Why should a coin collector and investor buy and collect professionally graded and certified coins?. Commonly called “slabs”, they are housed in a protective plastic holder. There are many companies - over a dozen are less than 2 years old - which will put your coin in a slab after Certifying that it is Authentic, and assigning a Grade to the coin. The first reason for buying and collecting Certified and Graded Coins applies to all of these companies. However, the most important reasons apply only to the Top Four companies: PCGS, NGC, ANACS, and ICG.

Reason No 1. To Protect Your Coin from Damage.
Visible Damage, which includes anything from finger prints/oils to being stepped on. More importantly, Environmental Damage, including such things as exposure to the air, or the wrong kind of air, chemicals in the air, and touching other objects (e.g.: certain plastics, liquids, food) and other coins, which will change the appearance and even structure of the coin. Damage causes loss of Value, which means Your Investment. A slab is an air tight container, and its purpose is Protection.

Reason No 2. To Establish Authenticity.
You want and need to know that your coin is not only the Real thing, but that it has not been altered (changing a mint mark - fraud) or changed, for example by cleaning, polishing, changing the appearance or surface of the coin, in any way that would render your coin unfit to collect. If it is Unfit to Collect, there won’t be many Buyers or Sellers. Many coins graded by lesser companies end up getting Rejected by one of the Top Four for these reasons.

Reason No 3. To Establish Identity.
Is that 1909 Lincoln penny a VDB? Did you overlook the “S” mint mark. Is it a Type 1 or Type 2? These little identifying marks can mean the difference between a $20 coin and one worth $35,000. We all make mistakes and overlook or miss, mint marks, details, and certain other identifying factors which make up “Varities” of each coin. It is the professional’s duty to look for, and establish these things to determine a coin’s true Identity.

Reason No 4. To Establish the Coin’s Grade.
A coin’s Grade is what determines its Value. You want Good Value when you Buy the coin. You want to get what you pay for (or more) and not get cheated. When you get ready to Sell or Upgrade, you want to get the most for your coin. You Have to Know What the Coin is Worth! The Grade is always an Issue when Buying and Selling a Collectible Coin. Having the coin Professionally Certified and Graded virtually eliminates this Issue, and the Arguments. This is Your Neutral Third Party.

Reason No 5. Trust and Credibility.
The Top Four companies are Consistent, Reliable and Trustworthy. They have Established and Respected Reputations. Their Standards are the Highest and the Best. You are taking a Risk when buying a certified and graded coin from any other company.

It is possible to buy and sell a coin that is Certified and Graded by one of the Top Four, sight unseen, and know exactly what you are getting. From a description of the coin (e.g.: 1903 O, MS66, NGC, Morgan #034), you know what you are buying, and what to expect. It always helps to have a little description of its appearance, such as “white hot” or “slight reverse toning”, since there is one limitation to selling a Certified and Graded coin sight unseen: It is still possible to buy an ugly coin. But that is why we have scanners, fax and email.

Therefore, as a Coin Collector and Investor, always collect Certified and Graded coins by one of the Top Four. It is the most reasonable way to verify authenticity and identity of every coin in your collection, as well as to establish a reliable Value. Every source of prices for any coin, be it a yearly book, magazine, a weekly or monthly newsprint; all base their prices on the Grading Standards of the Top Four grading companies, which strictly follow the ANA guidelines. If the Grade of your coin does not measure up to these Standards, then you are only guessing at the Value.

Robert L Taylor, JD
Copyright 2006

About Robert L Taylor, JD
He is a retired lawyer of 28 years, from Denver, Colorado, having devoted his career to representing people that could not afford an Attorney. He has been collecting coins since the age of 6, and has recently published a web site sharing his passion,
at http://www.ThePerfect-Coin.com.

And, recently, he also published a web site just for Beginning Collectors, at:
http://www.Beginning-Coin-Collecting.Com

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Do you feel that your life is not measuring up to what it is “supposed” to be??? You may have grown up with this irrational fantasy that you are supposed to be “happy” all the time. You were probably taught to seek this unattainable happiness and to avoid pain. Then, when you are in a “not happy” state you fault yourself or others for not living up to what you thought was supposed to be. This scenario may have happened to you many times, thereby making you feel disappointed and frustrated with life. The more times that this happens, you loose your self-worth.

Although my family was well intended, I grew up in a home which fostered no self-worth. Then I grew into an adult and had two children, where I was propagating this irrational fantasy outlook on life. I had a fantasy that I was supposed to be super happy all the time. When this, of course, did not happen time after time after time, I would become more and more negative in my self-worth and I became depressed. I thought that I was doing something wrong and that something was wrong with me.

Here is where you can learn by an experience in my life: I was married to a husband that did not value me and was verbally abusive. I was a stay-at-home mom with no real life purpose except to take care of my children. I was living my life according the values of other people and could hardly even identify what my own values were. The “outer” voices were louder to me than my own inner voice.

When the terrorists attacks occurred on 9/11, 2001, I saw how precious life is and a quest was born in me. I have had an insatiable appetite for learning the laws of the universe and how to apply them to life.

The lesson you can learn is that in the universe all things are equal. Events, for example, are neither negative nor positive. Thus, in my case, in my marriage, I could have and I did for a long time, see the way that my husband treated me as bad, extremely negative. Through my studies of universal law, I realized that this was only half of the truth, however.

