Are coins and bullion bars good investments? In today’s post, you will learn what you need to know to make a good decision about whether to sink your money into these popular investments. 

A famous American politician was recently indicted on charges of taking bribes in exchange for doing political favors. We certainly have no comment on this case or on the innocence or guilt of the accused man, but what interested us was the fact that when his home was searched by FBI agents, they reportedly found gold bars that were worth about $100,000. They reportedly also found about $480,000 in cash.

Which gold investments performed best in 2022? And which are likely to be the most profitable in the year ahead? 

Let’s explore and find some answers to those questions. 

Canada is the fifth largest producer of mined gold in the world, following behind China, Russia, Australia, and the United States. A trip to Canada to look for gold in streams could be a good idea or, at the very least, a profitable and fun adventure.

Here’s some information that will add to your adventure and possibly your profits too.

What is the most unusual thing about gold? If you think about that question for a minute, chances are your answer to it will be, “Gold is beautiful.”

Of course, that answer is right. Gold really is beautiful, which explains why it has been the most sought-after metal on earth for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians and Assyrians loved it, as did the Vikings, the Incas, the king and queens of Europe, and everyone else through the ages. Chances are your grandparents and parents had gold wedding rings and if you are married, chances are you and your spouse have them too. And if pure 24K gold weren’t beautiful enough on its own, it can be made into rose gold, white gold, and even green and pink gold by adding other metals.

A man in Delaware emailed us recently to ask, “Are there any scrap gold buyers near me?” He explained that there were plenty of companies in his area that would be happy to buy gold jewelry, bullion, and coins from him if he walked through their front doors. But nobody in his area was in the business of buying the kind of gold scrap he wanted to sell – a bunch of old circuit boards and used sputtering targets that contained gold.

As year 2020 begins, a lot of people have been asking whether platinum, gold, silver or some other metal will turn out to be the best precious metal investment in the months ahead.

The most common answer to that question is almost always something like this . . .

Do you like to buy silver, gold, platinum and rhodium bullion bars and coins?

If you do, you are making a prudent investment choice for these reasons . . .

• You know exactly what you are buying, because they are precisely measured, and issued by governments and reliable companies that are generally trustworthy.

• You can gauge whether your bars and coins are fairly priced, because you can compare their weight to current trading prices. (Note, however, that in most cases bullion bars and coins are sold at prices that are slightly higher than current trading prices.)

• They are convenient investments – easy to buy. Plus, they are packaged in sealed plastic containers that protect them, and which can be easily stored in safety deposit boxes, safes and other secure locations.

• You are all but assured that the precious metals they contain are pure.

• You can enjoy volume discounts, because many dealers will reduce the price per unit if you buy 10, 20, 50 or more at one time.

Okay, those are good reasons. But do they mean that you are making the most profitable investment possible in precious metals if you buy bars and coins? We’ll return to that question in a minute. But first, let’s consider a different question.

When you go looking for gold, you will usually find items that contain very small quantities of it. You might find a picture frame that is covered with gold leaf, a printed circuit board that has gold-covered contact pins, or a pair of gold-plated eyeglass frames.

Can You Carry Gold Coins and Bullion into the U.S. without Paying Duty? Be Sure to Know U.S. Government Limitations

Let’s say that you have bought some beautiful gold coins or bullion while you have been traveling abroad, and that you want to bring them back with you into the U.S. You might have heard that such items can be freely brought into the U.S. without paying duties.

For decades, people have wanted to know exactly what is being stored at Fort Knox, also known as the Fort Knox Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Urban legends are stories – usually untrue - that are so weird that people keep repeating them and sending them around via email. They tend to take on lives of their own – some people even think they really happened. There are even urban legends about precious metals. Here are three we have heard…

The end of calendar year 2015 is coming up fast, and that means it’s time to think ahead about your IRA and other accounts that will figure when you file your taxes next April. Some people are wondering about putting gold and other precious metals into their IRA accounts. On first thought, that makes sense. Gold prices are low right now, after all, so you’re probably not going to sell gold soon. Why not roll your gold into your IRA and not even think about selling it now?

Have you thought of investing in silver, gold, or platinum bars? If you haven’t, maybe you should. Bullion is one of our favorite precious metal investments. Bullion offers important advantages to serious investors, for a lot of very good reasons . . . 

We don’t have a crystal ball that lets us see what precious metals you now own – either in bullion, in materials that you haven’t yet recycled or elsewhere - but we’re willing to guess that most of your metals investments fall into the mid-term category that FINRA defines: you’re going to have them for between three and 10 years, so they should be investments that offer stable long-term growth.

Gold makes different people smile for different reasons. It’s making Rouhani grin because he’ll use gold to cushion his country from recessions, depressions and other economic calamities. And do you know what? Gold can give you a similar level of security too.

If you have been waiting to recycle or sell your gold until trading prices rise, we invite you to consider a Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners Pool Account.  Our Pool Account offers significant benefits, including the ability to sell your gold when prices rise in the future.