Frequently Asked Questions

We sell bullion in the form of coins, bars, rounds, and bullets. Coins tend to carry a higher premium, as they are legal tender produced by government mints. Rounds often have a lower premium because they are generally produced by private mints and are not considered currency. Bars also tend to have a low premium and are usually produced by private mints. Bullets have caught the attention of many gun enthusiasts, veterans, and historians. Though modeled after ammunition cartridges, they are not intended to be fired by a firearm.

“Certified” coins have been graded and authenticated by the PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) or the NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation). These coins are given serial numbers for verification and placed in plastic slabs. Certified coins are graded on a scale of 1-70, 70 being a coin in perfect condition.

“Junk silver” refers to any silver product containing 35%-90% silver (i.e., pre-1965 U.S. dimes, quarters, and half-dollars).

We recommend diversifying your investments across gold, silver, copper, and more. We sell a variety of sizes to accommodate any budget.

Precious metals are always weighed in troy ounces. When dealing with those metals, “troy ounce” and “ounce” are interchangeable. Non-precious metals (e.g., copper) are weighed in regular ounces. A troy ounce weighs approximately 31.104 grams, while a regular, or “avoirdupois,” ounce weighs approximately 28 grams. A kilo bar of silver weighs 32.15 troy ounces, whereas a kilo bar of copper weighs 35.27 ounces.

American Gold Eagles are 91.67% gold. To make the coin more durable, the other 8.33% is composed of silver and copper. When considering the weight of American Gold Eagles, one must account for the additional alloys. The 1 oz American Gold Eagle is composed of one troy ounce (approximately 31.1 grams) of gold. The silver and copper add approximately 2.8 grams, bringing the total weight of the 1 oz American Gold Eagle Coin to approximately 33.9 grams.

Yes, 100%. We validate the authenticity of our products using state-of-the-art equipment, as well as thoroughly inspecting them to confirm their condition. Our reputation can also be verified elsewhere, we are a CCE member, an NGC authorized dealer, and have an A+ BBB accreditation.

Minting processes vary from mint to mint. Some molds may have a smaller diameter with a larger thickness, whereas others may have a larger diameter but a smaller thickness. You can view the dimensions for each of our products on the Specifications tab of the product page.

We sell jewelry, metal shot, and bullion, such as coins, bars, and rounds. We do not sell scrap metal, silverware, or notes.

MS

Mint State – This grade indicates that the coin is in superior condition. It is often used by grading companies and ranges from MS60-MS70.

BU

Brilliant Uncirculated – This refers to coins that have never been in circulation and have very minimal wear. These are also known as “Mint State” or “Uncirculated.”

AU

Almost Uncirculated – This refers to coins with slight wear and circulation, as well as 95% of their original design present.

XF

Extra Fine – This grade indicates that the coin only has light wear. 90% of the design will be intact and the scratches and flaws will only be on the coin’s highest points.

VF

Very Fine – This grade indicates up to 25% of the original design is smoothed.

Fine

Fine – This grade indicates major signs of wear, with as much as half the design smoothed.

VG

Very Good – This grade indicates significant signs of wear throughout the coin.

G

Good – This grade indicates up to 90% of the original design is smoothed. A coin with this grade will be heavily worn.

Cull

A cull coin is in extremely bad condition and can be considered a non-collectible.

A “proof” is a coin that has a mirror-like finish as a result of a special minting procedure. These coins are typically considered collectibles.

“Certified” coins have been graded and authenticated by the PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) or the NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation). These coins are given serial numbers for verification and placed in plastic slabs. Certified coins are graded on a scale of 1-70, 70 being a coin in perfect condition.

“FS” stands for “First Strike.” First Strike is the designation the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) gives to coins they or a PCGS-approved depository receive within the first thirty (30) days of the coin’s release date.

“ER” stands for “Early Release.” Early Release is the designation the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) gives to coins they or an NGC-approved depository receive within the first thirty (30) days of the coin’s release date.

The Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) and the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) are both third-party services that grade and certify coins. They are the two most well-known and highly respected independent coin grading companies in the U.S. All coins listed as PCGS MS70 or NGC MS70 are in Mint State Perfect condition; however, the PCGS MS70 coins were certified as such by the Professional Coin Grading Service, whereas the NGC MS70 coins were given that grade designation by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation.

Those are both proof coins with a numerical grade of 69 on the Coin Grading Scale. PR is the designation the PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) uses to denote proof coins; PF is the designation the NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation) uses.

Both DCAM and UCAM designate coins with strong frosted devices against clear, mirrored fields, and the terms can be used interchangeably. UCAM (“Ultra Cameo”) is used by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), and DCAM (“Deep Cameo”) is used by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).

An Individual Retirement Account in which the investments consist of gold, silver, and platinum, as opposed to stock, bonds, etc.

There are many tax benefits from holding your investments in precious metal IRAs. Primarily, the use of such a tool enables you to enjoy tax-deferred (Traditional IRA) and tax-free growth (Roth IRA) on your investments.

At minimum, IRA-eligible products must have a 99.9% purity level.

If you are under 50 years of age, you can contribute a maximum of $6,000 a year. If you are older than 50, you can contribute a maximum of $7,000 a year.

IRA policies mandate that the investors are not allowed to take possession of their contributions or be involved in any way with their delivery. All products are shipped directly to your chosen depository. Should you chose to take delivery, it would be considered a distribution and there would be tax ramifications.

Bid/Ask Price— The spot price is determined by futures contracts. As the name suggests, these are contracts for delivery at a point in the future. However, when you purchase from us or another dealer, you do not want your item in several months, you want it as soon as possible. Therefore, we must determine a price for the current moment. This is done by taking the price set by the futures market and performing a time value of money calculation also known as an EFP (Exchange for Physical). There is no agreed-upon way to perform the time value of money calculation. Each company performs its own calculation based on their cost of money and other factors.

“Random year” means the coin you purchase will be from a year of our choice.

An “assay” is a test that determines a metal’s composition, type, and purity. When an assay is included with a product, there will be an insert similar to cardstock confirming the metal composition, type, and purity, along with the assayers information.

The “FV” is the legal currency value of the coin as assigned by the mint.

The “mintage” refers to the amount of coins produced in a given year and/or from a particular series.

A “mint” is where bullion is produced. Government mints produce the country’s currency. Private mints produce bullion rounds, bars, bullets, and medallions.

The “obverse” refers to the front side of a coin. The “reverse” refers to the back side.

“Premiums” refer to the fixed dollar amount over spot price on a product. Premiums cover the cost to manufacture, the wholesale and retail markup, shipping, and any other costs associated with the production of the product. Premiums vary by product and change over time.

A “proof” is a coin that has a mirror-like finish as a result of a special minting procedure. These coins are typically considered collectibles.

“Purity” refers to the percentage of metal within the bullion.

A precious metals “refinery” reduces, or “refines,” raw materials and/or scrap metals down to their purest state.

Precious metals are always weighed in troy ounces. When dealing with those metals, “troy ounce” and “ounce” are interchangeable. Non-precious metals (e.g., copper) are weighed in regular ounces. A troy ounce weighs approximately 31.104 grams, while a regular, or “avoirdupois,” ounce weighs approximately 28 grams. A kilo bar of silver weighs 32.15 troy ounces, whereas a kilo bar of copper weighs 35.27 ounces.

Since our inventory changes constantly, it isn’t feasible for us to have a physical catalog. All in-stock products can be found on the site. We get shipments in daily, and we do update the website as inventory is received. Also, as soon as we have expected arrival dates for new or highly anticipated products, we will make those products available on the site for presale. For those reasons, the best thing to do is check the site regularly.

The gold/silver ratio is the amount of silver it takes to buy one (1) troy ounce of gold. To find the gold/silver ratio, simply take the spot price of gold and divide it by the spot price of silver.

Gold Spot / Silver Spot = Gold/Silver Ratio

Yes, we do! We offer secure storage through TDS Vaults.