Today, April 22nd, marks the 40th anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement Earth Day. The movements founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, proposed the first nationwide environmental protest “to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda.

In the 40 years since the first Earth Day, the environmental movement  continues to generate fierce debate  as to the effects, motivations and possible outcomes of existing / proposed environmental laws and theories. Hot button issues such as Global Warming, Sustainability, Biodiversity, Recycling, Resource Allocation and Environmental Justice seem to pull us farther apart rather then bringing us closer together.

But whatever side of the current debate you find yourself on, I think the vast majority of people would agree that given a choice, it is preferable to have clean water to drink, clean air to breath and safe food to eat. So what does this have to do with Numismatics?

All that raw materials used to make our gold and silver coins and bullion products has to be mined, refined and manufactured. Unfortunately, the mining process in many parts of the world is a dirty business. Toxic chemicals and substances like cyanide and mercury are often used to extract the precious metals during the refining process, and much of this is done in less than ideal and controlled environments (no pun intended)

We can across a Precious Metals refiner that has taken a different path, Ohio Precious Metals (OPM).  Founded over 35 years ago OPM operates a state of the art 178,000 square foot facility is located in Appalachian Ohio. As a leading recycled precious metals refiner, OPM extracts the metals from jewelry, photographic equipment, electronics, secondary refining and collecting sources in North America.

Once the precious metals are recovered, OPM uses the metals to produce the highest quality gold and silver products including 1, 10 AND 100 oz Silver .9995 fine Bars and 1 oz, 1 Kilo (32.18 oz) and 400 oz Gold .9999 fine bars.

These “recycled” Green bullion products generate a significantly lower environmental impact than similar products manufactured from “virgin ore” and may offer the environmentally conscious investor an alternative product to purchase.

Bob Higgins from Certified Assets recently stated that his company has added the OPM Gold and Silver Bars to their inventory as a “green” alternative and that “….interest has been very high” in these precious metals bars. OPM has a stellar reputation with a superior product that fills a critical role in the industrial and investor marketplace. We are happy to be doing business with them.” (more…)

Business already is good for a Wilmington, Delaware bullion and rare coin depository that opened three years ago, but it’s expected to be even better in the weeks ahead now that a major New York City bank depository has told many of its customers to remove their valuables.

“As soon as the news broke that HSBC was kicking out individual investors and even some commercial accounts to accommodate storage for large institutional accounts at its facility in Manhattan, I started getting phone calls from worried investors and even executives of some commercial firms who suddenly need a safe place for their gold and silver coins and ingots,” said Robert L. Higgins, CEO of First State Depository Company LLC that opened in Wilmington in June 2004.

The door to the 5,000 square foot vault weighs over 5,600 pounds. The depository has up to $400 million capacity insurance with Lloyd’s of London for the gold and other valuables shipped in from investors and companies nationwide, but Higgins says that insurance coverage may have to be increased with the anticipated additional requests for secure storage.

“It was surprising to see how many people who never owned gold before started buying it this past year. We’ve had many first-timers contact us to store their coins and precious metals purchases. Many people have put gold bullion coins in their IRAs.”

Higgins advises investors facing eviction from the HSBC depository to transfer their valuables prior to January first, whether to his depository or somewhere else, as long as it’s by year’s end.

“That way, you won’t have to pay HSBC’s annual storage fee that is payable in January,” he explained. “There’s another advantage for investors to move their valuables to Delaware. Unlike New York, there is no tax imposed on the payment of depository storage fees in Delaware.” (more…)

The finest known 1907 Ultra High Relief Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle gold coin, insured for $5 million, will be displayed during the first three days of the Santa Clara, California Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo to be conducted November 19 – 22, 2009. The show will be held in the Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Parkway, where free parking is available.

“This magnificent-looking Ultra High Relief is graded PCGS Proof-69, and will be exhibited courtesy of Certified Assets Management of Wilmington, Delaware,” said Ronald J. Gillio, Expo General Chairman.

“This famous coin was designed by renowned sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, at the personal request of President Theodore Roosevelt. It was struck seven times to bring up all the beautiful features in the design. There are less than 20 known surviving examples, and this is the finest. There is no other example certified higher,” said Bob Higgins, President of Certified Assets Management.

More than 500 dealers will be buying and selling rare coins, paper money, stamps, vintage postcards, historical documents and other collectibles during the show. The Cupertino Coin Club will display exhibits, and there will be educational seminars on hobby topics.

Teletrade of Irvine, California will conduct the official auction during the Santa Clara Expo. A gold coin door prize will be awarded each day, and a children’s treasure hunt will be conducted between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 20.

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