Friday, August 6, 2010
Numismatic Gold Coins
1853-O $10 Gold Coin (1853-O Eagle)
This coin is rare because of its unique texture and characteristics. It is the only Liberty Head Eagle from the 19th century series to earn a Specimen designation from the Numismatic Guarantee Corporation (NGC). Walter Breen, the foremost US coin expert, declared this coin a “Branch Mint Proof” in two of his books, published in 1977 and 1988. This coin has clear reflective surfaces with slightly frosted devices. Several design elements of this coin are in higher relief. The rims are unusually broad at certain places. The obverse of the coin features the head of Lady Liberty and the reverse portrays an eagle. The coin is sharply struck and exhibits a soft glossy texture. The overall strike of the coin is exceptional. When kept under a light source, the surfaces of the coin glow beautifully. The physical characteristics of this coin offer it a distinguished presence among other coins of the same era.
Duckor-Price 1893-O Half Dollar
This attractive coin is a part of the famous Duckor collection and is yet to be fully recognized. It has been assigned a grade of MS-66 by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS). This is the highest grade ever assigned to a coin of this series. In fact, only three 1893-O halves have been assigned a similar grade by the PCGS. The Duckor-Price 1893-O has an interesting history. Initially, this coin was a part of the James A. Stack Sr. collection, which ranks among the top fifteen greatest collections of US coins. After that, it became a part of the Thaine Price Collection, and then it was finally bought by Dr. Duckor.
In the early 1990s, when the grading standards were tough, this coin was graded MS-65 by the Numismatic Guarantee Corporation (NGC). However, when Dr. Duckor submitted this coin to the PCGS for grading in June 1998, it was assigned a grade MS-66. This coin has also been approved by the Certified Acceptance Corporation (CAC).
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Why Rare Gold Coins are Popular
Gold coins were initially used as legal currency. Since the introduction of paper currency, the use of gold coins as currency has diminished considerably. The value of gold almost doubled between 2005 and 2010. However, the value of rare gold coins is significantly more than the gold content of such coins.
The 1795 $5 half eagle was the first gold coin to be minted in the US and is highly sought after. Another example of an extremely valuable rare gold coin is the 1933 St. Gaudens $20 gold coin. These coins fetch astronomical amounts of money at auctions. In July 2002, a rare $20 Double Eagle fetched more than $7 million, creating history. However, it is not easy to get hold of such a coin, but many people like to own rare gold coins.
Mr. Louis Eliasberg, Sr. was known to have successfully collected every date, mint and denomination of the highest quality US coins. The value of his purchase from the 1920s till the 1950s was $400,000. In 1996-97, his collection was sold at a public auction for more than $44 million. This represents a 200% annual return.
Why ‘Rare Gold Coins’ are referred so?
In the numismatic industry, the word “rare” is not synonymous with scarce or unusual. In other words, the rarity of a coin is relative. A coin may fall under the category of rare coin even if there are over 100,000 specimens in existence. For instance, the 1909s VDB Lincoln Cent is a much sought after rare coin even though 484,000 specimens of it were minted.
A coin may be referred to as rare because it is not easily available, people don’t want to sell it, it is highly desired or its mintage was relatively low.
Mintage of Rare Gold Coins
For almost 100 years from 1838 to 1933, millions of gold coins were minted by the government for use in the US and international trading. The US Mint melted most of these coins and many of them were lost. It is estimated that nearly 5% of the original minted gold coins are still in existence and in demand by traders. Many rare gold coins have been hoarded by collectors to enhance their personal portfolio.
The Rare Gold Coins Industry
The rare coin industry is managed, tracked and regulated by the Federal Trade Commission. Rare gold coins are graded by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guarantee Corporation (NGC). The cost of grading a coin ranges from $25.00 to $50.00. If you are considering buying rare gold coins from a dealer, ensure that the dealer is registered with either of these organizations.
It must be noted that gold coins were minted in many countries. However, the ones that were minted in the United States are the most famous and considered of high quality.
