Bullion Trading

Does Purity Really Matter in Bullion Trading

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If you’re going to get into the world of gold and silver trading, there’s a lot that you’re going to have to master before you really plunge in. Sure, you’re going to be tempted to try to do just about everything you can in order to make profits, but that’s going to be a long term mistake that will cost you a lot more than you think.

As hard as it is to slow down, that’s what you’re going to have to do. You’re going to need to make sure that you really understand what you’re getting into. So we’re going to cover another topic that comes up when it comes to gold and silver trading: purity.

Purity actually comes up a lot because it’s one of the key factors that you have to think about when it comes to purchasing gold and silver. Purity refers to the grades of the precious metal in question, the percentage of the metal compared to other base elements used.

Does gold and silver purities really matter? Well, it depends on who you’re trying to buy and sell from. If you’re only going for the collector’s value of things, then purity will matter a great deal. However, if you’re trying to be a trader and thinking about how easy it is to move items, then purity really doesn’t matter. Purity is going to be irrelevant when you’re trying to build a bullion portfolio. In the eyes of many gold and silver investors, purity isn’t a big deal.

If you really want to know what matters, it can be summed up simply: weight. The weight is what’s going to matter. The gold content is what counts here. A 1/4 oz (troy ounces) American Eagle is always going to be in season. It doesn’t have to be a 24kt gold piece in order to be considered valuable.

In fact, it’s very difficult to keep “pure” gold coins in proper condition. You might remember this from chemistry class, but gold is a rather soft metal in its purest form. This means that it’s susceptible to being damaged and even bent easily. So you will want to add another metal to these coins in order to make them more portable and easier to manage. This doesn’t take away from their value.

If you get an Austrian 100 Coronae, you will always know that it is 20 karat (90% pure) and will contact exactly 0.9802 troy ounce fine gold. Therefore, you will know how much it is simply by looking at the price on the markets currently.

Don’t be taken in by sellers that promote purity over all things. It’s not necessary to build a bullion portfolio that way — unless you want to.

As you get deeper into the world of gold and silver trading, you’ll find that so much of it is about what you want to do. Your choices. Everything you want can be there for you if you just reach for it — good luck!

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silver investment

Breaking Into Silver Rounds for Profit and Pleasure!

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Here’s a secret: we like silver. I mean, we really like silver around here. In fact, we often recommend silver when people don’t have enough money to get into gold. It’s not that we don’t love gold, but we have just realized that sometime it’s best to get into the precious metal that you can afford and work your way up. There are a lot of people that are cheating themselves out of the chance to really make their finances come together just because they think that they have to invest in gold. Gold is really only one piece of the pie and if you really don’t want to do gold, you really don’t have to. It’s just a matter of really making sure that you know exactly what you want and what you don’t want. That’s the real key to making big things happen in your life across the board.

Okay, okay. You want to know more about silver, and that’s fine with us — we love talking about silver. However, we’re not going to talk about proof coins. We think that everyone worships proof coins too much. The premium that you pay over the spot price can really be a little too much. So if you’re really going to get into the silver game, we actually think that it would be better to think about Silver Rounds before anything else. Silver Rounds are a great way to make sure that you get into the silver game without blowing all of your money.

Like in the world of proof coins, it’s all about the amount of silver in each coin. However, everyone can get into the game — the coins are broken into fractional amounts as small as 1/10th of an ounce. So even if you only had a budget of about 500$ (or whatever your currency is), there’s still a lot of coinage that you can buy.

Going online is the best place to get the Silver Rounds, because you will have plenty of different fractionals to choose from. The designs on each one are pretty, and it means that you get to have something nice to look at as well.

We’re not saying that you have to go with Silver Rounds. If you want to try to go with doing electronic silver trading, you can do that. Some people feel that it would be easier than going with something physical that could be stolen. On the flip side, some people like the physical nature because it means that they can know even if there was a massive collapse, you will be able to take care of any bartering needs that need to be done. In addition, if you had to make a sudden move and had to sell off the silver coins, you could find a lot of buyers for the physical product.

Don’t be discouraged by all of the different things that you have to learn in order to invest in silver well. As long as you’re staying consistent, there are plenty of things that you can get accomplished in virtually no time at all!

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Gold Scams

Don’t Be Taken in By Gold Scams

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As the price of gold and silver climb higher and higher, there’s going to be more and more interest in actually owning these things. Sure, it’s tempting to think that all of you really have to do is just plunge into the market, but now isn’t really the best time for that type of speculation. You’re a lot better looking into everything that really goes into getting your hands on gold coins before you really get too involved. There are a lot of honest dealers that can really help you source some good stuff. By the same token, there are a lot of people that can actually make your life hard in ways that cost you a lot of time and a lot of money. Time and money are both things that are hard to get back, and there’s really no way to turn back time.

