The coin in the top, the famous and historic gold 1787 "Brasher Doubloon" recently changed hands for a reported $7.7M. Despite having more gold and being one of the most beautiful coins ever made, the 1910 St. Gaudens Double Eagle in PCGS MS-62 recently sold for slightly over melt at $1750.
In buying coins, there are two different types of values to deal with. One is the “melt” value, or the value of the precious metal contained in the coin (also known as the bullion value). There are a number of collectors who buy coins specifically for the silver or gold content as silver, gold (and platinum, et cetera) are commodities that are sometimes known to appreciate. In the past few years, gold has had a massive run up in value, as has silver (to a lesser extent).
But do not get the bullion value of a coin confused with its numismatic value.
Numismatic value of a coin is determined by its rarity and condition. Bullion value is determined by the value of the metal the coin is made of.
Similarly, do not get investing in bullion confused with investing in numismatic coins.
There are people that speculatively invest in gold or silver and there are people that speculatively invest in numismatic coins. Often, coin collectors purposely do both.
But it’s import to not get them confused.
Generally speaking, the value of a coin will never be less than its bullion value. However, two coins of the exact same metal content can have drastically different values based on rarity and condition.
When considering investing in coins, do lots of research and homework. Know that past performance does NOT guarantee future results. Just as gold has been overvalued in the past, it could be overvalued now. Same with silver. Numismatic coins can go through the same fits and spurts.
Here are some more resources for understanding bullion values:
Bullion Prices Today
APMEX
GOLDSHEET Links
I often use KITCO for metal values, but their website drives me nuts.
One last thing:
DO YOUR LEARNING! Spend a lot of time doing your homework.
