Popular gold, silver, platinum and palladium coins such as U.S. Eagles, Canadian Maples, South African Krugerrands, Australian Kangaroos, British Sovereigns and Chinese Pandas are minted at national mints. Other well known, private mints such as Credit Suisse, Sunshine Minting, Engelhard and Johnson Matthey currently produce or have produced both bars and coins. Additionally, U.S. minted dimes, quarters and halves from 1964 or earlier contain 90% silver (0.715 oz. per dollar face value). When you are ready to invest in precious metals, you will want to find a dealer you can trust and who has been in business for many years. While lower prices can sometimes be found elsewhere, you will usually get better customer service and competitive pricing at a local dealer.

First off, "Junk silver" is not junk! Coin dealers refer to pre-1965 dimes, quarters and half dollars as junk silver only to differentiate them from numismatic collectibles. "Junk silver" is typically sold by face value ($5, $10, $100 and $1,000 being the most common increments). These coins were minted from 90% silver, and for each $1 face value there was 0.7234 troy ounces of silver when the coins were new. Allowing for wear, the industry accepted practice is to figure 0.715 troy oz. per $1 face value. In 1965 silver was removed completely from Quarters and Dimes, and dropped to 40% in Kennedy Half Dollars until 1970. There is 0.296 troy oz of silver for each $1 in 40% Halves, and these usually sell for a very low premium. Since 1970 only special issue coins contain any silver. Some Eisenhower dollar uncirculated and proof coins were 40% until 1976 and special proof coins since 1992 have been struck in 90% silver. Starting in 2019, silver coins minted by the US Mint went from 0.900 to 0.999 fineness.

There are plenty of reasons to choose to invest in gold or silver, and each has its own benefits. In the past, during times when the prices of metals are surging, the ratio of gold to silver shrinks, meaning the price of silver has risen faster than the price of gold. During the last big price hike, the ratio of silver to gold was 40:1. During the period that followed, the ratio fell to closer to 70:1. So what does that mean? Many experts feel that buying silver during low points in the market could lead to a greater return percentage when the market spikes again. That said, when it comes to large volume, silver becomes cumbersome and hefty very quickly. If you're looking to put a significant amount of money into metals, it is important to keep this in mind. A person could store several thousand dollars or more in just a handful of gold coins, but to do so with silver would require hundreds of ounces and safe place with plenty of room to store them. What truly matter most however, is finding your specific needs and filling them. When you come to the store, feel free to ask us more specific questions, and we'll happily advise you in the route we believe to be the best to suite your needs. And remember, you're never pressured into a sale. We're only here to help!

A lot of nationally advertised dealers will push pre-1933 U.S. Gold coins, and like to point out that the government confiscated gold in 1933 but exempted collectible coins. They hint that it might happen again, but if you buy their numismatic gold offerings you will be safe. In 1933 Gold WAS money. The Federal Government confiscated the people's gold (with the exception of 5 oz per person) to keep the government solvent- it was an emergency measure. It also had the benefit (from the Federal Reserve's point of view) of severing the link between gold and paper, allowing unfettered inflation of the currency. Gold is no longer legal tender money so there would be no actual purpose or reason to try confiscation again (unless the government decides to confiscate other kinds of savings like IRA and 401(k) accounts). That said, collectible coins are pieces of history and have appreciated much faster than bullion, so there is nothing wrong with owning them.

This is the question we get asked the most, and we always give the same answer: "If we knew that, we'd give you a call from our personal island in the Bahamas." In all seriousness, nobody truly knows what the future holds for the metals market. The price will rise, the price will fall. Some experts have accurately predicted the market, others have failed to predict the market. None of them have been right all of the time. Inevitably, the price of metals will rise. The question is how much, and how quickly? For that, we simply cannot give you a definitive answer, and we often say that anyone that gives you a definitive answer is probably just trying to sell you something.

The spot price is set by paper trading on the stock market for contracts of 100 oz of gold or 5000 oz of silver, not by physical metal in the real world. It is a number subject to change moment to moment. We base our pricing on the "Ask" price on Amark.com when we are selling to customers. If we are buying from a customer, we base our offer on the "Bid" price. There are other websites that post the spot prices but some of them run behind by ten minutes or more.