It’s far too easy to end up paying too much for your gold coins, or find yourself owning something that you thought was pure gold but has a higher percentage of base metals than what was advertised. You might even find yourself ordering something off TV that honestly has no monetary value other than the gold content — which wouldn’t be what you really wanted to do either. So you really need to make sure that you’re always doing the research. It’s far too easy to betray yourself and your goals when you skip doing the homework, just taking the word of someone else. This will only make life a lot harder for you in the long run.

You want to look at getting as much information as you can into the world of precious metal. Don’t let the dealer be the only one that’s trying to give you an education. It’s far too easy to assume that you can let your guard down in their presence, and that would just lead to a lot of things that you really don’t want.

Life is a lot simpler when you actually do things in a certain pattern that leads to you honoring your self interests above other people. In other words, don’t assume that the dealer is your friend — there’s definitely not your friend at all. You have to make sure that you look into whether or not the coins are going to meet your goals or not. If they aren’t, there should be no guilt on backing out of the deal and letting someone else deal with it.

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Old Pennies

Don’t Toss Those Old Pennies Too Fast!

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If you’re like most families in this country, chances are good that you have a lot of old pennies. However, you really want to make sure that you’re not throwing away your pennies too fast. It’s quite possible to have a lot of potential money tied up in those pennies. This is because things are changing where you might be able to sell your pennies for the copper that they contain. You just have to decide what you’re actually going to do to get the money out of them.

First and foremost, you might want to get a book or look online for the rarest pennies out there. Looking for pennies that are actually worth money can be like going on a treasure hunt. You might not find much that’s worth anything, but you really never know what you’re going to find until you start looking. Yet if you don’t figure out what’s actually worth money and what isn’t, you won’t be able to really get anywhere fast. It’s just something that you’re going to have to look around for yourself. Don’t think that you have to automatically do everything just because you’re looking at making good money. It’s better to take your time and figure out what your options are actually.

So, what about this business of copper? Well the laws have not changed quite yet, but pennies made prior to 1982 are made of 95% copper. That means that you need 151 of these pennies to make 1 pound of pure copper. You can actually make money by bringing your pennies to a scrap yard, where they will pay for the metal itself once it can be melted down.

You need to keep watching the news to figure out what you’re going to be able to make, but the truth is that there really is a chance to make good money by playing the copper game, but you have to play it smart. Look first for the Lincoln pennies that were minted prior to 1982 anyway — there are collectors that will pay for good pennies from this era. You just need to keep looking for the pennies and keeping track of them. As the laws change, you could be sitting on a lot more money than you realized!

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U.S Mint

The Benefits of Buying from the U.S Mint

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We’re big fans of getting into precious metals trading, to the point where we recommend it to just about every investor. You will absolutely know when you’re ready to invest in gold, and you will definitely want to know where you can go to get the best gold possible. You just need to make sure that you’re always looking at all of your sources.

Even though we are talking about the U.S Mint today, there’s nothing that says that you really have to deal with just the U.S Mint. You might want to actually branch out to something else. You might want to look into other options with other dealers. Never think that you only have to deal with the U.S Mint — if you think that you can get a better price elsewhere, definitely check it out! If you have better selection elsewhere, definitely check it out! We will never put down other dealers. In fact, dealers can help you really understand the market and predict other deals along the way.

One of the biggest reasons to go directly to the U.S Mint is that you really can save money. However, a lot of people feel that it’s hard to buy from the U.S Mint. Not at all!

What you need to do is head over to the website at usmint.gov. However, they also have a toll-free ordering line that will let you buy the coins.

Now, here’s the part that you have to understand about the Mint — they only sell current coins and coin sets. So if you’re looking for anything older, you will not be able to find it. Of course, the previous year’s coins are going to be represented there for a bit of time. This might interest you if you don’t really have a desire to go back any farther than this.

You’ll usually find annual Proof Sets, Uncirculated Coin sets, bags and rolls of America the Beautiful Quarters, and collector’s versions of the American Eagle coins like Silver and Gold Eagles.

Now, if you want bullion versions of the coins, you have to get those through coin dealers. This is a very important distinction that new collectors have to understand. The Mint assumes that you’re trying to aim for collecting, not investing per se. However, the two can definitely overlap, and many investors do play both sides.

You need to make sure that you go directly to the Mint to look at the coins offered. There are some scams online where people try to offer you things that supposedly come from the Mint, but are not connected in any way. You might assume that the Mint watches out for this type of thing, and that’s definitely true. However, the phenomenon has gotten so large that it’s hard to stop very site. That’s why the customer has to practice caution in a very strong way — use your sense and always check in classic coin collecting and gold/silver trading forums. Usually other people will have seen the site and they’ll be able to let you know what’s going on.

