Coins made of gold, silver and other precious metals are a crisis-proof investment, even in turbulent times. At the same time, you get high-quality embossing with unique motifs that make history.
Whether you are a collector or an investor looking for coins: In the comprehensive assortment of the Rarecoin online store you are guaranteed to find what you are looking for – and you can be sure of the highest quality. You can also benefit from the many years of expertise of our coin specialists from Wiesbaden.
Investing in valuable coins: Why it pays off
But why should you buy coins at all? At first glance, this investment hardly seems worthwhile. Unlike securities or savings accounts, coins do not yield returns or interest. They need to be stored and are available in such a wide variety that it can be difficult to choose, even for connoisseurs. Nevertheless, there are numerous reasons why you should invest in gold or silver coins, as well as other valuable coins.
Thus, a look at history shows the stable value of gold. With paper money, devaluation may occur. Stock prices and the prices of cryptocurrencies can slide into the basement. Gold, on the other hand, has proven its crisis-proof nature over centuries. Central banks around the world rely on the shiny precious metal as a currency reserve for times of need. Should you decide to purchase investment gold , you will also benefit from a VAT-free purchase. The care of gold coins also takes hardly any time thanks to the high resistance of the precious metal.
But it does not necessarily have to be gold coins: Silver also scores with many positive properties. Above all, the demand for silver is currently rising sharply. This is because large quantities of silver are needed for the further development of renewable energies and environmentally friendly vehicle drives. Therefore, a positive development of the silver price can also be expected in the future. This, in turn, leads to a huge increase in the value of silver coins.
The situation is similar for the precious metals platinum and palladium, although they are much more volatile. They are primarily suitable as speculative investment options for short-term gains.
But that’s not all: historical coins are often made of alloys . The precious metal is mixed with robust metals (such as) copper. Thus, the coins are more suitable for daily payment transactions. Here, too, there are collectibles with high rarity value, which can fetch high prices.
Here are the many advantages of investing in coins at a glance:
- Long-term value enhancement
- Crisis safety
- Investment gold: tax-free; silver, platinum and palladium coins: differential taxed
- Cash purchases up to 1,999 euros possible anonymously
- Variety of motifs
- High quality embossing
- Welcome gift idea
What types of coins can you purchase?
So you see: buying and collecting valuable coins is worthwhile – both for hobby collectors and for investors. But the motivations vary. In general, coins can be divided into two main categories:
- Investment or bullion coins are based almost exclusively on the current precious metal prices. They are minted with a high or even unlimited circulation. The motif is also constant. For this reason, they are ideal for beginners, who can bet here on popular and well-known classics. Due to the material value and high demand, the price is already at the time of purchase far above the stated nominal or face value – the legally established coin value.
- Collector coins: Anyone with experience in numismatics or who collects coins simply for their beauty will quickly find what they are looking for here. Often minted as commemorative coins, they appear in small mintages for a limited period of time. Many collectors focus on a particular theme, for example.
- People
- Anniversaries
- Animals
- Sports events
- or astrology.
But there is also a targeted demand for epochs, mints or modern colored issues.
Tip: Can’t find a particular coin to complete your collection anywhere? The experts at Rarecoin will be happy to assist you in finding your favorite piece.
How valuable is a coin? Evaluation criteria at a glance
Maybe you have inherited gold coins from Mexico and now you want to know if they are valuable foreign coins?
If you already own a collection, you can have your coins valued at Rarecoin. As an investor, it is of course enormously important that you know the value of your coins. However, such an assessment is also indispensable when coins are purchased by third parties. Be sure to contact an experienced and reputable coin dealer for this. This is the only way to get the price you deserve when selling your collection.
Generally speaking, the value of a coin depends on many different criteria.
The output country
Which country a coin comes from plays a significant role in the collecting community. Over time, some nations such as Great Britain, China or Russia have established themselves as particularly popular output countries. However, coins from “exotic” countries can also arouse the interest of collectors due to their rarity.
The mint
The country of issue and the mint are not always identical. If the issuing country does not have its own mint, it can commission a mint in another country. These coins are then issued as agency issues. Often this concerns gold coins from Australia or New Zealand. The mints there often adopt the coinages of the numerous smaller island states in the Pacific. An example of this is the popular “Pacific Sovereign” (1 ounce, in gold). It was issued between 2009 and 2012 by the New Zealand Mint on behalf of Fiji.
Almost all major countries have their own mints, which mint coins for payment and investment purposes on behalf of the government. Often the mints are identified by letters on the coin. There are five different mints in Germany: Berlin (A), Munich (D), Stuttgart (F), Hamburg (J) and Karlsruhe (G).
Among the most popular mints in the world:
- The British Royal Mint
- US Mint
- Royal Canadian Mint
- Perth Mint Australia
- South African Mint Company
- China Mint
Edition number and rarity
With the rarity usually increases the value of a coin. The rarity value does not necessarily have to go hand in hand with the mintage.
