As much as coin dealers–myself included–try to compare the coin market to the art market, the more you look at coins, the more you realize how insignificant this market (currently) is when compared to art. Will the coin market ever “catch up” to the art market and is it fair to make any coin vs. art comparisons? I’d like to share my thoughts on this with you.

When I was a kid just beginning to get serious about coins, an older local dealer made a comment that has stayed with me for years. When discussing his buying philosophy he said, “Stick with the keys, kid, you’ll never go wrong.” What he meant, of course, was that if you bought the rarest, most desirable coins in a specific series, you would do well over time.

One of the more popular entries in the DWN Blogospehere is the “Hot/Not” feature. Its been a while since I’ve written one of these, and with groundbreaking ideas not exactly teeming in my little coin brain right now, it seems as good a time as any to analyze which coins are in demand right now and which aren’t. WHAT’S HOT 1.

I’d like to share a photo and some information about a really interesting coin that I recently bought and sold. It’s a lovely 1858-O double eagle, graded AU55 by PCGS. What makes this coin really special, in my opinion, is its fantastic pedigree. To the best of my knowledge it has the oldest continual pedigree of any 1858-O double eagle, and certainly the best.

Lost in the hubbub surrounding the recently-concluded Central States coin show and the Heritage auction held with it was a sale that I think ranks as one of the more remarkable in the rare gold coin market all year. The coin of which I speak is an 1862-S eagle graded MS61 by NGC. Unless you are pretty knowledgeable, this coin probably doesn’t seem like anything too impressive.

Without a lot of fanfare, Proof gold coins have become a strong area of the market. In this blog, I’d like to postulate as to why Proof gold coins have become so avidly desired, which Proof coins are currently in greatest demand and what the short-term outlook is for Proof gold. To understand the current Proof gold market, it is important to understand the market over the past decade.