Exploring Investment Strategies

Posted on: 21 September 2015

As the holiday season approaches and you begin thinking about what to get people, look at buying gold shipwreck coins for people this year. Although few people include an 1854 coin from the S.S. Yankee Blade or a quarter eagle from the S.S. New York on their wish list, many people would love to receive one. Gold shipwreck coins are both a piece of history and a sound investment, making them fun to receive now and worth keeping for years to come.

Giving Recipients a Piece of History

Even if you don't know any coin collectors, many people will enjoy the novelty of owning a piece of history. Every shipwreck has a story, and every gold coin from a shipwreck is part of that story. Often, the story is one that involves intrigue, mystery and, of course, disaster.

If there's anyone on your holiday shopping list who enjoys a good story, consider buying them a gold shipwreck coin. For instance, the following people might like to receive one:

• children who like adventure stories
• modern-day recreational mariners
• history buffs
• divers

If you're buying a gold coin for either a history buff or diver, look for one that's from the part of the world they are most interested in. There are wrecks in all oceans and seas, as well as in many lakes and some rivers, including the Great Lakes and Mississippi River.

Your recipient will enjoy holding a piece of history, and they can spend as much time as they'd like reading about the wreck and its discovery. If your gift incites a true passion for shipwreck coins, they may even one day go visit the location of the wreck you bought a gold coin from.

Giving Recipients an Investment

Jim Cramer describes gold's role as an "insurance policy." Gold's value fluctuates dramatically, but it's a tangible asset that isn't tied to the stock market. As such, it offers investors a way to diversify their portfolio. Because it's an insurance policy, Cramer doesn't recommending having a lot of gold in your portfolio, but up to 10 percent can provide security.

Few people are thinking about beefing up their investment portfolio through holiday gifts, but a gold shipwreck coin could serve as an insurance policy in your recipient's portfolio one day. When buying a gold coin from a shipwreck as a potential investment, there are two criteria to look for.

First, you should purchase a gold coin -- not a silver or copper one. While gold coins might cost more than silver or copper ones, gold holds up in seawater better than the other two metals. Slate explains that silver and copper shipwreck coins deteriorate quickly in saltwater. Gold, however, will only be damaged if a piece of the ship breaks and falls on it. Saltwater won't erode solid gold. Because gold coins will be in better condition than silver or copper ones, their resale value will be higher than lower-grade silver and copper coins in the future.

Second, you should look for a pedigreed gold shipwreck coin. Many companies sell gold shipwreck coins that come with a certificate of authenticity. No single organization governs the administration of certificates of authenticity, however. Pedigreed gold shipwreck coins are guaranteed by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) to have been recovered from a shipwreck in an archaeologically sound manner. In the coin collecting world, pedigrees from the NGC are more highly regarded than other certificates of authenticity.

If you have a child, mariner, history buff or diver on your holiday shopping list, buy a gold coin from a shipwreck for them this year. Even if it's not on their wish list, they'll like receiving it, and it might provide a little financial security for them in the future.

For more information about buying gold, you can see this site or others like it.