Monthly Archives: September 2011
In The Lead – Medium Rare
Friday's market action in precious metals got off to a bit of a mixed and rocky start as the US dollar continued its ascent on the trade-weighted index and as traders began to square books and close the trading logs on a quarter that will still go down in the record books as the worst one since 2008. The yellow metal has lost about 11% on the month in a negative performance reminiscent of October of that somber year.
Gold suffered its seventh worst week in 40 years with its recent plunge. Spot gold opened with a very tentative $4.80 gain that turned to a $4.60 loss within the first half-hour of trading. Silver never really got [...]
Stack’s Bowers Realizes $4M+ in Philadelphia Auction of U.S. Coins, Currency...
On September 14-16, Stack's Bowers Galleries conducted its annual Americana Sale in Philadelphia as the Official Auctioneer of the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Philadelphia Expo.
The sale featured over 4,000 lots of U.S. medals and tokens, colonial and federal U.S. coins, and U.S. paper money, offering something for every U.S. collector. At the end of the auction, $4,480,136 and thousands of numismatic items changed hands [...]
Glacier and Olympic National Park 5 Oz Silver Uncirculated Coins Scheduled
The seventh and eighth America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins are scheduled for successive October and November releases, according to a recently updated product listing from the United States Mint.
While subject to change, the Mint currently plans to launch the 2011-P Glacier National Park Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin on October 25 and the 2011-P Olympic National Park Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin on November 29 [...]
Gold Near Unchanged as Silver Prices Advance 1.3%
Gold was almost unchanged Thursday as prices settled more toward the intraday high than low, but still a few dozen cents below the settlement level in the previous session.
"There is so much nervousness out there about every single thing we hear from Europe," Sterling Smith, an analyst at Country Hedging Inc. in St. Paul, Minnesota, said in a telephone interview that was cited on Bloomberg. "Also, gold is attractive as the fear of slowdown is gathering momentum."
Gold prices for December delivery edged down 80.0 cents to settle at $1,617.30 an ounce on the [...]
Roman “Ides of March” Ancient Coin Sets Record at Heritage Long...
A famous "Ides of March" silver denarius of Marcus Brutus fetched a record-shattering $546,250 on Sept. 7 at Heritage Auctions' World & Ancient Coins event, part of Heritage's $34 million total Long Beach Numismatic Auctions, at the Long Beach Convention Center.
The price realized, which includes the 15% Buyer's Fee, is the most ever paid at auction for a Roman silver coin.
The Sept. 7 session of Ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine coins was part of a four-day series of auctions at Heritage, featuring the Rubicon Collection of Roman coins and the [...]
In The Lead – Muni-ficent
Gold built on its $40 Wednesday loss after hours and fell further in electronic trading in the early evening hours. The overnight dip to the $1,580s in gold did however attract a sufficient amount of bargain-hunting buyers to bring the yellow metal back to above the $1,600 mark by Thursday morning's opening bell in New York. Still, global investors remain on alert for eurozone-related market surprises that could impact the commodities' space and further erode values in coming sessions.
With but one day to go in the month, spot gold is off by $176 on the 30-day tally and is about $300 down from its double-top levels [...]
Legend Acquires Dakota Collection for $2.5M, Sells Rare 1794 Silver Dollar
A 1794 Flowing Hair U.S. silver dollar, owned by collector Bruce Moreland and formerly owned by the Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation, now has been sold by Legend Numismatics, Inc. of Lincroft, New Jersey for "in the area of $1.5 million," according to Laura Sperber, Legend President. The coin is graded PCGS Secure Plus™ MS63+ and is CAC certified.
Only 1,758 silver dollars were recorded minted in 1794, the first year of production for that denomination at the United States Mint. PCGS CoinFacts estimates only about 150 survive today with less than a dozen in mint state [...]
Gold and Silver Prices Fall, Bullion Silver Eagles Soar Above 3.7M
Gold and silver prices retreated Wednesday as a stronger U.S. dollar was mostly blamed for losses. Gold for December delivery declined $34.40, or 2.1 percent, to finish at $1,618.10 an ounce on the Comex in New York. Gold's daily range went from $1,617.40 to $1,672.00.
Silver prices for December delivery gave back nearly every cent picked up during the previous session. Prices fell $1.402, or 4.4 percent, to close at $30.134 an ounce. Silver hit an intraday low of $30.080 and touched a high of $32.88 [...]
US Mint Sales: Silver Eagles Jump 2M, Olympic Quarter Set and...
Sharp gains in bullion Silver Eagles and three product debuts are highlights in the latest report on the United States Mint weekly sales figures.
Sales debuting products include the Olympic Quarter Three-Coin Set, the Hayes Presidential $1 Coin & First Spouse Medal Set, and the Gettysburg National Military Park Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coin.
Olympic Quarter Three-Coin Sets were released on Tuesday, September 20. Collectors grabbed 10,891 during its debut period [...]
In The Lead – Death Of The Dollar. Film At Eleven.
The midweek gold trading session opened with minor losses of about $4 per ounce and spot bullion was bid at $1,645.00 in early dealings.
Traders remain focused on news from Europe and on the US dollar but some are bracing for a return of volatility in the yellow metal.
October tends to be the worst month for gold prices on average, but some are hoping that the late-in-the-month Indian festival season will mitigate some of the potential headwinds that gold faces (say, on the technical side) [...]