Conclusion: Buy coins only from reputable coin merchants and coins that are certified by the Professional Coin Rating Service (PCGS) or Numismatic Guaranty Co. NGC) or one of three third-party coin rating services. If you want to invest in the most valuable currencies, the best way to start is to learn about a particular currency. Start by specializing in a particular series of coins or type of collection, such as the Lincoln wheat penny, the Lincoln headed copper penny, or Morgan's silver dollars.
Distributors, on the other hand, have a strong interest in certification. Therefore, most of the time it's much more efficient to buy the currency you want after it's already been qualified. You're not likely to get a good deal, but it's a simple purchase and you're inheriting an expert opinion on what you now have. Plus, you might be able to negotiate a lower price than you expected to pay, especially on eBay (which we'll talk about in a moment).
There can be a lot of scams and counterfeit coins in the market, so make sure you know what you're investing in and only buy valuable coins from reputable merchants and auction houses. In many cases, you can “Buy It Now” if you think the price is fair; in others, you can place strong bids against collectors who are looking for the same thing. When investing in precious metals, there are two main categories in which it is important to understand the fundamental difference between ingots, whose value depends mainly on the underlying content of precious metals, and Numismatics, which is basically used from within to denominate collector coins, whose value depends mainly on intangible factors such as age, rarity, year of issue, design and the mint in which they were minted. Rally allows you to invest in several types of collectibles in addition to rare coins, such as Star Wars action figures, rare Pokémon cards and even luxury watches.
But it's best not to think of Numismatics, which operates in a highly specialized environment, as an investment in the same way that ingots are considered. The value of the coin, bar, or round is mainly derived from the mass and purity of the metal content and the current spot price of that metal. The results of any hypothetical projection can and may differ from actual investment results if the strategies had been used in real securities accounts. The investments identified on the MoneyMade website cannot be purchased through MoneyMade; rather, all transactions will be made directly between you and the external platform that hosts the corresponding investment.
Forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, investment results and projections, are hypothetical and educational in nature. Investment-grade coins are generally sold individually or in rolls and, over the years, have proven to have higher returns. Bullion is often a long-term financial investment and a store of value that is largely (or even entirely) based on their precious metal content. It may seem miraculous that any coin minted for use in general commerce would survive for hundreds of years in a state of minting.
Coin collecting is closely related to investing in commodities such as gold and silver, and investors tend to switch from investing in hard metals to investing in coins.