Pete

Don't forget that Platinum used to be higher priced than gold.
Why it is well below gold I don't know because Pt is rarer and more expensive to mine.
In jewellery it was historically seen as more precious than gold.
Some will say the price fell due to low industrial demand but what would happen if overnight the hydrogen market took off, fuel cells took off, water purification took off, maybe Elon Musk shows interest .... ???
Just maybe however gold is too high and at some point will collapse - who knows ?

I am holding onto my Pt as making a small profit now isn't really of any interest.
I sold most of my gold a while back and now wish I hadn't as it has risen a lot since.
Same could happen with Pt so unless you require the cash I would hold.

Shocking but I have seen worse in brand new coins both from our Royal Mint and also the Canadian Mint several years ago.
I complained to my dealer who wasn't interested and informed me that they didn't have the time to check - so tough sh!t !!
That resulted in me never using that dealer again so losing them a lot of business over many years.
Unfortunately there really isn't much you can do but try talking to your supplier.
How they are stored in my opinion has nothing to do with these spots and blemishes.
This is a problem during manufacture and unacceptable poor quality control - only certify weight and finesse - and if you want a better coin buy a proof.
That's the message from our Royal Mint just for your information.

Don't forget that Platinum used to be higher priced than gold.
Why it is well below gold I don't know because Pt is rarer and more expensive to mine.
In jewellery it was historically seen as more precious than gold.
Some will say the price fell due to low industrial demand but what would happen if overnight the hydrogen market took off, fuel cells took off, water purification took off, maybe Elon Musk shows interest .... ???
Just maybe however gold is too high and at some point will collapse - who knows ?

I am holding onto my Pt as making a small profit now isn't really of any interest.
I sold most of my gold a while back and now wish I hadn't as it has risen a lot since.
Same could happen with Pt so unless you require the cash I would hold.

Don't forget that Platinum used to be higher priced than gold.
Why it is well below gold I don't know because Pt is rarer and more expensive to mine.
In jewellery it was historically seen as more precious than gold.
Some will say the price fell due to low industrial demand but what would happen if overnight the hydrogen market took off, fuel cells took off, water purification took off, maybe Elon Musk shows interest .... ???
Just maybe however gold is too high and at some point will collapse - who knows ?

I am holding onto my Pt as making a small profit now isn't really of any interest.
I sold most of my gold a while back and now wish I hadn't as it has risen a lot since.
Same could happen with Pt so unless you require the cash I would hold.

I would stay clear of commemorative proof coins that sell at high premiums.
I have direct personal experience with beautiful ( some very low mintage ) FDC condition gold Britannia and Sovereign boxes sets.
When I wanted to sell these sets I found it very difficult to find buyers willing to pay more than bullion prices.
I also spoke to main dealers that had exactly the same sets advertised with premiums often approaching 100% but they would not even buy at spot price at the time.
You can get attached to a set of coins believing they will retain value because you paid a high price or it is a very limited coin or set.
Unfortunately when you are selling you may not find others sharing your views so will be extremely disappointed.
Just my viewpoint but you did ask the question inviting comments.
 

I would stay clear of commemorative proof coins that sell at high premiums.
I have direct personal experience with beautiful ( some very low mintage ) FDC condition gold Britannia and Sovereign boxes sets.
When I wanted to sell these sets I found it very difficult to find buyers willing to pay more than bullion prices.
I also spoke to main dealers that had exactly the same sets advertised with premiums often approaching 100% but they would not even buy at spot price at the time.
You can get attached to a set of coins believing they will retain value because you paid a high price or it is a very limited coin or set.
Unfortunately when you are selling you may not find others sharing your views so will be extremely disappointed.
Just my viewpoint but you did ask the question inviting comments.
 

I don't look at any forecasts these days because most of them are total B.S.
So called "experts" and "people in the know" spew out endless videos and recommendations.
My memory takes me back to the period when silver was heading for the moon etc. etc. and all the pundits were analysing Chinese buying, shortages of metal vs paper contracts, Morgan Stanley .... blah blah blah.
Now over a decade later silver hasn't returned near to its highs despite the expert predictions and the market at the time.
Gold to me looks high and is trading high but remember to strip out inflation and currency weakness.
It is still a great asset to own especially if purchased a while back but will it maintain its steady upward trend ?
No-one knows but you can attach any global event to explain an upward or downward trend.
Not so long ago pundits were predicting the collapse of the USD and last Autumn the pound was essentially parity with the dollar.
Everything currently is risky and the tide could change without warning so maintain a diversified portfolio at all times.

