Every few days I get asked the question “what should I collect?” I’d like to make some suggestions based on three different budget levels. A quick word on coin budgets before we delve into specifics. As a collector you should not overspend on coins. Buy within the parameters that make you comfortable. Spending $750 on a gold coin doesn’t make you any less of a collector than spending $75,000.

Need to get the rest of the article from Mary. In a recent blog (July 30, 2007) I discussed my criteria for what constitutes “originality.” Using this criteria, how available are Charlotte, Dahlonega and New Orleans gold coins? In the first of what may be a multi-part series of articles, I’m going to look at C, D and O mint gold dollars and discuss their availability with original surfaces and color.

In the last five years, early United States gold has been one of the most active areas in the coin market. In this article, we will examine each of the major types of pre-1834 gold coinage and see how the market has performed. In addition, we will look at some future trends and make some predictions which may be of interest to the specialist.

In 1987, my book “Charlotte Mint Gold Coins: 1838-1861, A Numismatic History and Analysis” was published by Bowers and Merena Galleries. In the ensuing decade, the changes in the Charlotte market have been so radical that I have been compelled to rewrite and totally update this book.