Is Confiscation of Gold a Real Risk?

No. Not even in the U. S., or maybe particularly not in the U. S. While there may be some risk of government interference, it is not very likely to happen. Here is why: unlike in the 1930s, the U. S. dollar has become the world’s “reserve currency” today, with more dollars in circulation overseas than in the U. S. itself. Therefore, it would be extremely foolish for the U. S. government to “confiscate” gold as this might immediately raise suspicions worldwide about something being even more seriously wrong with the U. S. dollar than is generally accepted today and would very likely collapse the U. S. dollar within hours.

Most other ways of interference with the gold market would be as unlikely for the same reason.

Spreading scary news about “government confiscation” of gold is one ingredient of the better known gold scams and are normally used to get people to buying things they should not buy for the true reasons they set out on their original buying plan (like numismatic coins instead of bullion, see Can I Earn a higher Profit with Numismatics…, above). Successful investors develop a plan and stick with it. Do develop your plan and find out yourself how high the probability of gold “confiscation” really is. Once done, stick with your plan and be not fooled by some ignorant call center agent.

How Do I Buy and Sell Physical Gold and Silver?
Do I Have to Pay Sales Tax (or VAT or Similar) on Precious Metals?
Should I store my precious metals locally or overseas?
How Much Should I Pay for Physical Bullion?
Can I Earn a Higher Profit With Numismatic Coins?
What Is a Reasonable Premium Over Spot?
Should I Buy Bullion Bars or Bullion Coins?
Should I Buy Bullion Online?
Should I Buy Bullion Over the Phone?
Should I Buy Bullion Using eBay or Amazon Marketplace?
Are There Any Reporting Requirements for Gold or Silver?
Should I Buy Vaulted Allocated Gold or Silver?

Can I Earn a Higher Profit With Numismatic Coins?

It depends. If you are really knowledgeable about all the details and intricacies of numismatic coins, know all the ins and outs of particular coins or are an expert at spotting exotic coins, you certainly could make a killing in numismatic coins. This may be similar to owning a Strativari violin, a Van Gogh painting or a collection of rare wines. For the average investor though, numismatic coins may not be as suitable. What’s more, numismatic coins do not offer much in the way of protection against the risks that precious metals investments are supposed to alleviate (see section Should I store…, above). Other than bullion coins and bullion bars which are commodities having a price consisting of intrinsic value and usually almost nothing else, numismatic coin prices depend on a wide range of factors of which precious metals content is only a lesser part. Numismatic coins are graded and primarily depend on condition, but at the same time collector demand is a major ingredient in numismatic coin prices. If you invest in physical gold and silver bullion and bars as a hedge against any of the risks mentioned earlier (see Currency Risk, Market, Risk, Systemic Risk in the Should I Store… section, above), then you would not want to depend on normal and”sunny” market conditions all around to be able and sell your valuables. You would rather want to have something of raw material value that can be carried around without an air-conditioned container or a cushioned box and can easily be sold in the streets (or bartered, if needed).

For numismatic coins, the premiums charged -– not only over precious metals content, which is due to those other factors mentioned, but also over the “going rate” of comparable coins elsewhere – can, and do, wildly fluctuate with dealers being the ones usually making a killing in the process. Just watch a few commercials and the “incentives” to buy which include either ridiculous “specials” (percentage-wise) or “great” affiliate and multi-level marketing “opportunities”. Both were economically impossible, were it not for the outrageous markups numismatics dealers tend to charge. Also be aware of a number of “bullion dealerships” that turn out to be high-pressure selling outfits talking potential bullion buyers into numismatics because of the higher margin they can make on numismatics. (Many of these uninformed buyers who fell for the numismatics trick are still waiting to see any significant profits in their “investments”, even at today’s dramatically increased intrinsic values and high precious metals prices; please also read the Beware of the Pitfalls section.

How Do I Buy and Sell Physical Gold and Silver?
Do I Have to Pay Sales Tax (or VAT or Similar) on Precious Metals?
Should I store my precious metals locally or overseas?
How Much Should I Pay for Physical Bullion?
What Is a Reasonable Premium Over Spot?
Should I Buy Bullion Bars or Bullion Coins?
Should I Buy Bullion Online?
Should I Buy Bullion Over the Phone?
Should I Buy Bullion Using eBay or Amazon Marketplace?
Is Confiscation of Gold a Real Risk?
Are There Any Reporting Requirements for Gold or Silver?
Should I Buy Vaulted Allocated Gold or Silver?