The coin is a lot more than just a token. It connects us to our history, can signify a country’s independence, can be a thing of aesthetic beauty, and, just occasionally, it can be exchanged for a bag of peanuts and a pint of ale. It is little wonder then that the humble coin can […]

In the wake of the financial crisis in 2008, precious metal prices, gold in particular, rose sharply, leading to a huge increase in investment. While the market has settled down to some degree since, falling in 2013, there are signs that another significant increase in the value of gold is on the cards for the […]

What links Bluetooth technology, a Viking king and a hoard of ancient coins? The answer is related to a discovery made by amateur treasure hunters on an Eastern German island called Ruegen, which is found in the Baltic Sea. The treasure hunters, Rene Schoen and his fellow metal detectorist friend, Luca Malaschnitschenko, who is just […]

Nothing gets the nation’s heart racing quite like a royal wedding, and for coin collectors, the excitement is two-fold. As ever when such a royal event occurs, the Royal Mint is producing a commemorative coin to mark the occasion. Ever since the couple announced their shock engagement last November, the excitement has been palpable, with […]

There are few things that unite cultures more to their history, or to history across the globe, than currency. You need only look at debates relating to sovereignty to see how emotional the subject can become, with pleas to maintain, preserve and celebrate what would other be little more than tokens. Put simply, there is […]

The story of the gold rush is, in some sense, the story of America. Adventures into a new and strange land, making your fortune and living happily ever after may not have been the case for the majority of those who headed west, but the story itself has endured. The wild west still inspires Hollywood […]

Before investing in precious metals it is essential that you take some time to consider where it will be stored. This is a more complex subject than might be assumed, with many factors needing to be weighed up. These include size of collection, costs, insurance, accessibility, security and the maintaining of the items themselves. There […]

The obsession with precious metals is as old as the discovery of the materials themselves. But no matter how sought-after these valuable metals are, gold has always held a special interest and allure. Over the last century, metal detectors have been employed by “Detectorists” to make some of the most astonishing and valuable finds around […]

It might sound like a Harry Potter novel, but the Trial of the Pyx is the ancient procedure of determining the quality of newly minted coins in the United Kingdom. The practice has been around since the thirteenth century and continues, largely unchanged, to this day. Historically, the Trial of the Pyx took place at […]