Friday, November 30, 2012

Rare Coin Collecting: An Investment in History

People love to collect items. Many items that are in collections only have sentimental value and really have no value financially. There is something that has sentimental value, historical value, and financial value that is very fun and satisfying to collect: Rare Coins. No matter the circumstances, rare coins will always have value. They are great to collect and will be valued for years to come. It makes good sense to collect items that will hold or gain value, and you will have that comfort when collecting rare coins.

Decorative 

rare coins
Rare coins are not only beautiful,
they can be very valuable
Rare coins are a great way to decorate in your home. When family or friends come to visit, they will be hard-pressed to sit down, as they will want to look at your curio cabinets and wall hangings that showcase your fabulous collection of coins that have not been seen for years. You can find many coins that were minted years ago that look as if they were just made yesterday. The questions will come and you will be able to tell stories of how the Buffalo nickle was designed. You may be asked how many years the Morgan Dollar was in circulation and you can tell how cowboys would sit at poker tables with their Morgan Dollars. You may even have some of the coins of ancient Rome and other empires that will amaze all the people you know as they gaze upon them. They will be astonished at your expertise.

Your Legacy : Rare Coins Make Memories & Build Relationships


collecting rare coins Many of us think about what are we leaving our loved ones when we pass on. Rare coins are a great way to leave your legacy and memory intact with the ones you love. You will know that they will be fine even if the economy goes sour, because the rare coins you invested in will have gained value and will be a safety net for them in an emergency. Many of the rare coins that you invest in will be sealed in airtight canisters and graded by the top-of-the-line grading firms. Their value will rise and your memory will always be with them when they look upon the rare coins you left them. There are many different types of rare coins and many are made with the precious metals that have been rising in value. You can get gold coins and silver coins and we all know that these two precious metals will always hold much value in human existence.

Your Trusted Authority on Rare Coins

There is a company who you can trust to give you the best deals and advice on your collection of rare coins. Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery in Sarasota, Florida has been buying and selling rare coins for decades. They are a very trusted company and they offer services unmatched by any others. They will make sure you are getting the best coin for your coin collection and they can even attend auctions on your behalf to get the exact coin you desire. Visit Sarasota Rare Coin at this website: http://www.sarasotacoin.com/ or even just come into their store at 640 South Washington Blvd. just North of the #301 and #41 split. You can call anytime too. Just dial 941-366-2191 or 800 447-8778 or email Sarasota Coin at sarararecoin@aol.com. Start investing now and watch your rare coin collection grow along with your knowledge about past history.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Historical Money: Road-map of History

Historians sometime overlook the importance and value of money throughout history. The trade of precious metal, paper, gold coins, or silver coins for goods and services dates back at least five thousand years. Historical money is a good way to track the rise and fall of various civilizations throughout the course of humanity. It is also a wonderful hobby that you can share with family and other collectors to collect historical coins and historical money.

Ancient Money

Many civilizations have used some form of money for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians, for example, measured out precious metals by balancing them against weight. The Aztecs created a system of trade using cocoa beans. The ever industrious Chinese used dowry shells that eventually evolved in to metal pieces resembling the modern coins in use today. The form of currency for these cultures come close to what is known now as ‘money,’ but there still needed to be a bit of currency evolution.

The First Modern Coins

The evolution of modern coins started in around 500 BC in the Mediterranean. Empires such at the city-states in Greece, Alexander’s Macedonia, and the Roman Empire all used round metal pieces imprinted with Emperors and gods. The difference between these coins and the earlier Chinese coins is the metal used. The Chinese coins tended to use whatever metal was available. The newer money used previous metals like gold and silver to produce gold coins and silver coins. This created a value for the money beyond what was dictated by the government. 

Paper Money

historical money
Pre-Civil War Check 1859-1860
The Chinese were also the first to use paper money. From the Ninth to the Fourteenth Century, a system of using paper to represent wealth became widely used in the Chinese empire. When the Mongols came to power, they kept the idea of paper money, calling the pieces ‘silk notes.’ Paper money so impressed the explorer Marco Polo that he wrote about it in his book on the area. Unfortunately, these practices of using paper money lead to extreme inflation and he devaluing of the bills. All use of paper money in China disappeared by 1455. 