Friday, April 23, 2010
How to Buy Rare Gold Coins
Buying gold coins requires preparation and learning. Before you buy your first coin, you should commit yourself to learning as much as you can about coins, so that you can make an informed buying decision.
This won't guarantee that you will make a profit from your investment in rare gold coins, but it will increase your chances greatly.
There are many resources available in print and online to help you educate yourself about rare gold coins.
You should start with The Guidebook of United States Coins, popularly referred to in the industry as the "Redbook." This book lists every coin ever minted by the U.S. mint which will enable you to know what's out there. It also gives brief histories and descriptions of the coins and lists their original mintages.
A couple of notes of caution are in order, however.
First of all, original mintages are not always indicative of current rarity. The key to current rarity is the number of surviving specimens believed to be around today. In some cases, issues with small original mintages have high survival rates, making them relatively less scarce today. Conversely, some issues with very high original mintages have experienced huge attrition rates, primarily due to meltings, and thus are very rare today.
Second, the Redbook lists prices which are not at all reflective of current market value. This is because the Redbook is published annually and the coin market trades actively throughout an entire year. There is simply no way for an annual guidebook to accurately indicate the current price of a rare gold coin.
We will let you in on an important fact now, before you embark on your education process (you will discover this on your own later anyway): you should only buy rare gold coins which have been graded and certified by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC). PCGS and NGC are the two leading independent coin grading firms whose standards have been accepted industry-wide for many years. Buying rare gold coins which have been graded by lesser services creates too much risk and should be avoided.
Just as is the case with any major purchase, you need to know what you are acquiring. Make sure that you are getting advice based upon your goals and objectives. There are many ways to acquire gold across that asset class. Therefore you need to make sure you are applying the right tool to the right job. Lower graded, higher population type coins will tend to perform more like asset protection, whereas higher graded rarer issues will tend to grow more over time.
In addition to buying the right coins for you, you should also compare coin dealers. You will want to buy coins from a dealer who is reliable and can provide you with the level of service and education that you desire. Not all dealers provide ongoing client education in the form of newsletters, special reports and periodic, complimentary portfolio updates. Before you decide to buy a rare gold coin from a coin dealer, you may wish to know what your relationship with that dealer is going to be like.
One final note in comparing dealers: you should check to see what each dealer's rating with the Better Business Bureau is before making your final buying decision.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Going green - how do you know if a product is green?
If you want to help the environment and go green, here are some tips to get you started. Why go green at all? What exactly is green? How do you know which items to purchase? There are many people out there looking to cash in on the green fad. How to shop safely.
So, do you really want to do your part? Do you want to help the environment, the economy and future generations? Everyone is going green these days and it's a good thing. It shows that people are becoming more conscious of their impact on the world around them. There are so many things that our society wastes. We waste food, water, building materials such as wood from trees and many many more. It's disgusting when you think about all of that money wasted. Think of the time that's wasted too. If you don't change the way you live and shop - you will be leaving the world in a terrible state for future generations.
Do you want to go green? What exactly is going green? What exactly makes a product a green product? If you check the label or item description from the manufacturer - you should see no harmful chemical. All of the ingredients and materials should be easily found in the earth. They should be made using natural processes. Don't buy products that were made in a lab using all kinds of nasty substances. Going green means saying no to harmful toxins and unsafe chemicals in your home or workplace.
Green products must be made using methods that are environmentally friendly. There's more to going green than just leaving out toxic chemicals. We must use methods to produce our goods and services that are sustainable. Think about some of the factories you have seen. They produce a lot of items. They also produce a lot of waste material. It seems like madness when you really think about it. There is absolutely no reason to be spending more just to produce less. Don't let the big guys at the top play with your future, just so they can make a few quick dollars. Green products are products that are good for the earth, the economy and everyone on it. If this isn't true about a product that a manufacturer is offering - it's not green. Don't buy it!
Go green and do your part for our environment.
Friday, December 11, 2009
How Do Antioxidants Work?