Now is the time to check around all of your sources for great coins and gold!

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1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle

Check Out The World’s Most Valuable Gold Coin!

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Looking into the world of gold coins is fun. You begin to start seeing economics, politics, and everything else in a completely different light. Just for fun, we decided to answer a question that you might be curious about right now: what IS the world’s most valuable coin?

The answer is simple at first, but gets more complicated. You see, the world’s most valuable coin is actually the 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. Yet the history of the Double Eagle is actually a lot more complicated than it seems.

You see, it’s the 1933 Gold Double Eagle, but it would never officially issued. It was formerly issued from 1907 to 1932, but then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt took America off the gold standard. It was illegal to own more than $100 in gold, which meant that most gold coins had to be turned in.

The 1933 Double Eagles were ordered to be destroyed, and private citizens could not own anymore gold coins unless they had a collectible value. This was put into place to keep people from hoarding gold currency. In addition, no more gold currency would be issued in the U.S. at the time. The Mint decided to melt down the 1933 run of Gold Double Eagles and convert them over to gold bullion bars.

Yet a few Double Eagles with the 1933 mintage did escape the melt down. Two were given to the U.S. National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian, yet in 1952 it was reported that the Secret Service actually confiscated 8 more 1933 Double Eagles!

It’s been assumed that the coins were switched for other Double Eagles and saved, with the “contraband” getting out of the Mint.

A Philadelphia jeweler had 19 coins, but they were soon sold to private collections. We don’t know what happened to all of those except that they were found and confiscated, presumably to be melted down and destroyed. However, there was one that definitely catches attention: the one purchased legally by King Farouk of Egypt.

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Buy Silver

Don’t Skip the Chance to Buy Silver

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Silver trading doesn’t get as much attention as gold trading, but it’s still something that you should think about if you’re not ready to invest in gold just yet. A lot of people naturally turn to silver when the high price of gold means that they’re going to have to sit out. Still, when compared to aluminum or copper you will find that silver is definitely a much more precious metal in the eyes of many traders.

You have a lot of different ways to trade silver. You can do it electronically or you can turn to silver bullion in order to have something physical. A lot of people feel that silver coins are the better way to go — if you needed to unload them, you’ll find plenty of pawn shops and metal dealers around you that would be more than happy to take it off of your hands. You just need to make sure that you really think about all of your options.

Now, if owning physical copies of the silver isn’t a big deal for you, you can always turn to electronic silver trading. This is something that will make it pretty easy for you own your own silver if you want — and you can let someone else handle the physical aspect. You can still offload your account if that’s something that you wanted to do. A lot of people tend to avoid this side of things, because they might have to pay a lot more in terms of commissions.

Every dealer or site online will have some sort of markup. Don’t try to turn away a good dealer just because you’re going to have to pay something in terms of markup. Even dealers have bills to pay, and they have to make sure that they have your silver on hand to ship to you. There are hard costs that go into being a dealer that just can’t be ignored.

Be prepared for prices to change based on what happens in the market. Most sites will tell you to refresh constantly to make sure that you’re getting the most current price. If you can’t afford it just yet, make sure that you wait until you not only have the shipping and the cost of the coin itself, but also a little bit extra. This makes sure that you really will be able to own your first silver coins.

Of course, since silver really is a lot less expensive than gold, you might be able to get a $250 investment and turn it into several silver coins. It’s just a matter of figuring out what type of silver coins that you want.

You might want to look into your country’s silver coins first and then branch out internationally. This is something a lot of silver traders do as a way of hobby as well as a business. They’re interested in really seeing all of the different coins of the world.

Taking good care of your silver coins is equally important. If they come to you in a hard plastic case, make sure that you never take the coin out of the case. That’s a good way for it to get tarnished and blackened by oils and other materials around your home. Don’t risk it!

Now is the perfect time to start looking into precious metals trading of all stripes — why not make sure that you get started today?

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gold investing

Why Major Financial Media Outlets Get Gold Investing Wrong

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Whether you’re a new investor or someone that’s definitely been around the block a few times, there’s going to come a point where you have to check into the major financial media outlets. This can be newspapers, televisions, or even online websites. You might remember a few from crawling the Web, so we won’t mention them again. However, there is something that you should know: they often get gold investing wrong.

Calling gold trading a mere hedge implies that it’s something that you can really do without, and we’re not clearly convinced that this is the case. As much as we would like to assume that all investors act based on the numbers they see in the market as a whole, there are plenty of investors that react based on mere emotion alone. Is it the right way to run a portfolio? No, but no one really can tell you what to do with your money but you — you are the one that ultimately wields that power.