A Trail Through History

historcal coins money
1904-1930's Coin Postcard 
The evolution of money occurs with the rise and fall of empires and societies. Keeping track of historical money is a duty that too many historians take lightly. With every discovery of gold coins, silver coins, metal, and paper money, we begin to understand history just a bit more. The average person can help keep history alive by buying and trading these historical artifacts. The history of a country can be found in the hills and ground all around us. These coins can be artifacts of historical times, like the money from the American Civil War or a time before World War II. Collectors and history buffs from around the world will pay good money for these prizes, keeping history alive for all of us. 

Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery is a full service coin dealer that is certified by many numismatic quality regulators and have over 40 years of combined experience. Not only do they deal in rare coins, but they offer several services like auction representation, want lists, bullion sales, paper money, ancient money, historical money, and much more! Visit their beautiful showroom in Sarasota, Florida at 640 South Washington Blvd., just north of the 301 and 41 split. If you have questions, or just want to talk about coins, feel free to call them at (941)-366-2191 or at (800) 447-8778. Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery can also be reached by email at sarararecoin@aol.com. 


Friday, September 21, 2012

Tips on How To Check If It’s Silver


Being able to tell if a coin is actual silver or not is extremely important for collectors. Even people who are not collectors, but enjoy coins & rare coins can see the benefit of being able to tell if a coin is silver. Too many times have honest individuals been swindled by fakes and non-authentic coins. In fact, there is a whole industry of those who devote their time to producing and making money off of fake coins. Protect yourself with the following tips on how to check if it’s real silver coins.

First, check the details of the coin itself and the mint date. Many times, the fraudulent coin will have the details the way they should be. An example that many dealers like to point out is the coin’s reeding. Does the coin have reeded edges when it should not or vice versa? Also, does the reeded edge just not look right? These are warning signs that the silver coins might be fake and should be examined by a reputable dealer.

Checking the mint date of a coin is equally important. This is another detail that most counterfeiters will not get correct. The date of the coin is a detail that can easily be checked and verified. First, you can visit a reputable coin dealer, such as Kent Gulley from Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery. Any dealer worth their salt will be able to spot a counterfeit coin after properly examining it.  You can also check this detail yourself. All that is required is for you to visit the CoinTrackers or the United States Mint website for more information.

These are just a few of the tips a person can utilize to check if their coin is silver. There are many more useful tips which we will be exploring over the next few weeks. In the coin industry, it is vital for the buyer to be armed with knowledge to protect themselves for fraud and fraudulent coins. Coin collecting is a favorite hobby and wonderful past time for many and I hope that one day collectors will not have to worry about counterfeiters.

Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery is located in sunny Sarasota, Florida at 640 South Washington Boulevard just north of the 301 and 41 spilt. A full service coin dealer, they have complete knowledge of all things relating to coins. Some of their many services include silver & gold coins, auction representation and want lists, dealing in bullion, rare coins, modern coins and much more! They can be contacted by phone at 941-366-2191 or 800-447-8778. By email they can be reached at Sarararecoin@aol.com.

Friday, August 10, 2012

The very best ways to invest in gold!

The best dollar hedge investment is going to be gold. Buying and selling in gold through possession in the metal itself, mutual funds, or gold mining stock provides the most direct counter for the dollar. Since the dollar falls, gold will ultimately rise. In just a moment, we’ll provide you with a number of ways for positioning your portfolio to gain knowledge from the bull market in gold. For the moment, we stress the top chance of gold’s future. The particular chance of profits in later on and decades will not be located in the traditional American blue nick industry. That's a fiscal dinosaur that could forget about compete on earth market.



You will find several choices.

Inside the following post, you’ll uncover five methods to purchase gold. Based on your height of market experience and understanding of products, one of these brilliant will probably be best for you.

