Last week, after a two-day euphoria over lower interest rates, stocks retreated, oil broke through $81/barrel, and the dollar sank, reaching parity with the Canadian dollar for the first time in decades.

Don’t be surprised if you start seeing TV commercials urging you to “Buy Gold!,” insisting inflation is back with a vengeance. Put your wallet away for a minute.

That piece of advice doesn’t come from me, although I agree. It comes from folks who would be delighted to sell you gold: the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG), a non-profit organization representing rare coin dealers, which recently issued a consumer alert.