British gold sovereign proof set from 1985 contains four different coins: a 1/2 sovereign, 1 sovereign, 2 sovereign and 5 sovereign piece.

-All of the coins in this British gold sovereign proof set are struck from solid 22 karat (91.67% fine) gold.  A sovereign, or one pound, gold coin contains 0.2354 troy ounces (7.32 grams) of pure gold.  The 5 sovereign coin, in particular, is a monstrously large coin, weighing in at a hefty 1.2841 troy ounces, or 39.94 grams, of gross weight!

-This 1985 British gold sovereign proof set comes with its original Royal Mint presentation case and certificate of authenticity, which boosts its desirability.

-The original issue price of this British gold sovereign proof set was £1,150 back in 1985.  This would be an extravagant £3,404 in 2017, once adjusted for U.K. inflation.

-Although it had a medieval predecessor, the British gold sovereign as we know it today was first coined in 1817, during the waning years of the reign of George III.  The obverse has a portrait of the ruling British king or queen, in this case Queen Elizabeth II.  The reverse has the iconic rendering of St. George on horseback slaying a dragon, designed by the famous engraver Benedetto Pistrucci.

-Gold sovereigns were incredibly popular as trade coins throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.  They were renowned for their consistent weight and fineness, so much so that imitation sovereigns (often with full gold content) were sometimes struck by private goldsmiths in far-flung British colonies to supplement the existing supply.  In fact, gold sovereigns continue to be used for jewelry and trade to this day in the Middle East and Indian subcontinent.

-The gold sovereign is one of the only coins to have made the jump from circulating coinage (before 1931, when Great Britain abandoned the gold standard) to modern bullion coin.

-Although 12,500 British gold sovereign proof sets were authorized in 1985, only 5,849 were actually minted.  This is an exceedingly low mintage, even for modern proof bullion coins.

-The total set contains 2.001 troy ounces (62.24 grams) of fine gold.  With gold currently trading at around $1,243, this British gold sovereign proof set has a bullion value of $2,488.  With a buy-it-now price of $2,987.50, this magnificent proof set has a premium of just 20% over its intrinsic value, which I find very reasonable.

 

Cons:

-If you just want to invest in gold bullion, it is possible to buy generic gold bars or American gold eagle coins for lower premiums, generally on the order of 3% to 5% over spot.  However, I like the optionality value that numismatically-oriented gold coins give the intelligent hard asset investor, provided you don’t pay too much additional premium.

Old Poured 1 Kilo Johnson Matthey Silver Bar

Old Poured 1 Kilo Johnson Matthey Silver Bar
Photo Credit: Coin-Exchange-NY

Old Poured 1 Kilo Johnson Matthey Silver Bar

Buy It Now Price: $798.78 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This impressive, old 1 kilo Johnson Matthey silver bar is a poured, .999 fine, precious metal masterpiece made by Johnson Matthey Canada, most likely in the 1980s.

-Johnson Matthey, along with Engelhard, was the most well known and respected name in precious metal refining during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

-In 2015, Johnson Matthey exited the precious metal refining business by selling its refining subsidiary to a Japanese competitor, Asahi Refining.  Asahi Refining currently produces silver bars under the Asahi nameplate, having discontinued the Johnson Matthey brand.

-It is always nice to be able to pick up a vintage silver bar with an individual serial number!  While serialization was fairly uncommon on classic silver bars fabricated in the 1970s and 1980s, it is almost never done today due to cost constraints.  Certain poured silver bars from Yeager’s Poured Silver, a contemporary artisan specialty fabricator, are an interesting exception to this rule.

-If there ever was a blue-chip investment in vintage silver bars, this 1 kilo Johnson Matthey silver bar is it.  Not only was it made by one of the premier precious metal refiners, but, in my opinion, it is also nearly the ideal size for a silver bar.  Vintage silver bars weighing between 20 troy ounces and 1 kilo (32.1507 troy ounces), offer a perfect combination of impressive size, substantial heft and reasonable pricing not available in smaller or larger bars.

-1 kilo vintage silver bars are generally scarcer than other sizes, such as 5, 10 or 100 troy ounce bars.  It is estimated that this old 1 kilo Johnson Matthey silver bar had a mintage of less than 3,000 pieces.  This is a very modest mintage, and is substantially less than many other popular vintage silver bars.

-With silver trading at $17.10 per troy ounce, this poured 1 kilo Johnson Matthey silver bar has an intrinsic value of about $550.  This represents a premium of 45.3%, or about $7.75 per troy ounce, over the spot price of silver.  I think the asking price of $799 is quite fair considering the history, character and gravitas of this classic silver bar.

 

Cons:

-Vintage 100 troy ounce Johnson Matthey poured silver bars are readily available in the marketplace for much smaller premiums over bullion value than this 1 kilo Johnson Matthey silver bar.  They generally only cost 5% to 12% over melt value, but that is because they are much more common, with mintages for some series ranging from 50,000 to 500,000.  In addition, these 100 troy ounce behemoths are a little too large for most collectors; each one is the size of a small brick and tips the scales at almost 7 pounds.

-10 or 15 years ago you might have been able to pick up this old 1 kilo Johnson Matthey silver bar for only a $1 or $2 per ounce over spot.  But vintage silver bullion bars have since developed a devoted collector base.  I’m afraid the days of buying these wonderful old poured silver bars for close to spot price are gone forever.

