By Charles Morgan for CoinWeek …..
It seems like just the other day that gold crossed the $3,300 threshold. Now it’s racing past $3,100 with no end to the bull market in the forecast. Of course, bullion buzz brings investors and collectors who may be unfamiliar with what’s on offer. Bullion coins issued by a reputable government mint, like the United States Mint, the Royal Canadian Mint, the Royal Mint of the United Kingdom, the Austrian Mint, and the Perth Mint, are always solid choices for those seeking to make a purely bullion play. These coins are minted in sufficient numbers that they are typically never rare but occasionally become hard to source when demand spikes.
For those with a taste for variety and history, pre-1933 U.S. gold coins offer plenty. The more common dates sometimes trade for less than their modern bullion counterparts. Unlike a 2025 American Gold Eagle bullion coin, which in its largest format has one troy ounce of .9167 fine gold, pre-1933 is .900 fine, the balance being copper.
How to Turn Your Investment Into a Collection/Investment
Once investors get a taste for gold bullion coins, it doesn’t take long to discover that pre-’33 gold coins in various sizes remain affordable. Even coins struck more than 125 years ago still derive most of their value from the coin’s precious metal content.
For those who want to dabble with vintage coins but still focus on bullion investing, I recommend assembling a U.S. gold type set, for which Capital Plastics offers its 423-A holder.
The 423-A collects the Liberty Head type, the two Saint-Gaudens designs, and sculptor Bela Lyon-Pratt’s incuse Indian Head designs, along with two styles of Gold Dollar and the unusual Three-Dollar Gold coin struck between 1854 and 1889.
At Whitman’s March Baltimore Coin Show, I found no shortage of common-date Mint State pre-1933 gold coins on offer for what seemed to be reasonable prices. Mint State Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles were selling for just over $3,000, while Mint State 20th-century Liberty Heads were available for a little more. I’m sure if one walked the bourse, they would have found a number of attractive and reasonably affordable Mint State coins that would have made filling the holes in this display holder a breeze.
Additionally, the stories behind the creation and circulation of each of these coins are far more interesting than the robotic mass production of a modern coin. At current spot levels, the cost to fill every hole in a Capital 423-A holder with Mint State coins is approximately $12,000. One can shave about $1,500 off of assembling your gold set by purchasing AU coins, but I don’t recommend it.
Or, you could stick will four one-ounce 2025 American Gold Eagles. It’s your choice!
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Pre ‘33 is the way to go…. Some nice Au with luster & light wear and no dings can be nice display as well
Very nice display
Only have a large collection of silver now . but only one gold coin, Thinking about cashing in some silver for more gold.
Very impressive display.
I really love reading and learning about different coins. I’m trying to build a nice collection. But, I have problems with thieves. I seem to lose more than I gain.
This is very informative. I’ve seen pre-33 mentioned on other sites but didn’t quite understand it. Thanks for the info!