Obverse Die

The Difference Between Silver Bullion Coins and Numismatic Coins

Today, I am going to take a few minutes to explain the difference between bullion coins and numismatic coins.

As a new coin collector I have been asked this question numerous times. And before a couple days ago, I did not have the exact answer to this question. Therefore, I took some time to educate myself on the differences between bullion coins and numismatic coins.

The following video presentation will take you through some of the things I discovered. I will explain:

• The Hobby of Kings
• The Chief Purpose of Bullion Coins (in terms of investments)
• The Value of Numismatic Coins
• The Grading of Coins
• Long Term Value of Collecting Coins

Let’s quickly recap what you just learned from this video.

First, we know that bullion coins are purchased chiefly for investing. And we know that the rise and fall of gold and silver commodities are what determines the value for these coins.

Secondly, we understand the term, “numismatics,” which is simply the study and collecting of money. Exciting isn’t it? We all want to be able to understand how collecting money, or coins in our case, will determine our present and our future.

Numismatic coins include everything from the ancient coins used as currency from the beginning of civilization, to the official coins minted by the Roman Empire, through today’s modern issue silver and gold coins produced by the world’s government mints.

We looked at the 8 Factors that are considered when grading an uncirculated coin:

• Contact marks – overall appearance of the coin. Scratches, indentations and such will lower the value of the coins
• Luster – The shininess or appeal of the coin. The heavier, or frostier, the luster, generally the higher the coin’s grade and value
• Strike – How well the coin is made. The better the strike, the sharper the coin’s detail and most likely, the higher the coin’s grade and value
• Color – mostly applies to copper & bronze coins. Red color is considered the most original. The darker the toning the lower the value
• Toning – thin film of sulfide found on the surface of reactive coin metals. This film can cause a coin to have beautiful and subtle hues (increased value) or it can cause a coin to turn an ugly brown or black (decreased value)
• Friction – light rub or contact on the surface of coins. The more friction or disturbance to the original coin can significantly lower the coin’s value
• Coin or die flaws – flaws created in the production of the coin. An incorrect strike on a substandard planchet or striking a coin with a less than perfect die can lower the coin’s grade or cause it to not be graded at all
• Obverse/reverse grade consolidation – Obverse (front side of coin) dominates the value of the coin. Rarely does the reverse side add or detract significantly to the coins value

Finally, you were able to see an illustration that compared the value differences of the 2009 Bullion American Silver Eagle, 2009 MS 69 Silver American Eagle, the 2009 MS 70 Silver American Eagle and the 1997 MS 70 Silver American Eagle. What a difference a point makes!

I hope you found this information useful to you as a collector. I sure learned a lot as I began exploring this hobby of coin collecting.

I look forward to sharing my collection and viewing yours as well. I wish you the very best in your search for the world’s greatest treasures!

About the Author

Barry O. Canada, Independent Collector Representative, enjoys collecting coins as a hobby and business. If coin collecting is your business or hobby as well, then Barry would love to meet you to learn and share collected treasures. Also, if you are a coin dealer, you will find his marketing site of particular interest to you as he will reveal some strategies you can use to find coin buyers.

2008-W Burnished Die Silver Eagle