It seems currently that with a lot of the things in the world, we are operating in uncharted territory. There are no road maps, only new situations calling for new solutions and a preparedness that only seems of significance until it is no longer such. Some view this as a negative, others view it as a positive. However, no matter the perspective, not knowing how to move is the part that we get used to (begrudgingly, of course). When it comes to numismatics for the past year or so, we have witnessed the uncharted territory and are now just waiting to see the lines emerge and the direction to follow.
“2024 was a year that I would say was very uncommon for the business,” Andy Abel, television host of The Coin Vault and third generation numismatist, said. “The spike in precious metals and more specifically gold, it’s unusual that it has lasted as long as it has.”
For the first time ever, gold saw spot over $2,700 an ounce (nearly hitting $2,800) and it just keeps moving upwards. The precious metal is breaking records, yes, but more importantly, its maintenance of such record breaking over the course of 2024 has the eyebrows of many raised.
“In years past you would just see the market jump, whether up or down, but it was always fleeting,” Andy stated. “Right now, with all precious metals, the sustainability is just truly intriguing and unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.”
But what is driving that trend?
“I wish I could tell you,” he answered. “I’d like to see it go one way or the other. It being stagnant for so long is a bit of an issue just because we are seeing that trend across the board. It’s never a good thing to be stagnant in anything you do, but especially not in numismatics.”
Other than the precious metals market, 2024 marked a big year for the United States Mint.
“The Mint’s collaboration with The Royal Mint in the United Kingdom was a big deal,” said Andy. “The Liberty & Britannia medals and coins were a hit with collectors. When the Mint gets together with other world mints, it moves the needle for numismatics. This collaboration specifically reminded me of the Pride of Two Nations Set that they did with The Royal Canadian Mint back in 2019. Those sorts of collaborations up the ante and keep pushing the hobby forward but also open some other lanes, make other directions possible.”
The Mint continued their production of the Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars that began in 2021, halted in 2022, and commenced in 2023 and 2024. They also have plans for them this year as well, releasing Uncirculated and Proof versions as well as the Reverse Proof 2-Coin Set they introduced in 2023.
“I think the biggest release of the year was the first-ever privy on a bullion edition American Silver Eagle,” Andy said. “The Star Privy Silver Eagle was something that really continued to drive the market.”
Limited to 500,000 with a first 50,000 designation, the Star Privy was created in conjunction with NGC and a brand-new video game called Eighth Era. Within the game, you can earn exclusive collectible coins, drawing the attention of a younger audience to the hobby.
“While the NGC label and the game were a driving force behind the Star Privy Silver Eagles, the variety being the first ever of its kind was a huge draw to our collectors and those that have been purchasing Silver Eagles for nearly 40 years at this point,” stated Andy.
Despite there being some major highlights to 2024, the year as a whole was a bit lackluster, if we’re totally honest.
“It was a pretty steady year, but that also made it challenging,” Andy acknowledged. “Precious metals not moving very much and the fact that when they did it was it was upward made it difficult for all of us, not just The Coin Vault. Again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but when you have that idleness, it surely does not give us the opportunity to lower prices or offer our customers better deals. We always work to get the best deals we can at the lowest cost, but this year that really proved to be something easier said than done.”
And here we are in 2025, back to a map that will not show us any of its coordinates.
“You are already seeing substantial changes with this new administration,” Andy explained. “At this point, we are just waiting to see what happens. We are not sure how it will affect the numismatic hobby."
In addition, the Mint looks to be continuing with annual releases such as the American Liberty Medal and Coin series, Morgan and Peace dollars, and the last five quarters of the American Women Quarters Program.
Something brand new is the Mint’s partnership with DC Comics for a Coin and Medal series that is set to start this year and continue into 2027. Striking up in the summer, the program will release its first three products featuring Batman and Superman, with Wonder Woman following in the fall. There will be 2.5oz and 1oz silver .999 fine silver medals available in addition to 1/2oz 24kt gold coins depicting the popular superheroes. The series will celebrate nine different comic book characters over the next three years.
“It will be the first time the Mint has joined a public-private partnership of this caliber,” Andy stated. “DC Comics is obviously a major market, a whole different market than what we are used to. I can’t sit here and say I know what to expect from it, but I do know that it signals to the hobby that they are looking beyond their traditional audience. They are thinking outside of the box and that’s something that must continue to happen for the future of the business.”