By Mark Ferguson for COIN VALUES

“Recession!” That’s the hot topic in the news these days. Some economists say we’re in one, some say we’re just close.

I often get asked what the coin market in general does when stock prices go higher or lower, when interest rates are high or low, and what coins do when the economy is good or bad, for example.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that there are no rules.

I am not an economist, but speaking as a numismatist I can point out what’s happened to the coin market during modern times.

We used to see coin prices rise and then plateau, rise again and plateau again. However, in early 1980 after gold hit the then record high of $850 most “investment grade” coins, namely Mint State 65 pieces, continued to rise and then promptly proceeded to fall by about 50 percent, beginning around income tax time in early April that year. Read Full Story