The sight of a blonde Ursula Andress in a white bikini, emerging glistening from the waves on a Caribbean beach, must have had quite an effect on the impressionable minds of many young men in the 1960s. It certainly had on me.
For many centuries, coins have been collected and hoarded. They have provided security against war, disaster, inflation and panic. And an added bonus is the thrill of owning a unique item with a history dating back hundreds or even thousands of years. And right now, there’s an opportunity for you to diversify your collection with rare world coins that are seeing substantial and steady growth in value. Rare and early coins from particular parts of the world are increasingly in demand from collectors in search for a piece of history. Coins from Eastern Europe and Russia have seen some prices increase tenfold in the past decade. Coins from India and the Middle East are now of intense interest to collectors in those countries. Even traditional collecting areas—such as Ancient Greek and Roman, as well as Western European and British coins—have increased over fivefold in the past decade. And this trend is set to continue.
The bidding in the auction room stood at 2 million Hong Kong dollars—and all eyes were on me. Ceiling fans offered some respite from the stifling heat outside, but the room still seemed unbearably hot. Some 40 or 50 collectors and dealers, many of whom had made the trip from mainland China, jostled for elbow room. A bank of auction assistants manned telephones and laptops, processing bids from around the world.
In August 2013, the Thomas H. Law collection of gold coins sold for over $5 million at a Chicago auction—more than double the presale estimates. Given the popularity of gold coins among U.S. collectors and investors, multi-million-dollar auction sales may not be that surprising—except that this was a collection of English coins.
In 1994, billionaire entrepreneur Bill Gates spent $30.8 million on 18 pieces of paper. His purchases weren’t paintings or artwork—at least, not in the traditional sense. They were manuscripts, handwritten 500 years ago by artist, inventor, and genius Leonardo da Vinci. Bill Gates wanted to own the Codex Leicester because he wanted a tangible connection to one of his heroes—and he’s not alone.
William H. Gross is a familiar figure in the investment world. He is author of several books on investing, cofounder of PIMCO and manager of the world’s largest bond fund, over $280 billion. He is often referred to as “The Bond King.” Less well known is the fact that he is also a stamp collector.