In the 40 years since the first Earth Day, the environmental movement continues to generate fierce debate as to the effects, motivations and possible outcomes of existing / proposed environmental laws and theories. Hot button issues such as Global Warming, Sustainability, Biodiversity, Recycling, Resource Allocation and Environmental Justice seem to pull us farther apart rather then bringing us closer together.

But whatever side of the current debate you find yourself on, I think the vast majority of people would agree that given a choice, it is preferable to have clean water to drink, clean air to breath and safe food to eat. So what does this have to do with Numismatics?

All that raw materials used to make our gold and silver coins and bullion products has to be mined, refined and manufactured. Unfortunately, the mining process in many parts of the world is a dirty business. Toxic chemicals and substances like cyanide and mercury are often used to extract the precious metals during the refining process, and much of this is done in less than ideal and controlled environments (no pun intended)

We came across a Precious Metals refiner that has taken a different path, Ohio Precious Metals (OPM). Founded over 35 years ago OPM operates a state of the art 178,000 square foot facility is located in Appalachian Ohio. As a leading recycled precious metals refiner, OPM extracts the metals from jewelry, photographic equipment, electronics, secondary refining and collecting sources in North America.

Once the precious metals are recovered, OPM uses the metals to produce the highest quality gold and silver products including 1, 10 AND 100 oz Silver .9995 fine Bars and 1 oz, 1 Kilo (32.15 oz) and 400 oz Gold .9999 fine bars.

These “recycled” Green bullion products generate a significantly lower environmental impact than similar products manufactured from “virgin ore” and may offer the environmentally conscious investor an alternative product to purchase.

Bob Higgins from Certified Assets recently stated that his company has added the OPM Gold and Silver Bars to their inventory as a “green” alternative and that “….interest has been very high” in these precious metals bars. OPM has a stellar reputation with a superior product that fills a critical role in the industrial and investor marketplace. We are happy to be doing business with them.”

The finest known 1907 Ultra High Relief Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle gold coin, insured for $5 million, will be displayed during the first three days of the Santa Clara, California Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo to be conducted November 19 – 22, 2009. The show will be held in the Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Parkway, where free parking is available.

“This magnificent-looking Ultra High Relief is graded PCGS Proof-69, and will be exhibited courtesy of Certified Assets Management of Wilmington, Delaware,” said Ronald J. Gillio, Expo General Chairman.

“This famous coin was designed by renowned sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, at the personal request of President Theodore Roosevelt. It was struck seven times to bring up all the beautiful features in the design. There are less than 20 known surviving examples, and this is the finest. There is no other example certified higher,” said Bob Higgins, President of Certified Assets Management.

More than 500 dealers will be buying and selling rare coins, paper money, stamps, vintage postcards, historical documents and other collectibles during the show. The Cupertino Coin Club will display exhibits, and there will be educational seminars on hobby topics.

Teletrade of Irvine, California will conduct the official auction during the Santa Clara Expo. A gold coin door prize will be awarded each day, and a children’s treasure hunt will be conducted between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 20.

Public hours are Thursday, November 19, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, November 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $6 (good for all three days); $3 for seniors (65 and up), anyone with a valid coin or stamp club membership card, and children 8 to 16; children 7 and under are admitted free.

Coupons good for a $3 discount on admission are available online at www.SantaClaraExpo.

Free parking is available at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

For additional information, contact the Santa Clara Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo at (805) 962-9939 or online at www.SantaClaraExpo.com.

A consumer watchdog organization has recovered nearly $900,000 for buyers who paid far more for coins than they were worth.

The money represented full refunds in 16 recent disputes, according to the New Jersey-based not-for-profit group, the Numismatic Consumer Alliance, Inc. (NCA).

The consumers had purchased the coins - mostly overpriced bullion coins and other modern issues - on the basis of telemarketers’ sales pitches, NCA said. It said the Alliance was able to obtain full refunds totaling $884,769 for coins which were worth a fraction of their purchase price.

“Many of these buyers,” NCA said, “were senior citizens with no knowledge of coins who also lacked the Internet savvy to check out what they were buying and who they were buying it from.”