1. Direct possession. There is nothing beats gold gold, the very best expression of pure value. Previously, many cultures have recognized the permanence of gold’s value. For example, Egyptian cultures hidden huge amounts of gold with deceased pharaohs in the truth that they'd be capable of put it to use inside the afterlife. Great wars were fought against against, among another reasons, to pillage stores of gold. Why the allure? The answer: Gold is usually the only money, which is value can not be changed or controlled by government fiat-the particular cause of government government bodies to go to in the defacto standard, sadly.Gold’s value will rise using the pure forces of supply and demand, no matter what Mr. Greenspan decrees regarding interest levels or dollars in circulation. The big trouble with having gold is it features a inclination to conduct business having a large spread between bid and ask for prices. So don’t be ready to turn a fast profit. You’ll buy at retail and then sell at wholesale, so you’ll need a large cost jump only to break even. However, you should not view gold just like a speculative resource, but a defensive resource for holding value. As the dollars will probably fall in value, gold may be the finest place to preserve value. The most effective forms for gold possession are through minted coins: one-ounce South African Krugerrands, Canadian Walnut Leafs, or American Eagles.

2. Gold exchange-exchanged funds. The present explosion in return exchanged funds (ETFs) presents an infinitely more interesting method to purchase gold. An ETF is really a type of mutual fund that trades around the stock exchange being an regular stock. The ETF’s exact portfolio is bound in advance and does not change. Thus, the two gold ETFs that exchange the united states . States both hold gold gold their only resource. You'll be able to locate these two ETFs beneath the symbol “GLD” (for your streetTRACKS Gold Trust) and “IAU” (for your iShares COMEX Gold Trust). Either ETF supplies a practical approach to hold gold inside an investment portfolio.

3. Gold mutual funds. For individuals who're unwilling to purchase physical gold, but nevertheless desire some connection with the platinum, gold mutual funds provide a helpful alternative. These funds hold investment investment portfolios of gold stocks-that's, the stocks of the kind of Newmont Mining that mine for gold. Newmont is a particualr senior gold stock. A senior can be a large, well-capitalized company which has been around a long time and contains a lucrative history. There is a inclination to own established mines that leave known levels of gold each year. For a number of traders, selection of this kind of customers are an even more moderate or conservative play (versus acquiring cheap shares in fairly youthful companies).

4.  Junior gold stocks. This amount of stock is a lot more speculative. Junior stocks are more unlikely to own productive mines, and can be exploration plays-with greater potential profits but furthermore with and also the greater likelihood of loss. Capital will most likely become more compact than capital in the senior gold stocks. This feature of possibilities is ideal for traders whose risk tolerance is bigger, and who accept the potential for gold-based deficits in exchange for that chance of triple-digit gains.

5.  Gold options and futures. For your modern-day and experienced investor, options let you speculate in gold prices. In the options market, you'll be able to speculate on cost actions in both direction. If you buy a telephone call, you are wanting prices will rise. A telephone call fixes the price and so the greater that cost goes, the greater the margin including the fixed option cost and market cost. By collecting a put, you expect the price to fall. Buying options is harmful, people nowadays lose than win. Really, three-fourths of options bought expire useless. The options companies are complex in addition to experience and understanding. To generalize, options possess two key traits-one bad then one good. The truly amazing trait is that they enable an investor to handle a substantial investment getting a little, and limited, sum of money. Unhealthy trait is always that options expire in the fixed period of time. Thus, for your buyer time might be the enemy because once the expiration date can get closer, an option’s “time value” vanishes. Anybody buying and selling in options must recognize all the risks before they spend cash. The futures companies are far too complex for your huge the majority of traders. Even experienced options traders recognize the top risk character in the futures market. Taking into consideration the plethora of techniques to get to the gold market, futures purchasing and selling is regarded as the complex and, while large fortunes may be made, they can also be lost immediately.

We can not know, predict, or possibly guess, when the demise in the dollar will occur, or how quickly it'll occur. But perform realize it will occur. The tragic mismanagement of monetary policy with the Given on the very long time makes this inevitable.


Eliminating the U.S. economic climate within the defacto standard wasn't essentially a range of short-term effect. Nixon may have seen the move for fixing current economic problems, nevertheless it had extended-lasting impacts: trade deficits, growing federal debt, and also the chance to print money forever making a completely new credit-based economy. Worldwide, your choice through the united states . States virtually forced other major foreign foreign currencies and to trigger the defacto standard.