I would stay clear of commemorative proof coins that sell at high premiums.
I have direct personal experience with beautiful ( some very low mintage ) FDC condition gold Britannia and Sovereign boxes sets.
When I wanted to sell these sets I found it very difficult to find buyers willing to pay more than bullion prices.
I also spoke to main dealers that had exactly the same sets advertised with premiums often approaching 100% but they would not even buy at spot price at the time.
You can get attached to a set of coins believing they will retain value because you paid a high price or it is a very limited coin or set.
Unfortunately when you are selling you may not find others sharing your views so will be extremely disappointed.
Just my viewpoint but you did ask the question inviting comments.
 

I don't look at any forecasts these days because most of them are total B.S.
So called "experts" and "people in the know" spew out endless videos and recommendations.
My memory takes me back to the period when silver was heading for the moon etc. etc. and all the pundits were analysing Chinese buying, shortages of metal vs paper contracts, Morgan Stanley .... blah blah blah.
Now over a decade later silver hasn't returned near to its highs despite the expert predictions and the market at the time.
Gold to me looks high and is trading high but remember to strip out inflation and currency weakness.
It is still a great asset to own especially if purchased a while back but will it maintain its steady upward trend ?
No-one knows but you can attach any global event to explain an upward or downward trend.
Not so long ago pundits were predicting the collapse of the USD and last Autumn the pound was essentially parity with the dollar.
Everything currently is risky and the tide could change without warning so maintain a diversified portfolio at all times.

I would stay clear of commemorative proof coins that sell at high premiums.
I have direct personal experience with beautiful ( some very low mintage ) FDC condition gold Britannia and Sovereign boxes sets.
When I wanted to sell these sets I found it very difficult to find buyers willing to pay more than bullion prices.
I also spoke to main dealers that had exactly the same sets advertised with premiums often approaching 100% but they would not even buy at spot price at the time.
You can get attached to a set of coins believing they will retain value because you paid a high price or it is a very limited coin or set.
Unfortunately when you are selling you may not find others sharing your views so will be extremely disappointed.
Just my viewpoint but you did ask the question inviting comments.
 

I would stay clear of commemorative proof coins that sell at high premiums.
I have direct personal experience with beautiful ( some very low mintage ) FDC condition gold Britannia and Sovereign boxes sets.
When I wanted to sell these sets I found it very difficult to find buyers willing to pay more than bullion prices.
I also spoke to main dealers that had exactly the same sets advertised with premiums often approaching 100% but they would not even buy at spot price at the time.
You can get attached to a set of coins believing they will retain value because you paid a high price or it is a very limited coin or set.
Unfortunately when you are selling you may not find others sharing your views so will be extremely disappointed.
Just my viewpoint but you did ask the question inviting comments.
 

I would stay clear of commemorative proof coins that sell at high premiums.
I have direct personal experience with beautiful ( some very low mintage ) FDC condition gold Britannia and Sovereign boxes sets.
When I wanted to sell these sets I found it very difficult to find buyers willing to pay more than bullion prices.
I also spoke to main dealers that had exactly the same sets advertised with premiums often approaching 100% but they would not even buy at spot price at the time.
You can get attached to a set of coins believing they will retain value because you paid a high price or it is a very limited coin or set.
Unfortunately when you are selling you may not find others sharing your views so will be extremely disappointed.
Just my viewpoint but you did ask the question inviting comments.
 

I would stay clear of commemorative proof coins that sell at high premiums.
I have direct personal experience with beautiful ( some very low mintage ) FDC condition gold Britannia and Sovereign boxes sets.
When I wanted to sell these sets I found it very difficult to find buyers willing to pay more than bullion prices.
I also spoke to main dealers that had exactly the same sets advertised with premiums often approaching 100% but they would not even buy at spot price at the time.
You can get attached to a set of coins believing they will retain value because you paid a high price or it is a very limited coin or set.
Unfortunately when you are selling you may not find others sharing your views so will be extremely disappointed.
Just my viewpoint but you did ask the question inviting comments.
 

