Is coin collecting a good investment?
No, it is not a good investment. The appreciation your collection would experience is real over time (assuming you pick issues that would appreciate,) but the amount of appreciation is generally less than even a good saving account or CD would produce. Coin collecting can be a fun hobby, the meat of which appreciates (or at least doesn’t depreciate) with time. Few hobbies can claim that. But it’s far better to keep it as nothing more than a hobby that you sink your occasional mad money into. Editing to add in: As you specify “gold and silver” issues… The metal value of the coins for silver is about the same – appreciation happens, but there are many better investment vehicles out there. While it can seem like you could slap yourself for not having gotten into gold in the $500/oz. range, when it’s now trading at $1000. Gold can be volatile, though, generally doesn’t appreciate at a rate constant with inflation (even from the 80s to today, it would be a losing investment compared to th
