By Mark Ferguson for COIN VALUES

Reader surveys conducted regularly by Coin World show that State quarter dollars and Morgan dollars are the most actively collected series of U.S. coins. However, without a doubt, “better-date” (of higher quality and rarer than type coins but less rare than key and semi-key dates) gold coins are the most talked about coins when people approach me at major coin shows and auctions, by telephone and via e-mail.

It’s no surprise that the majority of collectors cannot afford to collect gold coins by date, but dealers are obviously doing a lot of business in the gold coin market as compared to other segments. Some of this activity is due to investment promotions by dealers, while other activity is due to some collectors making investments in their collections.

Inquiries about valuations for better-date gold coins far outnumber requests for values for smaller denomination coins.

Of course, when the price of gold bullion makes substantial moves up or down, prices for gold type coins must be adjusted accordingly. However, better-date gold coins – which are not necessarily affected by bullion moves because of their higher numismatic premiums – have been holding their own through these moves in gold bullion. Their rising trend has not let up for many years.

Related posts:

1. San Francisco Double Eagles Gold Coins: A Date by Date Analysis Part Two
2. Gold & Silver Political Action Committee (PAC) Formed to Support Rare Coin & Precious Metal Community
3. Value Compression in the Rare Date Gold Coin Market
4. San Francisco Double Eagles: A Date by Date Analysis Part One
5. San Francisco Double Eagles: A Date by Date Analysis Part Three
6. 12 Great Values in the Rare Date Gold Market Priced Below $5,000
7. Philadelphia No Motto Half Eagles From the 1840’s: A Date by Date Analysis
8. The 2008 Rare Date Gold Market Report
9. Rare Date Gold – What Should I Collect ?
10. Two weeks. Two shows. Too much?