All Classic U.S. gold and silver coins offered by the American Gold Exchange are carefully screened and hand-selected according to the following criteria.

1. Rarity - Truly rare coins have produced by far the greatest overall returns for investors in the long-term. Rarity is a function of both the limited quantity of the original minting and the survival rate of examples in any given grade rating. Coins that were minted in large numbers and have relatively high numbers of survivors in the market, especially in mint condition, do not perform as well as the scarcer ones.

2. Quality - All the coins we offer are independently certified for grade and authenticity by PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) or NGC (Numismatic Guarantee Corporation). But obviously, all coins are not all the same aesthetically. As in any work of fine art, the beauty of a coin lies in its design, execution, and condition. Certainly, some coin designs-the high relief Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, for example-are widely considered to be more beautiful than others. The public's taste for these designs has a significant influence on the value of the coins that bear them.

   But when we speak of the "quality" of a coin, we are talking about characteristics of minting execution and condition that set it apart from other coins of the same design and certified grade. Individual coins that are above average in appearance for strike, luster, evenness and/or color of toning, and overall eye appeal are considered to be higher in quality, and simply in greater demand, than those that do not look as nice-even at the same PCGS or NGC rating.

   Furthermore, some coins grade at the top of their rating while others grade at the bottom, even though they are identical on paper. These differences within grade are usually minute but nonetheless observable to the expert eye, and are an important factor in quality. Coins that are higher in quality always sell faster and usually command higher prices than other coins at each grade rating. The quality of your rare coin is therefore is quite important, not merely for your own aesthetic enjoyment but also for the value and liquidity of your investment.

   At American Gold Exchange, we reject six to ten coins for each one we select, thereby ensuring the highest quality per grade rating. If and when the time comes to sell your coins-whether back to us, to another dealer, or by private sale-you'll be very glad you purchased from a discriminating dealer.

3. Popularity - Some classic U.S. coins are simply much more popular than others. Conversely, some very rare coins-for example, U.S. "pattern" coins, three-cent silver pieces, and half-dimes-are absolutely gorgeous but have relatively low demand. Sometimes the issue is size: people seem to prefer large coins. Sometimes the issue is familiarity: people seem to want what they already know about. Obviously, if you have a very rare coin that no one wants, it won't do you much good as an investment. Therefore, we advise many of our customers to invest in those kinds of U.S. coins that trade most frequently and enjoy the highest demand and popularity. Our twenty years of experience have shown us that the most popular areas of U.S. numismatics are gold coins minted from 1795 to 1933, and the larger high-quality silver coins minted from 1793 to 1892. When you purchase these coins, you provide yourself with the best opportunity for appreciation and the largest number of potential buyers when you decide to sell. It's really that simple.

4. Price - When rarity, quality, popularity and price come together, they create value in your numismatic investment. Certainly you have many choices when it comes to buying or selling classic U.S. gold and silver coins. At American Gold Exchange we take pride in offering some of the finest classic U.S. gold and silver coins available, and at prices that make many of our competitors look foolish. We call ourselves a rare coin and precious metals boutique because we're relatively small in size-but don't get the wrong idea. We do a large volume of business. Our smaller size allows us to keep our prices low (which our customers love) and to react to changing market conditions much more quickly than larger and more cumbersome dealers. Our smaller size also lets us hand-select all of our numismatic coins. The result for our customers, to put it plainly, is higher quality at a better price than our competitors can offer. Most of our customers have simply stopped looking elsewhere.

   There are several large "national" firms with commensurately large monthly overheads that you can do business with. They typically charge higher prices-and often for inferior quality coins-precisely because they are so large. When these oversized coin companies have 10 to 100 salesmen pushing inventory, and the associated support staff of secretaries, accountants, and shipping clerks to pay, how can they hand-select every coin they offer and charge competitive prices? They cannot. But we can and we do. Give us a try and you'll see the difference.