By Kathleen Duncan – Pinnacle Rarities

One of the most frequent questions we’re asked is which series present the best values. There has been plenty written on those sectors of the market on the rise…seemingly most right now. We can, however, list quite a few which are excellent bargains. For the most part, these are coins that have not seen much, if any, price appreciation in the past two decades. Acquire a single coin, or collect an entire series. High quality, attractive coins from these areas should outperform the general market.

Red-Brown Indian Cents: We see many coins certified Red by PCGS or NGC that we believe are actually a Red-Brown. Buy those coins, instead, that are certified Red-Brown, which are near Red, and pay a fraction of the price.

Three Cent Nickels: This is a modest 23 coin series that has only a few stoppers (1883, 84, 85). The Proof series is only a bit longer (26 coins) but is easier to complete. Most proofs are available in cameo for a reasonable premium.

Seated Liberty Half Dimes: Capped Bust half dimes have charted nice gains, but this series is still asleep. The business strikes present a challenge to complete, with several exceptionally difficult dates. Legend Obverse Proofs (1860-73) present a much more collectible endeavor. (more…)

One of my favorite under-the-radar U.S. gold issues is the 1857-S gold dollar. This is a coin that is really hard to find yet nice examples can still be purchased for less than $2,000. Read on for some “need to know” information about this interesting issue.

San Francisco only produced gold dollars for a total of seven years. The 1856-S is probably the best known of these issues due to its being a popular one-year type but, ironically, it is probably the most common gold dollar from this mint. The 1870-S is the rarest of these in terms of its overall availability but it is actually more obtainable in Uncirculated than generally realized. The dates that are the hardest to locate in higher grades are the 1857-S, 1858-S and 1859-S and it is my belief that the 1857-S may be the toughest of the three.

A total of 10,000 1857-S gold dollars were struck of which I would estimate that 150-200 are known. This date is seldom found below EF40; this is due to the fact that the small size of the gold dollar did not make it a coin that could easily circulate for many years and subsequently become heavily worn. Most of the survivors are in the EF45 to AU55 range. The 1857-S becomes scarce in properly graded AU55 to AU58 and it is quite rare in Uncirculated. (more…)

By Allen Mincho, Bank Note Reporter

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the time gold soared to over $1,000 per ounce, it was the time that the bear in “bear market” rose up on its hindquarters to maul even such an established Wall Street name as Bear, Stearns.

What is one to make of such times? And, more important for those whose role it is to report, advise and generally pontificate, what can one say to bring clarity and direction to a currency market caught in an American economy that is beginning to appear closer to that of Argentina than Switzerland?

A look at history gives annoyingly little guidance, nor does it offer black-line rules that can be applied to the situation in which we seem to find ourselves today. During the past bout of “stagflation,” the term applied to the economy of the 1970s where inflation was high and growth low, the currency market rose steadily through the decade. As inflation and interest rates reached record levels not seen since the Civil War, the currency market erupted in an orgy of speculative excess, with prices of many type notes doubling and tripling within an 18-month period, buoyed by record prices for precious metals and an economy where confidence had disappeared and fear reigned. Read Full Numismaster Article