One of the classic marketing techniques is to take something that is not primarily intended as a collector’s object and to call it collectible. Unfortunately, this technique has made some of the literature about silver coins, gold coins, precious metal bullion and other tangible forms of metals rather specious. There are actually different types of coins and, if you’re looking to invest in metals, you need to understand these different types before you spend your first penny toward them.
Collectable Coins
Some silver coins are collectible. The proper terms for these coins are numismatic and semi-numismatic. A numismatic coin gets all of its value from its scarcity, its condition and its interest as an historical object. A semi-numismatic coin gets part of its value from its bullion content and part of its value from its numismatic importance. These types of coins have a lot of their worth tied up in numismatic value. Unfortunately, numismatic value is not something you can predict by looking at the markets and reading the news every day. These are coins that are more popular with collectors than they are with investors. Read the full post »