What Tariffs and the Gold & Silver Price Surge Mean for Coin Collectors and Investors
On April 2nd, 2025, President Trump blindsided US markets and the entire world with his "Liberation Day" reciprocal tariffs. Without getting into the details or politics of that day's announcements, what is clear to be seen is that one thing that has surely been liberated is the gold price. Looking beyond the volatility in the stock market and worldwide instability since the announcement, Liberation Day seems to have marked an inflection point for the US dollar and the gold price (not to mention the immediate future of the United States itself).
The gold price had already been ripping higher this year. It looks as if Liberation Day has now sent gold on an unstoppable upward trend. As of this writing gold spot is at $3,300 a couple days after briefly clawing the $3,500 level. Indeed, some analysts are predicting $5,000 this year. At the same time, pressures on the US paper dollar and US Treasuries have emerged causing investors to pile into gold, even during most of the "risk-on" rallies in the stock market. We are clearly looking at a paradigm shift where gold will likely play a larger role in world politics and economics as fiat currencies crumble under crushing debt and spending levels.
So How Does This Affect Collectors and Investors?
The tariffs themselves will not change anything since gold and silver imports are exempt from US Customs surcharges. However, the recent gold craze absolutely WILL affect all coin collectors and investors. Besides the meteoric rise in the spot gold price and gold ETFs, physical demand is also off the charts which is pushing premiums up (central banks are scrambling to buy gold). That is, the surcharge that a dealer adds to bullion on top of the spot price is quite high at the moment while at the same time stock is low. These higher premiums have also spilled over into the collectible numismatic market. Whether you are collecting bullion coins or rare numismatics, expect to pay a healthy extra on top of the already rising spot price. In a nutshell, coin collecting is becoming a more expensive hobby by the day! The silver price has been lagging behind the explosion in gold but is also on an upward trend and is also demanding higher premiums.
If you happen to be a gold and silver seller, as many visitors to our site are thanks to estate inheritance or just finding stuff during Spring Cleaning, you will also suffer a bit from the rise in gold and silver spot prices. Don't expect to get anything over melt value for your circulated coins, and you can also count on a minimal premium if you hold rare, slabbed, numismatic pieces. That said, the recent rise in the gold and silver price should more than make up for the hit you take when selling. Better yet, hold on to those coins and watch them become even more valuable in the coming months and years.
The market has changed, perhaps for a good while. Gold and silver are in demand. Dealers charge more for you to buy, and give you less when you sell. That said, your current coin collection is also that much more valuable. Here at CoinValues we like to refer to gold and silver as insurance rather than investments. Whether you are a collector or an investor, you hold gold and silver coins for the long term. Rest assured that they will always maintain significant value. A gold coin is literally always "worth its weight in gold".
What is Your Coin Collection Worth Now?
Coin values vary widely in numismatics depending on the rarity and condition of each coin. But to get a good idea of the base worth of your collection, use our gold coin values calculator and our silver coin values calculator. Keep in mind that these calculators are based on the melt value of your coins, which is a good base estimate for the minimum value of circulated gold and silver coins. Uncirculated and slabbed numismatics will fetch a much higher sales price than the melt value. Click through to any of the coin series in the calculator to get specific values for each coin in your collection. As always, happy collecting!