I would stay clear of commemorative proof coins that sell at high premiums.
I have direct personal experience with beautiful ( some very low mintage ) FDC condition gold Britannia and Sovereign boxes sets.
When I wanted to sell these sets I found it very difficult to find buyers willing to pay more than bullion prices.
I also spoke to main dealers that had exactly the same sets advertised with premiums often approaching 100% but they would not even buy at spot price at the time.
You can get attached to a set of coins believing they will retain value because you paid a high price or it is a very limited coin or set.
Unfortunately when you are selling you may not find others sharing your views so will be extremely disappointed.
Just my viewpoint but you did ask the question inviting comments.
 

Good prices - I paid more for mine and I though I had a bargain at the time !

It is all about your attitude to risk.
When inflation is higher than the interest rates on cash savings you are steadily eroding the value of your savings.
In an ISA any growth is free of income tax but what use is that when your bucket has a hole in it and your money is dripping out ?
Provided you are investing surplus cash and have a reserve for emergencies then what I would do ( this is my personal viewpoint and not financial advice ) is to feed a stocks & shares ISA using an online platform like Hargreaves Lansdown. You can follow some of their suggested investment portfolios or just keep it simple and put your money into a tracker like the FTSE 100. Look at the charts over 5 and 10 years and don't get overly focussed on weekly or monthly charts as picking peaks and troughs doesn't work.
Secondly, assuming you are a tax payer, consider opening up a SIPP also with HL if you wish.
You will get tax relief on your investments so the amount invested increases by 20% or more and again you have full control over your selection of funds.
Choose in both cases well known funds and not individual shares unless you wish to try this - I don't recommend from past experience.
UK Equities or trackers with all dividends reinvested and funds that have valuations of over £1 billion are possibly your safest bet.

The nice thing about most funds is the buy and sell prices are the same so should you choose to switch funds you are not paying a percentage in fees each time.
Trading on-line with HL gives you real time prices and monitoring of your portfolio daily.
Switching and buying / selling funds or percentages of funds takes a couple of clicks and it's done.
 
 

It is all about your attitude to risk.
When inflation is higher than the interest rates on cash savings you are steadily eroding the value of your savings.
In an ISA any growth is free of income tax but what use is that when your bucket has a hole in it and your money is dripping out ?
Provided you are investing surplus cash and have a reserve for emergencies then what I would do ( this is my personal viewpoint and not financial advice ) is to feed a stocks & shares ISA using an online platform like Hargreaves Lansdown. You can follow some of their suggested investment portfolios or just keep it simple and put your money into a tracker like the FTSE 100. Look at the charts over 5 and 10 years and don't get overly focussed on weekly or monthly charts as picking peaks and troughs doesn't work.
Secondly, assuming you are a tax payer, consider opening up a SIPP also with HL if you wish.
You will get tax relief on your investments so the amount invested increases by 20% or more and again you have full control over your selection of funds.
Choose in both cases well known funds and not individual shares unless you wish to try this - I don't recommend from past experience.
UK Equities or trackers with all dividends reinvested and funds that have valuations of over £1 billion are possibly your safest bet.

The nice thing about most funds is the buy and sell prices are the same so should you choose to switch funds you are not paying a percentage in fees each time.
Trading on-line with HL gives you real time prices and monitoring of your portfolio daily.
Switching and buying / selling funds or percentages of funds takes a couple of clicks and it's done.
 
 

Good prices - I paid more for mine and I though I had a bargain at the time !

Never been asked by any of the bullion dealers.
They just weigh it and pay cash.
 

Never been asked by any of the bullion dealers.
They just weigh it and pay cash.
 

This ad mirrors most things these days with the magic word "FROM".
It's only when you add an item to your basket does the headline grabbing bargain fade into oblivion.

This ad mirrors most things these days with the magic word "FROM".
It's only when you add an item to your basket does the headline grabbing bargain fade into oblivion.

I have seen the early QBs attract these prices and gradually the next one in the series rapidly follows.
This is purely down to supply and demand.
The first coin, the Lion rose to these heights, followed by the Griffin even higher, but then I've seen dips later.
I haven't checked prices recently.
I think I have a spare Unicorn in my collection that I might release to pay for energy !

This ad mirrors most things these days with the magic word "FROM".
It's only when you add an item to your basket does the headline grabbing bargain fade into oblivion.

I have seen the early QBs attract these prices and gradually the next one in the series rapidly follows.
This is purely down to supply and demand.
The first coin, the Lion rose to these heights, followed by the Griffin even higher, but then I've seen dips later.
I haven't checked prices recently.
I think I have a spare Unicorn in my collection that I might release to pay for energy !