What’s Your Sign? Spectacular Lunar Zodiac Chinese Gold Coins!
The Chinese Zodiac is comprised of twelve animal representations and is traditionally referred to as “Sheng xiao”. The twelve animals represent not only each month of the year, but also each year of a twelve-year cycle. The Chinese Zodiac is not like ours, which assigns itself equivalent constellations. The zodiac symbols are representative of twelve diverse personalities that are found in people. Beginning with the year 1900, assign it to the first animal, then follow with 1901 and assign it to the second animal and so forth. The animals are as follows: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Once you have assigned a year to all the animals, you can then keep adding the number twelve to the original year, until your birth year falls into one of the animal categories. For example, the Rat years are 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, etc. The Chinese zodiac signs are popular today and are used in other oriental and occidental cultures.
To honor the Chinese zodiac, Lunar Zodiac Chinese gold coins were released. The first gorgeous, gold lunar zodiac series was started in 1981, with the Rooster, going through 1992 and the round, 8-gram gold proof coins were minted in .917 pure gold. The denomination starts with 250 Yuan, for the first year coins and then 200 Yuan, for the second year, with the rest of years being 150 Yuan. On the reverse of the dazzling 1981 coins is the White Pagoda Baita in Beijing; on the 1982 coins is the Hall of Prayer For Good Harvest, in the Temple of Heaven. The following years of these impressive Chinese gold coins have different places of cultural and religious importance. From 1988-1999, beginning with the Dragon, a round, 1-ounce gold proof of .999 pure gold was released. The denomination is 100 Yuan and on the reverse of the 1988 coin, is the Temple of Heaven, with the State Seal on the remainder of the years’ reverse. In 1988-1999 a 5-ounce and 12-ounce round, gold coin series was also released.
See these Chinese gold coins here...
A Gold Coin Investment – The Dazzling 2009 Gold Quarter Sovereign!
A new denomination in the British gold sovereign series arrived in February this year and that is the 2009 gold quarter sovereign. A gold sovereign is a gold coin initially issued in 1489 for Henry VII of England and is still in production today. The coin typically had a value of one pound sterling and was primarily an official piece of bullion, but had no mark indicating value anywhere on the coin itself. This gold coin was christened with the name “sovereign” because of its rather majestic and impressive size and the rendering on the coin and is a good gold coin investment. The earliest illustration was of the king, facing, seated on the throne and on the reverse, the Royal coat of arms on a shield, surrounded by a Tudor double rose.
The modern sovereigns are minted at the Royal Mint, which is located in Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales. The precious metal unit is responsible for the production of the coins. This unit is sealed off from the rest of the Mint and the Mint, itself, is protected by Ministry of Defence Police. A little known fact is that the date on a bullion coin refers to the year that the die was made, not necessarily the year the coin was struck.
Two small, quarter sovereign pattern pieces were struck in 1853 for Queen Victoria, when there was a perceived need for a more conveniently-sized coin of five shillings. The proposal to mint these coins was probably abandoned, due to the small size of the coin and that it would wear too fast in circulation, as was the case with the half sovereign. Now, in 2009, the exceptional quarter sovereign has been struck in .9167, or 22 karat fine gold, and is 13.50mm in diameter, making it slightly smaller than a U.S. dime. Only 50,000 are available worldwide as a gold coin investment.
The obverse of this spectacular, Brilliant Uncirculated coin features the beloved portraiture of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadly FRBS. On the magnificent quarter sovereign’s reverse, is the famous design of St. George slaying the dragon, done by Benedetto Pistrucci. The depiction does differ from the design on the well-known sovereign in that the Saint’s helmet retains its streamer. This stunning and amazing gold quarter sovereign will be a cherished and treasured coin that will last a lifetime and beyond and is fast becoming an interesting gold coin investment!
GovMint.com for Gold! Click here!
The Case Of The Deaf Mute & The “Racketeer” Nickel
Extremely Scarce and Hard To Find – The Extraordinary 1883 24-Karat Gold Plated “Racketeer” Nickel
Doing research for other gold coins, I stumbled across a story about a 24 karat gold plated coin. I found it so interesting that I wanted to share it here. I know that it isn't a real gold coin, but please bear with me and hopefully enjoy this story.