In this contemporary world no one has spare time to spend some enjoyable moments with family and friends. Every one has a busy schedule which many times lead to disturbance of health. It is a fact that health needs proper care. But due to lack of time and business we fail to provide complete nutrition to our body. As we all know that our body requires proper amount of vitamins and minerals to work properly. Vitamins and minerals help in making thousands of hormones, enzymes and other chemicals which helps in proper functioning of our body. These vitamins and minerals also have another role to play in our body. They act as antioxidants in the body. Antioxidants are those which help in improving health and in addition also protect the body from several chronic diseases like cancer, HIV etc. Some of the foods which are rich in antioxidants are pomegranates, blueberries, dark chocolate, Green tea etc. Many people ask the question about how antioxidants work.
If you also want to know that how do antioxidants work, then read on this article till the end as it can give you some useful information about the question "how do antioxidants work". Antioxidants are the substances which capture the free radicals in our body thus protect our body from several diseases. Antioxidants are vital for our body as lack of antioxidants in the body can make us more prone to diseases. Before studying that how do antioxidants work, first let us learn that what free radicals are. Free radicals are basically unstable oxygen atoms which are generally produced by several natural processes of our body or by the adverse effects of several toxins like smoke of cigarette. Free radicals are very harmful for our body cells as they are very reactive but they are also being used by our immune system to fight against various harmful bacteria. Free radicals can also cause cancer in our body and can also lead to several heart diseases. So, it is very essential that we should have plenty of antioxidants in our body so that all the free radicals can be captured.
Basically there are three vitamins that can be considered as antioxidants. They include vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin A (beta-carotene). However, there are some more substances which have antioxidant properties. These substances can include flavonoids (fruits and vegetables), trace mineral etc. Antioxidants works as body's natural defense against the free radicals present inside our body. Let us learn something more about how do antioxidants work. Basically antioxidants are the enzymes that move around our body cells in search of free radicals. Whenever they find any free radical in the body, they capture it and neutralize it. In this process of neutralizing the free radicals, the antioxidants do not damage themselves. After neutralizing the free radical, the antioxidant removes the radical from the circulation.
Now you must have learned that how do antioxidants work. But the major thing which you have to keep in mind is that in order to capture all the free radicals in your body you should have plenty of antioxidants that is vitamin A, C, E and several fruits and vegetables. The reason of this is that because if your body will not have proper amount of minerals and vitamins, then your body will not be able to produce sufficient amount of antioxidants because of which you will become more prone to diseases. This will also allow the free radicals to damage your body from inside which can lead to several chronic diseases. So, it is recommended that one should take in those food stuffs which have plenty of antioxidants as it helps us in fighting various diseases and also helps us in maintaining a good health.
Now you have completely learned that how do antioxidants work. But taking in antioxidants in right amount is not enough for maintaining a proper health. You should also perform regular workouts so that you can increase your rate of metabolism which ultimately helps in keeping yourself fit. You should also avoid fatty foods as it leads to obesity. You can also take help of physiotherapist or dietitians to maintain a proper amount of antioxidants in your body.
If you still have any doubt that how do antioxidants work then you can take help of several books that can provide you a detail study about antioxidants.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Should I hire a community association management company to help organize my community?
The first question you need to ask does your Homeowner Association Board have extensive and practical experience in financial budgets, governance, community operations, and training for new board members. If you didn't immediately answer yes to each of those questions than a professional community association Management Company could be of service to your board. One more thing to consider is with your homeowner association board is not just do you have the experience, though do you have the time.
Unless your homeowner association board is made of fulltime board members which it probably is not, you have other responsibilities to your own business or employment that take priority for your time. This is why hiring a community management company is so important. That way you have a fulltime staff working to run your community.
One of the most beneficial items from using a professional community management team is operational budgets. The process of having a detailed and accurate budget for board members to make decisions from is crucial to community success. Since management companies with extensive experience have created many successful budgets the difference in accuracy is immense. With realistic budgets and planning your board members can feel confident that they are making the right decisions for their residents. Management services can guide board members through operational challenges that will arise no matter how detailed planning is. The biggest mistake most homeowner association boards make is a lack of a consistent communication process to updates and how the challenge will be solved.