The Alliance has now recovered a total of more than $4 million for such consumers since becoming operational in 2005. NCA intervenes on these buyers’ behalf, engaging legal and other professional assistance if necessary, in an effort to ensure that coin consumers are getting their money’s worth.

The Alliance is reviewing other disputes involving coins for which consumers paid more than $10 million.

NCA seeks no compensation when it enters a dispute on behalf of an aggrieved consumer - even though it frequently incurs substantial legal bills and other expenses in the process. Funds to cover such costs are contributed by coin dealers and collectors who share its concerns. On several occasions, consumers who were aided by NCA subsequently donated funds to help it continue its work on behalf of others.

Ten Founding Members provided seed money of $10,000 apiece, and each has pledged to continue making regular contributions, if needed, to help finance NCA’s operations. The Alliance also has three other membership levels involving one-time fees: Gold Members pledge $2,500, Silver Members $500, and Bronze Members $100.

The Founding Members all are professional numismatists, and all have been coin dealers for more than 20 years.

Disputes involving potential abuses are referred to NCA by a number of sources, including hobby organizations, numismatic periodicals, law enforcement agencies, reputable coin dealers, and consumers and their families and friends. The American Numismatic Association and Coin World have been particularly helpful in alerting the Alliance to apparent abuses, NCA said.

In an overwhelming majority of disputes, NCA said, the potential abuses involve senior citizens who have bought coins from telemarketers. Upon learning of such disputes, NCA contacts the consumers to determine the validity of their claims and asks for copies of all pertinent paperwork. If it decides that the sellers took advantage of the buyers, it contacts the sellers and urges them to make restitution in order to avoid legal action.

About 90 percent of the disputes are resolved through negotiations between NCA and the sellers. The other 10 percent can be far more costly and time-consuming. For instance, the Alliance spent nearly $20,000 on legal fees to help one elderly man attempt to recover half a million dollars he spent for coins that, in NCA’s judgment, were worth a fraction of that amount. In one noteworthy dispute, NCA said, coins purchased by an elderly gentleman in Arizona and priced at more than $100,000 were housed in holders from two grading services - National Numismatic Certification, LLC (NNC) and the Numismatic Trust Corp. (NTC) - and consistently carried grades significantly higher than what the Alliance deemed to be accepted market standards.

The Alliance said it plans to intensify its scrutiny of such grading services, and also is developing plans for new educational programs aimed at alerting the public to the dangers. Further information about NCA is available at its Web site, www.stopcoinfraud.org.

No longer will retirement investors need to pay 20-25% extra. First State Depository, which provides precious metal storage, is now working with Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), the industry leader in coin certification, to offer a new service which provides proof of the metal content and purity of the coin for much less than the cost of “Proof” Gold Eagles.

Humphrey said, “People who buy gold with their IRAs are often not given the option of non-proof coins.” Often, the proof coin seems more valuable because of the description of a specialized minting process and the special mounting and special plastic capsule that the coin is shipped in. Humphrey explained, “Proof coins are not required for IRAs and often cost significantly more than the equivalent non-proof coin containing the exact same amount of metal. IRA owners investing in Gold coins with IRA funds should make sure they understand what they are buying.”

According to Humphrey, clients wanting the guarantee of gold content of the coins may want to look at a new service offered by First State Depository, a company which provides precious metal storage. First State is working with Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), the industry leader in coin certification, to offer a service which provides proof of the metal content and purity of the coin for much less than the cost of Proof Gold Eagles.

“Our clients can see the fineness measurement, the weight, and the description of the coin, plus a sturdy encapsulation identical to that provided when NGC grades coins,” said Humphrey. The coin is given a unique ID number which can be used to search for the coin on the NGC website. First State Depository provides a detail inventory of the coins held, including the ID number, to investors holding coins with them. Humphrey said, “The FSD/NGC program does not grade the coin, it just provides the investor proof that they got what they or their IRA paid for. But that proof may be all the IRA investor really needs.” Fees for the certification service are minimal.

Humphrey clearly explained that Entrust New Direction IRA does not provide investment advice or recommend any precious metals dealer over another. “However,” he said, “we want our clients’ IRAs to buy investments they understand.” Humphrey continued, “We are seeing a huge increase in our client’s interest in Gold IRA investments. The self-directed gold IRA plans we offer leave the investment choice to the individual. I always encourage clients to do their homework about the investment details.”