For example, around 1.4 million platinum rubles were minted in the Russian Empire between 1828 and 1845. But due to a lack of enthusiasm among the population, a good three quarters of the world’s first platinum coins were melted down again. Therefore, nowadays you can find the platinum ruble on the list of especially valuable old coins.
In addition, often unique and strictly limited editions also have a high rarity value.
Issue date and preservation
Prices for coins are also subject to trends. What is a big seller at the time of issue may be a slow seller after a few years – or vice versa. In addition, two identical coin designs from the same mint may fetch different prices, depending on when they were issued.
Historical coins normally increase in value with age. They may also have scratches. A patina on silver coins is considered proof of their long history and should therefore never be removed from historic coins.
In all other cases, coins should be in good condition. Heavily worn and damaged coins otherwise quickly lose value. There are clearly defined degrees of preservation in numismatics:
- Low: poor condition without collector’s value.
- Good: outlines of the motif are recognizable, otherwise heavily worn.
- Beautiful: obtuse coinage with recognizable inscriptions and contours.
- Very nice: with the exception of the finest details, the coin image is easily recognizable.
- Excellent: clearly visible minting details without significant damage.
In addition, you may also encounter the terms “uncirculated” and “almost uncirculated”. These coins were never or only briefly in circulation due to minting errors.
Embossing quality
There are three levels of embossing quality:
- Brilliant Uncirculated: Classic mintage without flaws, but also without qualitative peculiarities. If the coin was not yet in circulation, it is considered “mint”.
- Mirror finish: More complex manufacturing process than stamp finish. Polished dies give the coins a special shine.
- Polished plate: Often abbreviated as “PP”. Embossing is done with polished dies and polished blanks. This creates a strong contrast between the glossy surface and the matte motif relief.
Coin material
The value of a coin is also measured by its material. In addition to a pure precious metal content, alloys of gold and palladium or gold and copper can also achieve high values. For example, there are many valuable Chinese coins with proportions of bronze or other metals.
Popularity
After all, demand also determines the price when buying coins. It is true that coins made of pure precious metals never fall below the commodity price and are always above their nominal value. But events such as anniversaries or sports competitions can abruptly catapult the value of a coin with corresponding motifs.
List: the most valuable coins in the world
For your convenience, we would like to share with you a list of valuable coins. They include:
- Krugerrand: The world’s first bullion coin comes from South Africa. It was first released in 1967 and has a fineness of 91.67 percent gold. Mixed in is a copper content of 8.33 percent, which is why the coin has a red tint. The motifs of the Springbok and former President Paul Kruger remain unchanged year after year. The worldwide popularity and recognition guarantee the value of the coin. The Krugerrand is also available in silver and platinum.
- Maple Leaf: The famous Canadian maple leaf is not only on the country’s flag, but also on the popular bullion coin, the Maple Leaf. It has been minted since 1979, with a maximum fine gold content of 99.99 percent since 1982. Meanwhile, the Royal Canadian Mint also issues them in silver, platinum and palladium. Thanks to a laser hologram introduced in 2013 on their motif side, as well as radial lines that followed in 2015, the latest issues are considered the most counterfeit-proof coins in the world.
- Vienna Philharmonic: Within Europe, the Vienna Philharmonic has been the undisputed number one coin motif for years. The coin is offered in gold, but also as a silver edition, which is internationally known as “Silver Harmony”. The motif is identical for both precious metals, due to the higher density of gold, the silver edition of the same unit of weight is slightly thicker. The first issue was in 1989, since then the coin design is unchanged.
- Kangaroo Nugget: The motif of this coin is slightly changed from year to year. Originally, the coin showed a gold nugget, until the national animal took over this position. Since then, each minting year one or more kangaroos are depicted in different poses. Also unusual are the weight units. In addition to the typical denominations between one and 1/20 ounce (one troy ounce equals 31.1 grams), you can also get a “Mini Roo” as a 0.5 gram model or a gold coin weighing one kilogram.
- Panda: One of the world’s most famous gold coins from China is the China Panda, whose form of representation also changes from year to year. The usual denomination of one ounce for coins was reduced to exactly 30 grams in 2016.
Note: The Kangaroo and the Maple Leaf not only occupy the top spots as the most popular bullion coins in the world. They are also considered the most expensive gold coins par excellence. Weighing one ton, the Australian exhibit is said to be worth around 55 million euros. The maple leaf follows with 100 kilograms and is estimated at 5.5 million euros. The coin was stolen from the Bode Museum in Berlin in 2017.
Valuable coins from all over the world: Of course at Rarecoin!
At Rarecoin, we offer a wide range of valuable bullion and collectible coins – at unbeatable value for money. Our range of services includes:
- Purchase and sale of coins from gold, silver and other precious metals
- A reliable estimate of the value of your coins
- Ideas for coins as gifts
- Recommendations for the storage and care of your coins – for regular customers including storage offer
- Professional Coin Hunting
- Accessories (for example, scales or other test equipment)
- Information about the current gold price
- An online coin encyclopedia for looking up important terms.
Have we aroused your interest and would you like to learn more about the world of numismatics? Then talk to us!