Any investor who sights the cost-effective situation broadly-both in your area and worldwide-are able to see that the issue here is approaching next. We have postponed the inevitable because China can be a partner inside our financial worries.

Leading the charge is gold. It's ironic that financial policy follows a expected pattern.

Government government bodies overprint money in addition to their currency crashes. Inevitably, they always return to gold, but frequently at great expense with considerable suffering. We uncover inside ourselves another of people moments with time where irresponsible financial policy has put us at risk. But we don't have to basically hold on and wait for demise in the dollar we could make a move now because that demise is fantastic for your portfolio-in the event you position yourself in solid assets rather than in empty fiat promises as well as the bizarre economic premise of U.S. financial policy.

Items or services might be taken proper care of simply with items or services. Currency is not but an IOU, a promissory note that isn't supported with any tangible value. As we achieve our national borrowing limit, financial policy will need to retreat. When that happens, traditional traders in addition to their savings accounts is going to be hit hard. The beneficiary in the falling dollar will be the investor whose holdings stress tangible price of goods: assets and silver and gold.

Monday, July 16, 2012

How to invest in gold - part 2

The second part of our two part post, How to invest in gold. This article covers the various ways you can invest in gold, through purchasing gold coins, gold bullion, and more. This is the smartest way to invest your money.  Now on to part 2 of the post:

4.Miners


A riskier way to invest in gold is through gold-mining stocks. Mining stocks can have as much as a 3-to-1 leverage to gold's spot price to the upside and downside.

Gold miners are risky because they trade with the broader equity market. Some tips to consider when picking gold stocks are to find companies with strong production and reserve growth. Make sure they have good management and inventory supported by either buying smaller-cap companies or by maintaining consistent production.

Global gold production has been declining since 2001, only recently experiencing more juice, and big miners keep their gold reserves flush by buying or partnering with small-cap companies, which are in the exploration or development stage.

Many investors make the mistake of buying small gold miners that are in the exploration phase with no cash flow. Picking among these stocks is like buying a lottery ticket, very few companies actually strike gold and become profitable. Even fewer become takeover targets.




Adam Graf, director of emerging miners for Dahlman Rose & Co., models 50 companies on a forward basis using forward curves. "On a theoretical basis, if gold moved up $100 an ounce, what does the change in the current value do based on what the forward looking cash flow should do."

Another factor to consider when picking gold stocks is how quickly the company will benefit from higher prices. Randgold Resources (GOLD), a miner in Africa, is almost 100% correlated to gold prices. CEO Mark Bristow says that the company benefits from gold prices in almost two days.

You also have to buy the right amount of gold stocks. J.C. Doody, editor of goldstockanalyst.com, bets on 10 gold stocks because it allows him to take some risk with explorers or junior miners as well as get the safety from a major.

If you do go the gold stock route, you have to be prepared for the rollercoaster ride.

Leverage swings both ways so if the gold price drops 10%, gold stocks can plummet 20%-30%. Investors often get too spooked too fast and wind up selling out of gold stocks at the wrong time.

There is always time to buy gold, you just have to know your ABCs before you start.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

How to invest in gold - Part 1

Whenever you buy gold, the first rule of thumb is dollar cost averaging -- putting a fixed amount of money towards gold every month regardless of the price. For the average investor, this strategy spreads risk out over time and lessens the downside.

Most money managers advocate anywhere from 3%-10% in gold. More bullish managers recommend an allocation as high as 20%.


Gold is protection, insurance against inflation, currency debasement, and global uncertainty. Here are four ways you can invest.


1.Gold Bullion





Buy physical gold at various prices: coins, bars and jewelry. Some of the most popular gold coins are American Buffalo, American Eagle and St. Gauden's. You can store gold in bank safety deposit boxes or in your home. You can also buy and sell gold at your local jewelers. Other companies like Kitco.com allow you to store gold with them as well as trade the metal.

When you buy gold coins or bullion, avoid big premiums. You want to buy gold as close to the spot price as possible, or a 10% premium at most. The higher the premium, the higher the gold price will have to rise in order for you to profit.

Coins typically come from the national mint, where they are made and sold at a 4% mark up -- the retailer's margin is 1% to 3%.