Here is the most important part of the lesson for you — on the other side of the coin, was the positive. By beating myself up on the inside, I manifested my husband’s behavior toward me. I felt that my life was not measuring up to the (irrational) fantasy that life is supposed to be happy all the time and I, thus, attracted this negative behavior toward me. I came to realize that that is not the way life works. There is pain and stress. The key is for you to use these feelings to learn from and, thereby, balance yourself. Although I am divorced, I can whole heartedly say that I love my (now) ex-husband. I feel grateful for the lesson that came through him, which taught me to bust open my irrational life fantasy and to stop beating myself up on the inside. I have changed my life to one of love and inspiration.

Another important benefit of this lesson for you is that once you change your thinking, you stop patterns and manifestation of things you don’t want. In my case, I changed the dynamic of the relationship with my ex-husband. Although I got a divorce, we have two children together. I could not and still cannot avoid this relationship. Thus, by changing my own thinking, the verbal exchanges between us have changed dramatically; I am no longer a victim.

Here are the keys:

* Keep your inner voice the loudest
* Live your life by YOUR values
* Know and work toward your life purpose everyday
* Always look for the positives in situations that make you react negatively (and vice versa)

You may have difficulty seeing this at first. I am still challenged by this “equilibration” process, although I am getting faster and learning more every day. You can learn to see the good in situations where you have reacted and thought of as bad. Likewise, you can learn to observe the negative in situations where you might have become infatuated, or to see only positives.

You learn a lesson by seeing both sides of the coin, by equilibrating, by seeing the positive and the negative. Then, we move on to the next lesson. Thus, our self-worth grows by collecting “coins self-worth lessons.” Go ahead and get stacking!

This tool of equilibration is useful in every area of your life. This is how you will master your emotions. Once you learn to master your emotions, you master your life (instead of your emotions ruling you). When you master your life in this way, the money follows and your wealth will build.

In this state of equilibration, which is one of love and inspiration, you will experience many benefits. You are powerful when you see the balanced truth. When you master your emotions, you are able to communicate with your soul. You will create magnificent visions with clarity and specificity. You manifest and identify opportunities to take your visions to form and, therefore, build your life around your life purpose.

When you have a cause which is greater than yourself, such as your life purpose, and you link money to your values, which you linked to your life purpose, your financial wealth grows to as large as your vision. Make your visions enormous!

Kindest regards,
Bridget Copley

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New .9999 fine (24 karat) 1-oz legal tender $50 gold coins will be added to the U.S. Mint’s line of gold bullion coins in 2006 when President Bush signs into law a bill that Congress passed in December. The legislation calls for the Mint to have the coins ready to distribute by June 2006, but the coins may be ready before then.

The legislation authorizing the new .9999 fine gold coins was quite specific, mandating the design and even the method of packaging. For the first year of issuance, the coins “shall bear the original designs by James Earle Fraser, ‘which appear on the 5-cent coin commonly referred to as the ‘Buffalo nickel’ or the ‘1913 Type 1′.” This wording, without specifically saying it, calls for the obverse (front) of the coins to carry the famed Indian Head design by Fraser. The reverse will carry the equally-famed buffalo design.

Each Indian Head-Buffalo coin is to be encased in a protective capsule, possibly such as the capsules used by Australia’s Perth Mint to protect its .9999 fine gold bullion coins, including the popular limited edition Lunar Series Gold Bullion Coins. The protective cases “shall be readily distinguishable” from the packaging for proof coins, which are also authorized by the bill.

For years, proof coins have been individually encapsulated in protective cases. Individually encapsulating bullion coins will be new to the U.S. Mint. The Mint’s 22-karat (.9167 fine) American Gold Eagles, which are the world’s best-selling gold bullion coins, are packaged twenty to a tube and are not individually encapsulated.

Production of the Indian Head-Buffalo coins will be unlimited, and they will be marketed toward gold investors who prefer .9999 fine (24-karat) gold coins. The U.S. Mint already has the world’s best-selling gold bullion coins with its 22-karat (.9176 fine) Gold Eagles. Still, there is a huge market for pure gold coins, and the new Indian Head-Buffalo coins will give the U.S. Mint a product for that market. The Asian and Indian markets clearly prefer pure gold coins, while alloyed gold coins are more popular in the Western World.

Presently, the Royal Canadian Mint’s .9999 fine Gold Maple Leafs are the world’s best selling pure gold coins. However, the Gold Maple Leafs have fallen into disfavor with investors because of the ease with which they are damaged. To counter this, the Royal Canadian Mint recently introduced new packaging for the 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs.

The new packaging for the 1-oz Gold Maple Leafs will put the coins individually in capsules that are suspended in credit card sizes cards, twenty-five coins to a box. It is too early to gauge market acceptance of the new packaging for the Gold Maple Leafs.

Considering the popularity of the of Indian Head-Buffalo design, the U.S. Mint’s new .9999 fine gold coins could provide stiff competition for the Gold Maple Leafs. Fraser’s designs proved to be a winner in 2001 when the U.S. Mint produced a limited number of Indian Head-Buffalo $1 silver coins sets. The sets sold out immediately and today carry prices several times their initial offering prices.

The new Indian Head-Buffalo .9999 fine gold coins, however, will not be limited edition, at least not the first year. The bill permits the Mint to “change the maximum number of coins issued” in subsequent years. Further, the bill authorizes the Mint to change the designs on either the obverse or the reverse after the first year’s production.

Although the U.S. Mint produces its popular American Gold Eagles in four sizes, 1-oz, ½-oz, Ό-oz, and 1/10-oz, the new Indian Head-Buffalo pure gold coins will be minted in only one size: 1-ounce. With the popular Indian Head and Buffalo designs, the Mint’s new .9999 fine gold coins could quickly become favorites with gold coin investors.

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