The encapsulation offers a bar code and ID number for easier insurance identification and cataloging, and the packaging provides protection for the coin. Humphrey mentioned that some clients appreciate that their coins are safely packaged, and that they can see the details of the actual coin on the NGC website.

For more information, go to http://gold.newdirectionira.com or First State Depository

Certified Assets Management, Inc. (CAMI) is a completely independent, wholesale rare coin fund management and marketing services company incorporated in Delaware with offices in five states.

CAMI has been operating continuously since 2001 and now manages multiple funds rather than the single, closed fund it successfully managed until 2005.

Our headquarters are located inside First State Depository Company (FSDC) which is a level 3, high security facility which stores precious metals and rare coins for investment banks, brokerage firms, refining companies, commodity trading houses, precious metals retailers, coin dealers and individual investors.

Certified Assets both BUYS and SELLS Bullion Coins, bars and Ingots. NO DEAL IS TOO LARGE!

“The Ultra High Relief is graded PCGS Proof-69 and will be the focal point of an exhibit based on the popular book, ‘100 Greatest U.S. Coins.’ This outstanding display is courtesy of Certified Assets Management of Wilmington, Del., which values the Ultra High Relief at $5 million,” said Ronald J. Gillio, expo
general chairman.

“This famous coin was designed by renowned sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, at the personal request of President Theodore Roosevelt. It was struck seven times to bring up all the beautiful features in the design. There are less than 20 known surviving examples, and this is the finest,” said Don Ketterling, executive vice president of Certified Assets Management.

“This magnificent piece could establish itself as ‘the Holy Grail’ of American numismatics.”

Another highlight of the exhibit will be an 1879 $4 “Flowing Hair” Stella gold coin graded NGC Proof-68 Ultra Cameo, the finest known of its type.

Other coins in the featured display are selected examples of major rarities ranked in the award-winning book, “100 Greatest U.S. Coins” (2008, third edition, Whitman Publishing) authored by Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth.

The Santa Clara bourse is expected to feature 500 dealers. The Cupertino Coin Club will display exhibits, and there will be educational seminars on hobby topics.
Superior Galleries of Beverly Hills will conduct the official auction.

A gold coin door prize will be awarded each day, and a children’s treasure hunt will be conducted between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15.

Public hours are Thursday, Nov. 13, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14 and 15, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Admission is $6 (good for all three days); $3 for seniors (65 and up), anyone with a valid coin or stamp club membership card, and children 8 to 16; children 7 and under are admitted free.
Coupons good for a $2 discount on admission are available online at www.SantaClaraExpo.

Free parking is available at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

For additional information, contact the Santa Clara Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo at (805) 962-9939, or online at www.SantaClaraExpo.com.

The Santa Clara Expo spans 50,000 square feet in the beautiful Santa Clara Convention Center, and we always bring a wide assortment of the finest rare coins to the show.  In addition, if there is anything specific you would like to see, we can draw fronm our $20 Million dollar inventory and bring exactly the coins you are interested in to the show for inspection and sale.

Call us at 302-765-3352.

We invite you to  browse the world’s largest inventory of high-quality certified U.S. Rare Coins.
From Key Dates to “Finest-Knowns” and everything in between, Certified Assets is the #1 resource for the finest rarities on the market!

We look forward to the opportunity to work with you, and we are confident that both our coins and our professional service will EXCEED all of your expectations!

CALL US TODAY at 866-765-3352

We also offer Certified Bullion Coins which are the perfect selection for your self directed Gold IRA, along with ALL of the other IRS approved gold coins presently on the market. We can even provide Depository Services though our nationally recognized and storage approved Level 3 facility at First State Depository.

We invite you to contact us at 800-999-7285 to discuss your needs and how we can be of service to you.

Here is a list of pages on the site you may find of interest:

• Bullion Section Home Page
• Gold Bullion Coins and Bars
• Silver Bullion Coins and Bars
• Generic Gold Coin Selections - Gold Dollars - Saints
• NGC Certified Bullion Coins
• Adding Gold into your IRA Account
• Certified Genuine Gold Coins - A service of NGC
• Foreign Gold
• Current Price List - Updated Daily