To calculate the premium of a gold product, subtract the spot price from the price you are being quoted, divide that number by the spot price and multiply by 100.


Had you purchased a one ounce gold bar at Kitco.com for $1,225.90 -- using a spot price of $1,200 -- the bar has a 2.1% mark-up. This means that the gold price only has to rise 2.1% from spot price levels for you to break even on your investment.

There are other types of ETFs.

If you want the opportunity of redeeming your shares for gold, another option is Sprott Physical Gold Trust ETV (PHYS), which is a closed-end mutual fund that gives investors the option of trading in their shares for 400-ounce gold bars.

The fund can trade at a huge premium or discount to its net asset value at any time and has higher fees, making it more expensive to invest in. An investor can obtain physical gold on the 15th of every month, although the holder has to make transportation and storage arrangements.


There are also two other ETFs to consider. Market Vectors Gold Miners (GDX), a basket of large-cap mining stocks. and Market Vectors Junior (GDXJ), a group of development-stage miners. They both have market caps of $150 million or more and have traded at least 250,000 shares per month for six months.


3.ETNs




If you want more risk, try exchange-traded notes, debt instruments that track an index. You give a bank money for an allotted amount of time and, upon maturity, the bank pays you a return based on the performance of what the ETN is based on, in this case the gold futures market. Some of the more popular ones are UBS Bloomberg CMCI Gold ETN (UBG), DB Gold Double Short ETN (DZZ), DB Gold Short ETN (DGZ) and DB Gold Double Long ETN (DGP).

ETNs are like playing the futures market without buying contracts on the Comex. ETNs are flexible, and an investor can trade them long or short, but there is no principal protection. You can lose all your money.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Why Not To Clean Silver Coins


Morgan Dollar

Let me start off by saying that most coin dealers and coin collectors do not recommend cleaning your silver coins at all. Appearance means a lot to some people because they want the coins to be exhibited with the best look possible. Although this is an admirable quality, it can have some consequences if you clean your silver coin collection. Before you decide to clean any of your silver coins, please be fully aware of the reasons of why you should not clean your coins by reading this article in its entirety.

There are many reason why cleaning your silver coins are not a good idea. Even the most careful cleaning has the potential to damage your coins. During the cleaning process the coins can lose some of their value. The loss of value can be attributed to scratching or damaging of the silver coin. In some cases the coin can become completely worthless because of a cleaning. So if you absolutely feel like your silver coins must be cleaned, take them to a professional with experience.

Peace Dollar
Some people might actually think the tarnish on their silver coins is unsightly, but the opposite is true. The tarnish on a silver coin is in fact referred to as toning. The toning on silver coins can be seen as brown or black spots, and sometimes even appear as a rainbow or iridescent hue.  Toning occurs over time as a result of environmental factors and natural oxidation from being exposed to the air. Many coin collectors consider silver coins with eye-catching toning to be quite attractive and consider them more valuable. As a result, one of these collectors will often pay more for one of these silver coins.

The toning on your silver coins helps establish the validity and authenticity of the coin. It shows that the coin has age and is genuine. If you clean a silver coin it will remove the toning, along with some of its value because it will lose its allure to another coin collector. Cleaning the toning from the silver coin also has the potential to harm the surface of the coin, which will lessen the worth of the coin overall.

Walking Liberty Half Dollar
Many times, chemicals are mistakenly used to clean coins. These chemicals are usually harsh, and can typically ruin the silver coin altogether because of the scuffs and abrasions the chemicals can produce. Chemicals will not only take away toning, but also remove the mint luster of the coin. Also try to stay away from metal polishes. Most times, these types of polishes are not meant for silver coins at all. Any or all these things can drastically lower the grade of your silver coin.

 Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery is located at 640 South Washington Blvd. Sarasota , FL 34236 just north of the 301 and 41 split. They can be contacted by telephone at 941-366-2191 or 800 447-8778 for questions or to place a coin order. With over 40 years of experience, Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery can assist you with any of your coin collecting needs!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Tips on Spotting Counterfeit Coins

Collecting coins, or numismatics, is more than a hobby these days, it is a huge industry involving several different businesses. Some of these include dealers, grading services, professional numismatic photography, auctions, collectors and more. As with any business, there are those who are unethical and try to make money by forging valuable historic coins or rare coins . The best way to prevent this from happening is to become aware of the techniques the forgers use to trick people.