2002 American Gold Eagle Proof Set with Original Box

2002 American Gold Eagle Proof Set with Original Box
Photo Credit: APMEX

2002 American Gold Eagle Proof Set with Original Box

Buy It Now Price: $2,882.46 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This magnificent, heirloom-quality 2002 American gold eagle proof set comes with its original, satin-lined, U.S. mint-issued packaging and certificate of authenticity.

-American gold eagle proof coins are a specially struck version of the bullion series and are intended exclusively for collectors.  Carefully prepared coin blanks  are hand-fed into a die-press where they are struck a minimum of two times at low speed.  As a result, these proof coins possess a mirror-like background juxtaposed against frosted devices – a highly desirable phenomenon called “cameo proof” by coin collectors.

-This 2002 American gold eagle proof set consists of four pieces totaling 1.85 troy ounces of pure gold – a 1 troy ounce coin with a $50 face value, a 1/2 troy ounce coin with a $25 face value, a 1/4 troy ounce coin with a $10 face value and 1/10 troy ounce coin with a $5 face value.  American gold eagle coins are all U.S. legal tender, although their bullion value far exceeds their face value.

-All American gold eagle coins are struck in solid 22 karat (91.67%) gold.  The other alloying constituents are 5.33% copper and 3.00% silver.  The small addition of silver to the alloy ensures a rich, deep golden color without any reddish overtones from the copper.

-Mintages for the individual coins in the 2002 American gold eagle proof set were very low, ranging from just under 27,000 to around 40,000 pieces.  Although the U.S. mint does not publish the number of proof sets released, we know that it is limited to the lowest mintage coin of the series.  In this case, it is the 2002 1/2 troy ounce American gold eagle proof coin with a population of only 26,464.

-This 2002 American gold eagle proof set comes in its original presentation case.  Unfortunately, many of these proof sets have been removed from their mint-issued boxes and broken up for third-party certification by NGC or PCGS.  Although it isn’t widely recognized yet in the coin collecting community, I feel that original mint packaging will be become increasing desirable in the future.

-All American gold eagle proof coins are eligible for purchase in your precious metal IRA!  The precious metal IRA is one of the only ways for U.S. citizens to legally own tangible assets in their retirement accounts.

-With spot gold currently trading at $1,330.70 a troy ounce, this 2002 American gold eagle proof set contains $2,461.80 worth of gold.  This translates into a premium over spot of about 17.1%, which is very reasonable considering the low mintage for this date in the series.  Therefore, I believe the buy-it-now price of $2,882.46 leaves ample room for future price appreciation.

 

Cons:

-American gold eagle proof coins are significantly more expensive than their bullion counterparts.  You can expect to pay a premium between 3% and 8% over spot for a 1 troy ounce bullion American gold eagle coin versus 17.1% for this 2002 American gold eagle proof set.  However, these proof coins possess substantial numismatic investment potential while their bullion counterparts do not.

2016 Mexican 5-Coin Gold Libertad Proof Set

2016 Mexican 5-Coin Gold Libertad Proof Set
Photo Credit: APMEX

2016 Mexican 5-Coin Gold Libertad Proof Set

Buy It Now Price: $2,650.74 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a magnificent 2016 Mexican 5-coin gold Libertad proof set.  The gold Libertad is a series of bullion coins struck by the Casa de Moneda de Mexico, or Mexican National Mint, the oldest mint in the Americas.

-All Libertad gold bullion coins are struck in pure, .999 fine gold.  They feature the winged goddess of victory, Nike, on the obverse and the national emblem of Mexico, an eagle perched on a cactus eating a rattlesnake, on the reverse.

-The five coins included in the gold Libertad proof set are the one troy ounce, 1/2 ounce, 1/4 ounce, 1/10 ounce and 1/20 ounce sizes.  The total weight of all the coins in the set is a substantial 1.90 troy ounces of gold.

-This gold Libertad proof set comes in its handsome original presentation box, which is expertly crafted from solid mahogany.  An original case always increases the value of an antique, particularly a case this fine.  And while the set isn’t very old right now, in 30, 40 or 50 years, the case will be a very positive factor in this set’s valuation.

-The total mintage of the 2016 Mexican 5-coin gold Libertad proof set is only 2,100 full sets.  This is a ridiculously low number in a world where modern commemorative and bullion coin are commonly struck by the million.

-Collector demand for modern coins is generally linked to national GDP.  As of 2017, Mexico has a population of about 120 million people.  The United States has an estimated 56 million Hispanic citizens, many of them of Mexican descent.  These large Latino populations have enjoyed increasing economic wealth in recent years which will almost certainly translate into healthy future demand for Mexican Gold Libertad coins.

-With gold bullion currently trading at $1,218.40 per troy ounce, this gold Libertad proof set contains $2,314.96 in intrinsic value.  That means it is selling for only $335.78, or 14.5%, over melt value.

-Given the fact that common gold bullion coins regularly sell for 4% or 5% over spot, I believe the low mintage 2016 Mexican gold Libertad proof set offers tremendous value for your investment dollar.  I think there is a high probability that its price will rise in the future due to collector demand.

 

Cons:

-Collector demand has been rather muted for Mexican gold Libertad coins for many years now.  I’m not exactly sure why, as they are very attractive coins that are struck with great attention to detail.  It may take a significant amount of time before the market discovers these hidden gems.

-Although the 2,100 mintage for this 2016 Mexican gold Libertad proof set is very low, prior years have seen even lower mintages.  In 2015 only 500 sets were produced while 2014 only saw 250 sets created.  Regardless, I would not reject the 2016 set just because it isn’t quite as rare as its predecessors.