If you are looking for excitement or romance when you are investing in precious metals, few investments can equal ancient Roman or Greek coins. Some of these coins bear the images of historical figures like Julius Caesar or Nero. Others are especially beautiful – true ancient works of art. And then there is the fact that just holding one of these coins in your hand makes you feel like you are in touch with ancient history. 

An Astonishing Find of 700 Coins Buried in a Kentucky Field Makes You Wonder . . . Is There Even More to Be Found?

A man in Kentucky recently made one of the most important and valuable discoveries of buried treasure ever. It happened in a farmer’s field, where he dug up more than 700 Civil War-era gold coins with an estimated value of well more than $1 million. 

While we were working online just the other day, an ad popped up urging us to buy a collectible U.S. coin from a company that was not affiliated with the U.S. Government. A few days later when we were watching TV, a similar ad appeared, also pitching collectible coins that were supposed to increase dramatically in value.

We are not accusing the companies that were behind those products of outright dishonesty. In our country, after all, any company is free to manufacture and sell any products it likes, provided the organization is not engaging in outright fraud. In the end, it is up to the buyer to beware and make an intelligent decision about whether to buy what is being offered.

Gold, silver, platinum, palladium and other metals are all selling for certain trading prices that can change day by day. If you have a Troy Ounce of gold, for example, you can check on our home page and see that you should be able to sell it for $1809.20.

“Over the last few years, my mother has spent about $500.00 to buy collectible coins she has seen advertised on television. They weren’t made by the U.S. Mint and seem to be base metal coins covered with an ultra-thin layer of gold or gold-toned metal. She is sure they are going to appreciate in value because they were advertised as rare. Should I tell her that she has made a bad investment or just wait for her to find out when she tries to sell them?”

- James, from Columbus, Ohio

In January 2021, a gold coin that bore the image of Oliver Cromwell sold at a British auction for about $650,000.00. How much gold did it contain? We are not certain, but chances are the gold in the coin was worth only a fraction of what the coin sold for.

Why did that coin command such a high price? There are reasons . . .

If you’ve been around for more than a few years, chances are you have fielded phone calls from pushy companies that try to get you to buy silver coins and all kinds of other “investments.” The usual pitch centers on opportunity: some trend is about to make today a great time to buy some investment. And if you don’t, you are going to lose money or overlook an incredible investment opportunity.

We have to say, the U.S. Mint is selling an especially attractive lineup of gold commemorative coins these days. If you visit the U.S. Mint’s website, here’s a selection of what you can buy . . .

Do you have a quarter, a silver dollar or another coin that you would like to have made into a ring?

If so, you can quickly find a company that will refashion your coin into a ring, just by searching online. It seems that lots of people are starting businesses that do it.

If you called a precious metals refinery for an over-the-phone appraisal, you would be pretty excited to hear the words, “Your scrap could be worth an awful lot of money.” And you should be happy. The problem is, those words could lure you into one of the precious metal scams that are happening today.

If you happen to be in London this week, I’d urge you to visit the British Museum. A treasure of 5,200 coins found by a man named Paul Coleman has just gone on display there. Mr. Coleman isn’t a coin collector exactly. He’s a hobbyist who found the coins last year with his metal detector in Lenborough, a small town north of London. The coins were buried in a lead container, probably in the 11th century. They are made of silver and show images of two kings named Ethelred II and Canute. Read more: