It’s a wise decision for prospective precious metals investors to avoid paying the ridiculously over marked retail prices that local gold dealers charge, and to use the Internet to aid them in their search for the best certified coin prices. A simple, www.google.com log-on, will get the proverbial ball rolling on this search, but there are some basic warnings about certified coin prices that novice precious metals investors should keep in mind.

There are a great many gold dealers that deceptively market their bullion coins, by using NGC, (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation), or PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service)-certification, to mask the fact that their bullion coins are completely devoid of numismatic value. This tactic is commonly used by unscrupulous coin dealers, to lure unsuspecting, and uninformed “gold bugs” into paying a rare coin price for a bullion coin that is cloaked in NGC, or PCGS numismatic certification. Since these two rare coin-assaying companies are the world’s most highly regarded, naive investors can mistakenly identify with this certification, and grossly overpay for an “overdressed” bullion coin.

Investors are hereby reminded that bullion coins are already certified by their respective mints’ governments, for weight, precious metal content, and authenticity. As for Rare coins, they are encased in tamper-resistant casings that are known as “slabs”. Rare coin assayers (PCGS & NGC) use these slabs and the two different types of certification are discernible through individual serial numbers, and bar codes.

Investors who complete their research are encouraged to contact one of our friendly specialists, who offer institutional discounts on PCGS, and NGC-certified gold coins to household investors like you.