Collecting Coins 101
When you think of a coin collector you are usually envisioning someone who is kind of a nerd who has no life and no proper interests outside of his hobby. Well, if you have ever watched an episode of Antiques Roadshow then you know that the coin collector eventually becomes a very wealthy person who has taken his investment in gold and silver coins to great riches and success. What a coin collector realizes is that not only is the coin of inherent value due to its status as a precious alloy, but it also holds provenance, which is the history of the item and how it came to be in your possession.
A gold coin may be worth a few dollars — sometimes exactly two — but the provenance of the gold coin can increase its value exponentially. For example, if an international celebrity like Beyonce were to be revealed to have collected coins upon her death, that collection would be far more valuable than it was while she was collecting those coins as a child, or before we knew she possessed them. The simple fact that someone interesting finds the coins themselves interesting makes the coins even more interesting to buyers. This is why you should learn more about advancing your collecting habit, as it can be worth your time and energy to understand the power of these alloys.
As a child, you were probably told that you tended to waste money on your childhood frivolities. But when we actually think about it, children who are collectors tend to make wise decisions provided they keep their collections in a nice, safe location. Is there a direct correlation between children who collect coins and keep them in pristine condition and adults who invest wisely? The research has not been done yet, but it should be, and the people to fund that research should be the major investors of today who are looking to stuff the hedge funds of tomorrow.
Metallic History for You
Buying silver coins is just as important and to be fair, you probably own silver-plated or pure silver coins already. Many international currencies employ this metal for its durability and tradable value, so fine silver is minted and used fairly often. The problem is, it is hard to think of silver and not immediately be mentally and emotionally reminded of the destruction of the Andes by conquistadors in the 1500s as a result of the discovery of silver in this area. As a result, silver is one of those elements on the periodic table that immediately brings to mind the rape and genocide of indigenous people.
This may be a barrier to investment for some people as it presents an ethically ambiguous area where your personal sense of morality may be challenged and interrogated. Nevertheless, this grey area of potential investment might be worth it to you if you are willing to risk feeling a little awkward and existing in an ethically ambiguous area. Speaking of ethically ambiguous, Indiana Jones is quite literally a colonizer and a poacher of fine items under the misleading and false guise of “archeology” and “anthropology” so when you romanticize the notion of “discovering” buried treasure, please remember that a gold and silver coins dealer is probably going to give you a better deal than the underground economy.
Gold and silver coins have taken on near-mythical properties over the years. Some people may simply visit websites like https://investingingold.com/bgasc-reviews/ to gauge the relative quality of the ingots they are in possession of. Others might use these resources to determine if the market is worth investing in at all, but it is critically important to note that gold will retain its value over centuries and cultures. That is, there are many communicable things that human beings can appreciate despite language barriers, and the appreciation of gold is one of them.
The Cultural Importance of Money
From Dante to Twain and from Eco to Foucault, many of the major authors who discuss class relations in their work reference precious metals to embody the trappings of wealth as they are captured in bullion. For example, if you were to read Umberto Eco’s most famous novel featuring a murder mystery in a monster, you will note that many of the characters who find themselves conceiving of massive wealth are usually thinking about precious metals as an embodiment of that wealth. The monks in the monastery that self-flagellate as a result of their misdeeds even harm themselves when they ponder the concept of precious metals too intensely, as they are afraid of their inherently corrupting power.
You might want to consider the possibility that you already possess an inner strength and knowledge base that will help you assess the value of an expensive alloy. This is because the material interactions we have with gold and silver and other such ores begin very early on in our lives, and thus the experiential basis we have with such alloys informs us when we go shopping, without our realizing it. We are confident in our understanding of the luminosity of the material because even as babies we are drawn to shiny objects whose inherent value can dazzle us through a flash in our eyes.
If you have not considered the value of these alloys and you are meeting an emotional brick wall with someone who invests with you, you might remind them that the trophies made for all major sports teams and players are constituted of expensive alloys. When rooting for their favorite sports teams, they are hoping to see a gilded trophy rise above the heads of the players to bathe the coach with an energy drink contained within. People may malign others for what they see as crass materialism, but they seem to forget that they already have a close connection with the ores of their dreams, because they have probably already associated those metals with important figures in their own lives or history.
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