Remember that part of what keeps the financial media outlets afloat is reader engagement. If they know that they can produce an article or a news segment where everything is about fear and loss and you tune in, then they’re going to do what works. Positive news rarely sends people running to the news stations, but negative news always does in a pinch!

Are we saying that the media outlets are always wrong? Not necessarily — it is quite possible to have correct information being passed around. However, when it comes to gold, a lot of media outlets feel that it’s outdated, unstable, and the returns aren’t good.

At the time of this writing (July 2011), gold prices in the UK are experiencing record highs. If you purchased gold before the major run, you stood to make a substantial profit. That’s why we know that the gold rush is alive and well, and that the major news outlets are really missing the boat.

However, just because they’re missing the boat doesn’t mean that you have to join the party. You can choose to invest in gold slowly, and then increase your holdings as capital allows.

If that sounds straightforward, it was definitely meant to — why not jump into the world of online gold trading today? It’s truly easier than you think!

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Gold_invest

Gold Is Not a Bubble – Why Not Strike Now

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OK, so we got asked to do yet another rundown on gold because a lot of people feel that it’s a bubble that’s waiting to burst. The truth couldn’t be further from this statement, and we’re a little tired of people assuming that anything and everything hot right now is a bubble waiting to pop. We’re not saying that there’s never going to be a gold bubble. However, the people that are now noticing gold had a lot of chances to get gold when it was fairly low — we’re talking about 650$ an ounce, which is almost unheard of now.

You have a lot more options for gold than you might realize at first, and that’s okay. It’s okay to not know a lot about gold trading — not everyone does. You can buy physical gold or you can go with gold shares. Some people like having the flexibility of gold shares, while others feel that having the real deal allows them to always sell it no matter what the market does next.

What do we think? Now is the time to strike while we iron is hot. It’s going to get worse before it gets better, and the good news is that it’s a sign for gold investors to double up on their reserves. You don’t want to sell right now — as the market still shows signs of recovering very slowly, this is the perfect opportunity to dive headfirst into gold if that’s what you really wanted to do. There’s nothing that says that you have to be stuck doing other things than exploring gold. By the same token, we’re not saying that you have to look at only gold or you’re not in the same league as us. We’re simply saying that you need to give gold a chance and stop listening to the financial outlets that are slow on the ball. That’s only going to take away from your nest egg in the long run.

Ready to jump in? Research first and look at how much risk you can comfortable take on — that’s going to be your sign of what else you can handle. Why not get started today?

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The Real Reason Why We Need to Invest In Gold

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The most important factor in investing is how you build your portfolio. If you don’t take the process seriously, you will have a hard time getting anything else done. However, it’s not your fault if you’re a little confused as to how to create the best portfolio possible. There’s a lot of information out there, and many pieces of information often contradict the other pieces of information that you’ll find. You don’t want to find yourself being unable to get things done just because you happen to want to create something so amazing that you become afraid of failure.

Let’s face it — there are going to be mistakes made. There are going to be issues that come up that leave you confused. There are going to be times that you’re frustrated. There’s no reason to feel like you should just give up and not trade anything ever in your life.

Investing is actually one of the best ways to raise your net worth. The last thing that you will want to do is wake up and find that you’re not reaching your financial goals when you do have the power to get everything you want with just a little bit of planning.

So, where do you really start? Gold, of course. The real reason why you need to invest in gold today isn’t because the market is uncertain per se, or that people are always turning back to the precious metals they can see, identify, and hold in their hands.

The real reason why you need to invest in gold is because you need to be able to see progress. You need to be able to trade something that people want, and that people are willing to pay a premium to acquire for themselves. Gold is something that fits that bill nicely. Not too many people can really quote the ins and outs of the major stock market darlings, but just about everyone around the world knows that gold is precious, and precious in this case means “premium price”. That’s the type of power that you will want to wield when it comes to your portfolio.

Are we saying that you have to invest in gold, and nothing but gold? Definitely not. You want to build the most well balanced portfolio possible, and that means adding in other sources of investing opportunities. Stocks, bonds, ETFs, indexes and other goodies are equally important. It’s just as bad to load up on only one thing in your portfolio than it is to skip over gold because you’re afraid that you’re going to end up losing all of your money. Remember that people really do see gold as a premium thing, and they’re willing to pay you well to take your gold off your hands. Market timing is one thing, but gold is something that’s always in season.

The best way to see gold is as a starting point to bigger and brighter opportunities. If you trade gold online, then you have a fast and easy way to build your portfolio without a lot of hassle — why not check it out today for yourself?

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