Counterfeiters have developed more skills in forging historic coins. The methods of forging coins have become more advanced and can even sometimes fool dealers and collectors. One of the main problems is that once a type of counterfeit coin is detected and taken out of the market, another forgery is there to take its place. With forgeries constantly evolving it is extremely important to stay educated and continue learning about new methods of counterfeiting rare coins and other types of coins like gold coins and silver coins.

Coins That Have Been Cast

Fake coins that have been cast usually have a distinctive seam where the metal covering the coin meets up. Also look for pits on the exterior of the coins. These pits are from air bubbles getting trapped during the process of the metal solidifying. If the coin is a silver coin or gold coin, check the weight. The wrong weight is a solid indicator that the coin is a forgery. Check the details of the coin, if they appear extremely dull and have the absence of sharpness than it could be a counterfeit. In recent years, forgers have tried to eliminate the pitting and air bubbles with putting the coins through a centrifugal casting procedure. Fortunately even after this procedure the coin will most likely be the wrong weight and have that distinctive seam.

Coins That Have Been Altered

It has become common for counterfeiters to attempt to alter a legitimate, genuine coin. Most likely, the forger will alter or modify the coin so that it appears to be more rare than it actually is. Of course the end goal of this type of forgery is to misrepresent the coin and charge more money then it is truly worth. The best way to combat this type of counterfeiting is a close examination of the suspect coin. Under magnification is one of the most reliable ways to spot a forgery of this type.

Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery has over 40 years of experience as a full service coin dealer. Call (941) 366-2191 or (800) 447-8778 for any questions or assistance with any type of coin or paper money! They are also available by email at Sarararecoin@aol.com

Monday, April 9, 2012

How To Protect Yourself From Gold Scams Part 2

Scams and fraudulent activity are no stranger to the american people. It seems that the more upheaval there is in the economy, the more scams that pop up. While there are many commissions and groups readily hunting such scams, fraud still runs rampant. For every scam than gets shut down, it is suspected that twenty more take its place. With no moral or ethical bounds holding back these criminals they are free to prey on our friends and family. Priority targets for these lawbreakers are commonly the elderly, many of whom are on a fixed income and end up investing, and then losing their life savings.

The burden falls on the consumer to protect themselves. It is also recommended that you bring up and talk about concerns of scams, fraudulent activity, and questionable investments with parents, friends, and family; so that they can be made aware and be able to protect themselves against crooks looking to take their money. If you suspect that you, or someone you know, has been scammed, take action so that no one else will get taken in by the same scam. Visit StopFraud.gov, Fbi.gov, the United States Department of Justice, or the USDOJ recommend Fraud.org, which is the home of the National Consumers League's Fraud Center.

There are a few things that any consumer should look out for before they purchase gold, especially if you are planning a big or bulk purchase, or intending to buy gold online. Although this is a tip I have given before, it is definitely worth mentioning again because it has the potential of thwarting a would be scam artist. Research the dealer that you are potentially going to work with! Things you should be doing research on are how long the dealer has been in business, their BBB rating or if they have had any complaints, and do an online search of the dealer by using their company name and placing the word scam or fraud after. Also, only deal with local companies, instead of doing business with someone in another country. By dealing locally, you can ask around about your dealer in the community they are in, or go into the store and get a feel for the person yourself.

If you are working with someone for the first time, do not make a huge purchase or buy in bulk! First, make a small buy and see how that deal goes and check to make sure you received everything the dealer promised and if it is good quality gold. There is no harm in waiting, if the dealer claims you will miss out on special low rates or tries to bully you with any other sales tactic, than they are probably just trying to take your money and run away with it! Only buy gold that the dealer can deliver and you can actually hold in your hands. A wise and widely used expression for this is "If you can't hold it, you don't own it!" If you are unsure, or are a new investor in gold, than buy gold bullion coins. Mainly, these coins are bought for their gold content, which is the actual amount or weight of gold that the coin contains. Buying these kinds of gold coins make them easier to trade or sell, and also protects you from purchasing coins that are sold at inflated prices claiming to be collectible, when in reality they actually are not.