The year is 1883 and one that will go down in the numismatic hall of fame. It was the last year for the Shield Nickel and the first year for the Liberty Head “V” Nickel. This particular nickel had two varieties. The first Liberty Head nickels that were minted had, on the obverse, Lady Liberty and the year. The reverse had “E Pluribus Unum” and “United States of America”, along with a large, Roman “V”, surrounded by a wreath. At the time, the Liberty Head five dollar gold coin was being minted as well, whose obverse bore a resemblance to the Liberty Head nickel. Both had a portrait of Lady Liberty, with her hair pulled back, and wearing a tiara with the word “Liberty” imprinted on it. The year of issue was below her image, with thirteen stars surrounding her.
If you put the nickel and the five dollar gold coin side by side, you can clearly see the differences in Lady Liberty’s hairstyle and tiara. However, there were big differences on the reverse, with the nickel having the large “V” in the middle and the five dollar gold coin having an eagle holding olive branches, arrows and the shield. Plus, the five dollar coin had a reeded edge. Finally, the diameter of both coins was very similar. The five dollar gold coin has a diameter of 21.65 millimeters and the Liberty nickel’s diameter is 21.2 millimeters.
Should I Buy Australian Gold Coins? Absolutely!
When beginning a coin collection, prospective collectors often wonder which coins are the best to start collecting. It’s a fair question given the plethora of government mints that are all willing and able to sell coins of all different metals, shapes, sizes, and denominations. However, for the beginning collector, I’d suggest trying some Australian gold coins - namely, the Australian Gold Nugget or the Koala.
First minted in 1986 by the Gold Corporation, a Western Australia government owned company, the Gold Nugget has a few unique features that make it a fantastic collector’s item. The first is that they come in a tremendous variety of sizes. You can buy this coin in eight different weights all the way from 1/20 troy oz. to 1 kg. of 24 carat gold. The beginning collector will likely choose the 1/20 oz. coin while an investor will likely go for the 1 oz. (or if you’re rich, you can never go wrong with one kilo - or 2.2 lbs - of gold!).
Secondly, the design on these Australian gold coins changes every year, ensuring that the coins you receive will, at some time, be unique collectors’ items. Thinking about it logically, you can’t get the 2007 design now from the Australian government, so the only way for one to get this, or other previous designs, is to go through private collectors. It’s also worth mentioning that there is a limited annual mintage. So once the amount of coins of that design are sold out, they can only be found from private collectors.
Indeed, it’s not hard to see why these Australian gold coins are well noted for being able to achieve a value greater than their weight in gold, so to speak. They have legal tender status in Australia and have designs that change annually. Plus, they also make great beginning coins because of their wide array of sizes. Indeed, for the beginning or advanced collector, we strongly recommend that you check out the Gold Nuggets by the Australian government.
See these beautiful coins at GovMint.com for Gold! Click here!
What Are American Eagle Coins?
American Eagle coins, as the name implies, are coins minted by the United States government that have patriotic images of eagles on them. They come in three compositions (silver, gold, and platinum) and each composition has various weight and face values. The advantage of these coins is that they are certified by one of the largest governments around, thus ensuring that you’re receiving a top quality product that truly contains the amount of precious metal for which you’ve paid. Indeed, these coins retain their value very well, not just because of the certification by the U.S. government, but also due to the standards by which they are produced.
The U.S. mint produces both gold bullion coins and proof coins. Proof coins have very rigorous standards of production. Coin blanks are manually fed to presses containing special dies. These metal blanks are struck a few times ensuring that the softly frosted, but quite detailed depictions float above a mirror-like face. Each of these newly minted American Eagle coins is then inspected by government officials, sealed in plastic, and then placed in a velvet presentation case with a unique certificate of authenticity. It’s worth noting, however, that bullion coins are aimed at the investor market and, as such, the standards by which they are produced are less than the proof variants, although these coins certainly look astounding. Regardless, buying these coins ensures that you are getting a truly quality product.
With the uncertainty in the stock market and general economic malaise, it’s never a bad idea to diversify your investments by including some precious metals. American Eagle coins represent a good opportunity to give your portfolio a little downside protection. Indeed, it is often the case that in times of a shaky economy, investors flock to precious metals because of the safe-haven it provides. However, investing in these coins not only gives you the bullion value, but also the expert craftsmanship of a true collectors item. This all but ensures a solid value - even in the most uncertain of times.
You can buy the American Eagle coins at GovMint.com for Gold! Click here!
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