Revisiting An Old Hobby

Since Benjamin was born I've been acquiring collectables that he can enjoy when he gets older. I've recently started ordering coin sets from the United States Mint.

So far I've purchased a 2005 silver proof set to commemorate the year he was born.


This week I picked up 1/10 ounce $ 5.00 American Eagle Gold coin. It's about the size of a dime but all the other sizes were sold out. It's the first gold coin I've ever purchased and owned.



A little lesson for those unfamiliar with the term "proof". It is a specialized minting process that begins by manually feeding smooth coin blanks into presses fitted with special dies. Each coin is struck multiple times so the softly frosted, yet detailed images seem to float above a mirror-like field. The coin is then inspected. Each American Eagle Proof Coin is placed in a protective plastic capsule and mounted in a presentation case as seen above. American Eagle gold coins sell at a fixed price and are available in the following options: one ounce, one-half ounce, one-quarter ounce, one-tenth ounce.

I plan to keep purchasing the silver proof sets for Benjamin each year so he will have a little collection of his own to go with the coins I collected as a kid. As for the gold coins, it's a nice investment and these American Eagles have appreciated in value over the years since their introduction in 1986. I hope to purchase more of these coins in the future.