Bullion

Photo Credit: rarecoincollector

NGC Certified 1882 French 100 Franc Gold Coin

Buy It Now Price: $1,675 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This NGC certified 1882 French 100 franc gold coin, which was struck at the apogee of the Third Republic's power and prestige, represents a compelling alternative investment.

-This French gold coin is massive.  It has a diameter of 35 mm (1.38 inches) and contains nearly 1 troy ounce (0.9335 troy ounces or 29.03 grams) of pure gold.  This is comparable in size and weight to a pre-1933 U.S. double eagle $20 gold coin!

-The obverse of this French 100 franc gold coin depicts the personification of Genius writing the French constitution while the reverse features the denomination and date within an elegant wreath of acorns and oak leaves.  The back of the coin is also inscribed with the timeless motto of the French Republic: "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité", which translates as "Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood".

-This 1882 French 100 franc gold coin is scarce, with a mintage of only 37,000.  This is a very low mintage compared to similar contemporary gold coins, like the U.S. double eagle.  For example, in 1904 alone the Philadelphia mint struck over 6 million gold double eagles; the San Francisco mint struck an additional 5 million specimens in that same year.  The total mintage for the entire French 100 franc series from 1878 to 1914 is only around 418,000 examples, compared to over 100 million U.S. Liberty Head $20 gold pieces!

-This coin is certified AU-55 (About Uncirculated - with just a touch of wear on the highest points of the design) by NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation), a respected third-party grading service.  You can be assured that the coin is genuine and as advertised.

-In spite of its rarity, this 1882 French 100 franc gold coin sports a premium over its melt value of only 38%!  There is $1,213 worth of gold in the coin (with spot gold hovering around $1,300 a troy ounce), meaning that you are only paying a modest $460 for the considerable numismatic value of this impressive 136 year old coin.  The low premium over its bullion value helps to limit your investment risk.

-This 1882 French 100 franc gold coin circulated during the height of France's Bell Époque, a pre-World War I golden era where theater, music and the arts flourished.  This coin even could have been used in the 1890 purchase of Vincent Van Gogh's painting "Red Vineyard" for 400 francs - one of the few paintings the famous artist sold during his lifetime!

-In light of its low mintage, good condition and historical significance, I think this 1882 French 100 franc gold coin would make an excellent, low-risk investment at the asking price of $1,675.

Certified French 50 & 100 Franc Gold Coins For Sale

Cons:

-It is possible to find certified French 100 franc gold coins in better, uncirculated condition.  However, I actually prefer AU-55 or AU-58 specimens because they often have better eye appeal compared to the same coin in MS-60 or MS-61.  Eye appeal is a primary consideration for rare coins and tends to drive their investment returns.  If you want an uncirculated 100 franc coin with similar eye appeal to a good AU-55 or AU-58 example, you will need to step up to an MS-62 or better coin.  These will cost an additional $400 to $1,000, depending on the exact date and condition.

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Photo Credit: APMEX

1987 Australian Gold Nugget Proof Set

Buy It Now Price: $2,731.05 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Here is a stately 1987 Australian Gold Nugget proof set containing four coins - 1, 1/2, 1/4 and 1/10 troy ounce sizes - with a total gold content of 1.85 troy ounces.

-This set is a proof version of the immensely popular Australian Gold Nugget/Kangaroo bullion series of coins. Modern proof coins are carefully struck to very exacting standards in order to ensure mirror-like surfaces and maximum detail.

-The obverse of the coins has a bust of Queen Elizabeth II while the reverse has a series of famous Australian gold nuggets. Australia, along with the Alaska-British Columbia complex, is the world's most prolific producer of natural gold nuggets.

-The 1 troy ounce proof coin features the 953 troy ounce Poseidon nugget, discovered in 1906 in Tarnagulla, Victoria. The 1/2 troy ounce proof coin depicts the Bobby Dazzler nugget, found in 1899 in Sharks Gully, Western Australia. The 1/4 troy ounce proof coin shows the 199 troy ounce Father's Day nugget, discovered in 1979 in Ophir, New South Wales. The 1/10 troy ounce proof coin portrays the 200 troy ounce Golden Aussie nugget, found in 1980 in Western Australia.

-The mintage for the 1987 Australian Gold Nugget proof set was only 11,002 specimens. This may seem like a lot until you realize that Australian coins for general circulation regularly have mintages in the tens of millions per year. Even non-proof, 1 troy ounce Australian Nugget/Kangaroo gold bullion coins usually have mintages of well over 100,000 per annum.

-This 1987 Australian Gold Nugget proof set comes in its original, solid Jarrah wood box! The Jarrah is a type of Eucalyptus tree (scientific name: Eucalyptus marginata) native to Australia. In addition to having a rich reddish-tone and beautifully figured grain-pattern, Jarrah wood is also remarkably tough and rot resistant. I believe the Jarrah wood case significantly enhances the desirability and value of this set.

-Like all Australian bullion coins, this set was struck at the Perth Mint, which is 100% owned by the Government of Western Australia. Originally established in 1899 as a branch of the London Royal Mint, the Perth Mint was created to refine and strike coins from gold mined in the newly discovered Western Australian goldfields.

-I am a firm believer that vintage gold bullion proof sets from the 1980s and 1990s represent exceptional value for the tangible asset investor. I previously showcased a lovely 1985 British gold sovereign proof set that shares a very similar risk-reward profile to this 1987 Australian Gold Nugget proof set.

-With the spot price of gold trading at $1,316, this 1987 Australian Gold Nugget proof set contains $2,434 worth of gold. At the buy-it-now price of $2,731, this represents a modest premium only 12.2%. Because this set is less than $300 above melt value, you are assuming very little numismatic risk if you opt to purchase it.

Gold Bullion Coin Proof Sets For Sale

Cons:

-Ironically, Australian Gold Nugget bullion coins only featured gold nuggets for a short period of time, from 1986 to 1989. After that, the series switched to kangaroos on the reverse of the coin. Because of this, the early gold nugget version is less well recognized than its more modern counterpart with the kangaroo. Although this could conceivably impact future demand (and therefore, price), I see it as being a very minor issue.

Read more fascinating Antique Sage spotlight posts here.

-or-

Read in-depth Antique Sage investment guides here.