When all community processes are handled by trained fulltime staff your community can run smoothly and it makes you look good for your residents. The reality is that most home owners only notice their association board when there are issues. The best boards are the ones that the residents don't even think about.
Have you ever been frustrated with new board members? Not that they are not bright and highly accomplished people, though they lack the experience of how your board and community works. Professional community management companies should have experience in how to train new board members into effective decision members that can contribute faster to their respected development.
The part that most residents notice the most is the up keep around the properties. Making sure that every person or business responsible is delivering can be overwhelming. The most effective community management companies have systems in place to organic and manage each community to keep property values and impressions up.
Just think if your homeowner association board is having any issues that professional community management could take care of. Less head aches and smoother management makes being on a association board more enjoyable and effective.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Achieve a Beach Body Tips
Having great physique, huge muscles, smart personality is something every men desires. As we all know that there are many gym and fitness center established to help people in building huge muscles. You must have visited a beach to spend some loving moments with friends and family. Beach is a place where a person likes to enjoy the touch of water. But due to an awkward and ugly physique many times you hesitate to open your clothes. You see several young boys roaming all around you in swimming costumes showing off their beach body. You must be wondering how they get a beach body. Let me tell you that even you can get a beach body. All you need is a proper diet and regular workouts. If you really desire to get a beach body then I can provide you some useful tips which can help you in making a beach body. Summer is somewhere near so I suggest that you should start making a beach body from today onwards so that you can also show your beach body and can enjoy the thrilling atmosphere of beach.
Let us discuss some of the factors through which you can get a beach body:
Firstly decide the time up to which you want a beach body as your workout and diet will be based on the time period in which you need a beach body. Make sure what will be your diet and what all will be your initial workouts to get a beach body. This is essential as through these you can build your muscles to get a beach body. You should also gain some basic knowledge about health and fitness so that you can prepare yourself in that way. The main areas of your body on which you have to pay special attention are chest, arms, triceps, biceps, shoulders and thighs. You can also perform workouts in order to build abs. In the initial stage you have to build up muscular arms, big chest and huge shoulders and after you succeed in getting them you can start with cardiovascular workouts to build up your key muscle groups.
A cardiovascular workout helps in burning the top layer of fat of your body. It is essential because by burning the top layer one can easily build huge muscles but for starting this workout one have to build good muscles. The key to get a beach body is weight training, correct nutrition and cardiovascular training. Many people perform the two building blocks properly that is weight training and cardiovascular training but fails in doing the third building block correctly that is proper nutrition. Because of improper nutrition the muscles fails to develop in a proper manner. It is well known that heavy weights are essential for building huge muscular body but for lifting huge weights strength is needed which is provided by proper nutrition. So in order to get a beach body you should pay proper attention to your nutrition. You should take in a proper diet, full of proteins and other essential macronutrients so that you can have the strength to lift heavy weights.
All you need to do is to make a correct nutritional plan so that your muscles and your body can get proper nutrition. This will help you in doing workouts in a proper manner. You can easily get broad shoulders and muscular arms and can also tone every muscle of your body. You will not even feel shy in opening your cloths on the beach as then you can show your beach body. To get a beach body you have to do all these exercises and make sure that you continue them as regular workouts is very vital in maintaining the beach body.
By doing regular workouts you will keep increasing you rate of metabolism which is essential for burning fat and calories. By doing these workouts you can easily maintain a fit and healthy body. You can even join a fitness center or a gym in order to get best results. You can also consult a physiotherapist as he can advice you how to get a beach body in a more perfect way. You can also consult a trainer for performing different workouts. Make sure that you opt for a right workout for building a muscular body. Do not ever push yourself in completing a set or workout as you can cause yourself an injury.
So, start your workouts and training in order to get a beach body and pay attention on your diet as a nutritional diet is must to get a beach body.