If you have any questions or concerns about gold or a gold coin purchase please contact us by phone at 941-366-2191 or 800 447-8778 or through email at Sarararecoin@aol.com. Not only are we not afraid to talk to you, but we love to talk!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

How To Protect Yourself From Gold Scams

Gold fraud is everywhere across the globe. The scams can be relatively simple or astoundingly complex. For the most part the end result remains the same; hard working people scammed out of their money. These days it seems as though the scam artists have no shame. The scammers have even gone as far as to prey on the elderly, having them take out a reverse mortgage on their homes and then stealing all the money those people thought they were investing.

So how you protect yourself and avoid such pitfalls? The most important thing you can do is get educated about gold and the gold market before you make any purchases. A good thing to learn is what the current price of spot gold is when you plan on making a purchase. Typically, most dealers will charge about 5% over the gold spot price. If the dealer of gold wants you to pay more than that, it is time to find yourself another gold dealer. The best thing to do is find a dealer with years of experience. Not only will they be knowledgeable, but they will have a great passion for their work if they have devoted years of their life to it.

Before choosing a dealer or company you need to do some research about them! Most reputable dealers belong to the American Numismatic Association or the Professional Numismatists Guild. This adds an extra layer of protection because the dealer must be ethical and make a fair attempt to resolve any conflicts. Failure to comply with the rules of these associations can result in the dealer losing their membership. Also check out the Better Business Bureau. On their website you can find what their rating is and if they have had any complaints lodged against their company.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Gold Fraud - The Underbelly of the Gold Market

With the precious metal gold at all time highs, more unscrupulous people have been attracted to the gold market. Unfortunately for consumers, this means they can be swindled or taken in by people or companies that appear legitimate. Recently, a gold fraud case for a well-known gold dealer named Goldline, was dropped in lieu of a settlement. Goldline was popular and had several endorsements from media personalities, one of those being Glenn Beck. Instead of facing the 19 counts of criminal charges, Goldline agreed to pay customers who purchased gold coins from them over 5 million dollars in compensation.

Goldline was not just practicing bad business practices, but were instructing sales people to partake in a form of fraud. After several complaints, they were investigated which led to the charges that were brought against Goldline by Santa Monica's City Attorney. Goldline's practices were described as predatory and deceitful by the head of Santa Monica's City Attorney's consumer protection division. He also said that in pursuing criminal charges against Goldline was a stiff warning to any gold dealers involved in fraudulent practices would be punished.

The fraudulent practices committed by Goldline is know as a bait and switch. Clients were first approached with a certain kind of gold coins available for purchase. After engaging the client, the sales proposal would change and clients were presented with another choice of collectible gold coins. The collectible gold coins, coins that were minted in 1933 or before, were highly recommend during the sales proposal because under federal law they can not be seized or confiscated. The fraud in this situation is that those collectible gold coins had inflated and highly increased prices compared to the coins' actual gold bullion content. Customers everywhere paid the increased prices. The duped clients were overpaying for gold coins, coins that they would never be able to regain the money for if they were sold; and if sold, always taking a big loss.

Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery has over 40 years of experience and are located in the beautiful and sunny Sarasota, Florida. At their address of 640 South Washington Blvd. they have a wonderful and spacious showroom. They offer the special service of in-home and on-site appraisals! Call (941)366-2191 or come into the showroom for your own special and memorable experience!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Forecast for 2012

Buying and trading gold and silver is major business for investors. But lately, the forecasting of gold and silver rates has become quite important and a big business in its own right. Companies and citizens alike have begun to depend on these types of predictions for their investments. So what have the forecasters predicted for 2012? It should be of no surprise to anyone following the market that there have been expectations that gold will continue to rise. But what may surprise you is the sheer amount of the calculated increase.

Citigroup is a well-known and established company. A branch of Citigroup, called CitiFX, claims that in 2012 the precious metal gold will climb to an amazing $2,400 an ounce. If that doesn't impress you, than take a look at their outlook for gold in coming years. Their forecast is that gold will reach a staggering $3,400 an ounce! CitiFX also claims that gold will eventually beat equities, bonds, and some currencies.

