This web-Blogger has recently been fielding more than his fair share of questions surrounding the precious metals given as awards in the Olympics, so the following is a brief overview on the actual precious metals that comprise each of the coveted awards, which are meant to embody the purest ideals of sport, fair play, and peace on Earth.

Plenty of people share the opinion that Olympic medals should be pure, solid precious, or semi-precious medals, believing that the award should truly match the accomplishment. The International Olympic Committee, who has always maintained that the honor of competing, excelling, and winning is prestigious enough, however, does not share this opinion. In ancient Olympic games, medals weren’t awarded at all. Rather, an olive wreath was placed on the victor’s head, representing god-like qualities to honor victorious mortals here on Earth. The modern Olympic Charter was originally drawn up in 1896, and specifies the following criteria for modern Olympic medal awards:

Each medal must also mention the name of the sport, and the individual event that was held, and must come with a detachable chain or ribbon to be placed around the athlete’s neck upon awarding.

Those with questions about precious metals investing are encouraged to contact one of the Precious-Metal.org specialists for answers and a free copy of our award-winning investment tutorial. Go USA!

Franklin Gold

Precious metal bullion is the most affordable form of investment grade precious metals, and its’ most commonly known benefit is its’ utilization to earn short-term profits. Since gold possesses no numismatic value (like rare coins have), its’ prices hover slightly above the current gold spot price, which represents the cost of one troy-ounce of pure gold. Gold precious metal bullion generally comes in 24-karat pure, one-ounce and ten-ounce bars, and 22, and 24-karat bullion coins that generally contain one full troy-ounce of pure gold, regardless of their purity. Reputable brand names for bullion bars include PAMP Suisse, Credit Suisse, Johnson Matthey, and Engelhard. These bars can be used as short-term profit vehicles, as diversifications for long-term, rare coin investments, or as U.S. government-approved, precious metal-backed IRA contributions.

Other acceptable IRA contributions include modern American Eagle bullion coins, which contain a full troy-ounce of pure gold, and are the only acceptable 22-karat bullion coins for precious metal IRA storage. Their prices are only slightly higher than those of bullion bars, but the coins themselves are infinitely more appealing. Our government also doesn’t permit rare coin IRA storage, but 24-karat bullion coins like Canadian Maple Leafs, and American Buffalos are acceptable. Other 24-karat bullion coins include Austrian Philharmonics, Chinese Pandas, and Australian Kangaroos, Koalas, and Lunar coins. Once investors have completed their research, they are encouraged to contact one of our friendly specialists, who offer institutional discounts on all of the aforementioned precious metal products, as well as a wide variety of rare gold coins, to household investors like you.

John Burke

Large-volume precious metals dealers make purchases for financial institutions like insurance companies and banks, and the surplus from those transactions is offered to household investors at the same, large-quantity discount. There are lots of helpful sites for investors to refer to, like www.gold-coin.com and www.rare-coin.org for retail prices on a wide variety of bullion and rare coin items. These sites also offer daily market updates, buying tips, as well as other helpful links to assist precious metals buyers with their long-term and short-term financial needs. Short-term investors typically buy bullion bars and coins, as their prices normally hover slightly above the current gold spot price, and holding periods for bullion normally range between one and fourteen months. Popular bullion items include coins like 22 Karat American Eagles, and bullion bars by Credit Suisse, or Johnson Matthey.

Long-term precious metals investors usually buy certified rare coins, as their numismatic value has been validated by either the PCGS, (Professional Coin Grading Service), or the NGC (Numismatic Guarantee Corp). Numismatic value generally appreciates over time, and a great many investors prefer to pay the added premium of having that value verified by one or both of these companies. Certified rare coins like $20 Lady Liberty’s, or $20 Saint Gaudens, are among the most popular long-term purchases, with other coins like $2.5, $5, and $10 Indian gold coins, being favorites for diversification. Investors can comparison shop retail prices on these and other certified rare coins on www.pcgs.com, or www.ngccoin.com. They are then advised to contact a reputable, large-volume precious metal dealer, to avoid paying retail prices on their rare coins and bullion items. Large-volume dealers make institutional buys for corporations and banks, and pass those large-volume discounts down to household investors like you and me.

John Burke

The popularity of precious metals investments has boomed over the past few years. Investors in droves have been abandoning their traditional investments in stocks and bonds, and converting their remaining investment and retirement dollars into precious metals like gold and silver. Precious metals investments have traditionally been considered to be ideal investments to preserve wealth, as well as to possibly augment it in the future. Today, global economic conditions are extremely tumultuous, as dollar values continue to struggle, while many financial experts fear the onset of an imminent long-term inflationary cycle. Even the most idealistic projections for economic recovery are years away, which is why so many investors are taking a proactive approach to their own financial independence now, by investing in precious metals.

Precious metals investing offers a great many options, and it is absolutely essential for each investor to thoroughly evaluate his or her own, specific, individual, financial needs and expectations, before committing to any precious metals investment. It is the only accurate way to determine which specific type of investment best suits those needs. For example, a potential gold investor, whose primary financial needs are long-term stability, would do best to research a rare coin investment, as rare coins have numismatic value, which historically tends to appreciate over time. Conversely, a gold investor, who is interested in short-term profit, would generally choose bullion, as bullion has no numismatic value. Interested investors are advised to contact a large volume precious metal dealer, like the Certified Gold Exchange, for expert precious metals consultation, and competitive prices.

John Burke