The supply of investment quality rare coins available at any given time is fixed. Rare coins cannot be manufactured or produced. In fact, as quality rare coins are placed into permanent collections or are bought by investors for long-term holding periods, the supply of rare coins available to the marketplace actually decreases annually.

The demand for rare coins comes from both collectors and investors. Collectors generally buy those coins as additions to life-long collections, usually without much intent to sell. Investors generally acquire coins as a means of diversifying their investment portfolios as well as for the safety, security and profit potential they provide.

Today, however, investors enjoy consistent, independent third party grading of coins by firms whose sole function is the authentication and grading of coins. These grading services, PCGS and NGC, adhere to precise, industry-wide grading systems. In addition, grades are not determined by any one individual, but by the consensus of a panel of experts. To protect the integrity of the grade, coins are sealed in tamper-resistant, plastic holders that are sonically sealed with a unique certification number, bar code and the grade permanently displayed.

These two leading independent coin grading firms in the United States are the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC). Both of these firms enjoy industry-wide acceptance of their grading standards and guarantee both the authenticity and condition of each coin they grade.

Since the introduction of independent, third party grading, rare United States coins have become one of the most liquid of all tangible assets. Coins that have been certified and encapsulated by either PCGS or NGC can be traded on either a "sight-seen" or a "sight-unseen" basis.

Both PCGS and NGC issue "Population Reports" every month. While also giving the mintage, these reports tell the observer how many of each and every coin denomination, type and grade have been encapsulated by each grading service. NOTE: We give a free Population report to every client that spends over $2000 with us. A $20 value!

Independent certification of coins has also led to the development of several electronic numismatic exchanges. These exchanges link literally hundreds of qualified dealers, who, based on the certified grading statement, can offer buy and sell quotes on virtually any certified United States coin.

Don't misunderstand, the rare coin market is still pretty thin when compared to the stock or bond market, but when compared to other collectible markets the liquidity of rare coins is extraordinarily high. This is one of the factors that makes buying United States coins particularly attractive in today's environment.