In the last decade alone, gold has shown great gains for its investors. According to statistics, gold has gained approximately fifty percent in returns every single year for over a decade. Some claim that as it continues to climb that it is inevitable that the price of gold will soon plummet. But all major analysts claim that it will not only retain its value, but that gold will greatly increase in value through 2012.

Visiting the majestic Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery at 640 S. Washington Blvd, in Sarasota, Florida can be a portal to the past. With over 40 years of combined experience in the art of numismatics, they are a reputable complete and full service coin dealer. Call (941)366-2191 for help placing an order or for any questions!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Why Gold Coins Are A Great Investment

There is a lot of interest for investing in gold in the past couple of years. While gold can be a great investment, there is a better way of investing. Gold coins can be a much safer way of investing in other forms of gold for many reasons. An even safer form than gold coins is rare gold coins that were made in 1933 or the years before that.

Many investors prefer gold coins because most coins are usually alike in purity, weight, and shape. These factors allow gold coins to be traded or sold without difficulty. The fact that they are easy convertible assets makes them an effective investment. Another great quality is that in times of hardship gold coins are easily liquidated giving a person fast access to their fortune.

Rare gold coins can be an indispensable asset to an investor. In the history of the United States there have been instances where the federal government has confiscated private citizen's gold, including coins. With the national debt at its highest rate ever, there is no guarantee that this could happen again. Fortunately, federal laws have been put into place to protect citizens from this unbelievable intrusion.

United States federal law states that coins made in 1933 or coins minted in the years before that can not be seized. This means that your gold investment will be safe from being confiscated by the government. Another benefit is that that the sale of your rare coins is a private matter, does not have to be reported, and therefore it is all profit since no taxes have to be paid. Coins minted after 1933, including bullion gold coins, are required to be reported to the government if sold, and is considered a type of income which you then must pay taxes on.

Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery is a full service coin dealer that can help you receive the most for your PCGS and NGC graded coins. With over 40 years of experience they posses complete knowledge of bullion, rare coins, modern coins and sets, foreign, ancients, and paper money and will help you to purchase or sell any of these items. Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery offer confidential sales and service, along with auction representation and want lists. Call (941)366-2191 or (800)447-8778 for any questions or to place an order, or visit their showroom at 640 South Washington Boulevard in Sarasota, Florida located in the Arts and Antique Building just north of the 301 and 41 split.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Gold on the Rise

Today gold gained more than a one percent increase. This is the highest that it has been in almost seven weeks. The price of spot gold rose right along with it, hitting the goal of the largest one day gain for the last three months. Not only did gold rise, but commodities, the stock market, and the euro gained points also.

These gains followed after the federal government proclaimed their intent to preserve crucial United States interest rates the previous day. The plan from federal policy makers is to maintain an almost zero interest rate until the year of 2014. The chairmen of the federal policy maker's claimed that more economic stimulus plans will follow. This is good information for those who invest in gold. Many who thought that if United States interest rates climbed higher it would impact the opportunity cost of possessing no-interest bullion.

Hopefully, if this continues gold will keep on rising to even higher prices. Gold investors should bask in the good news, but still be aware of other factors. An analyst at Commerzbank said to keep a watchful eye on the prices of gold because there is a chance that there is a possibility that it could be susceptible to profit taking since its prices have gained ten percent.

It is the opinion of Jeff Clark from Casey Research that given the expansive alteration of gold that began in September of 2011 that it will probably take gold until May to reach a new prominent high in price. That being said, he still believes gold is the safer bet than silver. Although silver has seen its fair share of great gains, it is a highly volatile market and can drop just as quickly as it gained.

Visit Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery in Sarasota, FL at 640 South Washington boulevard. Unable to make it in to the store? Then give us a call at (941)366-2191 or (800)447-8778 or email us at Sarararecoin@aol.com.
Our showroom is located just north of the 41 and 301 spilt in the Arts and Antique Building bottom floor. We look forward to seeing you and helping you find the best deals!