For many people, buying in increments of one ounce is the most economical. If you buy metal in fractions of an ounce, the premiums are generally higher. Pricing is usually based on spot prices linked to the stock market. You can find spot prices on websites such as amark.com which show a "bid" and "ask" price. When dealers are buying precious metals, the offer is based on the "bid" price. Sell prices are based on the "ask" price. Supply and demand also factor in on the pricing.

We can get you a lower price per ounce by locking in a price with our suppliers at the time you are ready to buy. This is accomplished by ordering in larger quantities, usually around 300 oz or more on silver and 10 oz. or more on gold. Discounts will vary depending on supply and demand at the time of purchase. Purchase prices are locked in and must be paid in full before product is ordered. When the product is received at our business, we will notify you and you can pick it up at your convenience.

Traditionally, precious metals have been used to store wealth in good times and bad. Precious metals are weighed in troy ounces not avoirdupois ounces (used to weigh food, people, mail, etc.). There are 28 grams in an avoirdupois ounce and 31.1 grams in a troy ounce. Most precious metals are sold in bars or coins typically ranging from 1 gram to 100 ounces and are stamped with the weight and purity (e.g. 1 Troy ounce, .999 fine).

The purity and weight of jewelry made with precious metals affects the price you will get for your jewelry. The higher the purity, the higher the value. It is referred to in karats, 24 karat (24Kt.) being .99 pure or higher. 14Kt. gold is only .583 gold (14/24th pure). Platinum is commonly 0.850, 0.900 or 0.950 pure. Silver is usually sterling which is 0.925 pure. Remember, when the dealer weighs your scrap, it will be based on troy ounces (not the same as your scale at home).

Would you like to sell items such as gold and silver bullion, coin collections or scrap jewelry to Missoula Gold & Silver Exchange? MGSE is one of the premier gold buyers in the state of Montana. We buy scrap gold, dental gold, broken chains, class rings, gold, silver or platinum jewelry, sterling silver flatware, gold nuggets, placer gold, individual coins, collections/accumulations and estates. The process is simple. Visit us Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm and Saturday, 9am-4pm MST. We will examine your items and make an offer based on the current bullion spot prices or market values for coins and collections. We will meet or beat any legitimate locally advertised prices. If you can’t make it in, feel free to call us about any specific items you wish to sell.

Due to the sharp downturn in the collectable sports cards market in the late 2000's, we unfortunately stopped carrying them. When the market picked back up in the early 2020's, the retail structure had changed so much that we no longer felt comfortable carrying them. We do, however still sell card collecting supplies, such as card holders, nine pocket pages, team set bags, and shoe boxes.

Collecting coins is a fascinating hobby for all ages. The study of coins is called numismatics. A coin is an excellent way to learn about history. But it is not a simple hobby because of all the factors that impact the value of each individual coin, from its history to its quality and scarcity. If you are considering starting a coin collection, here are some things to keep in mind. First, learn some basics. Research is important for coin collectors. Thankfully, there are lots of books that can help you understand what you are buying or selling. It is important to collect what you like and discover as much as you can about a coin before acquiring it. You don’t need to have a lot of money to start. Check your pocket change for different dates and mint marks or different state and national park quarters. If you have inherited coins, or have received them as gifts, educate yourself on their background. Coins with certain dates and mint marks are rarer than others. These factors contribute to the value of a coin. Knowing how a coin is graded, is essential if you collect coins. This system assigns a value based on the coin's condition. The grading process is pivotal. You could have the same two coins -- same year, same mint, same design -- and they could be worth drastically different prices based on the score they received when being graded by a reputable grading company such as PCGS, NGC or ANACS. Coins in near-perfect condition are very rare. So they are more valuable than worn or damaged coins. Never clean your coins, novices are often tempted to polish their coins. Shinier coins must be more valuable, right? Cleaning or polishing a coin can destroy its value. It removes some of the original finish, rendering the coin far less valuable as a result. Real collectors prize coins that are as close to their original condition as possible. Asking questions is the best way to learn and there are no stupid questions. Even long time collectors will have questions and need answers.

For older, collectible coins, the answer is yes. See the next answer for more on that. But for modern bullion coins, even proof strikes- NO! There are some firms that will try to tell you that if you are buying a Silver Eagle or a Gold Buffalo you should buy the slabbed and graded MS70 or PR69 because you know they are genuine and they are the most collectable because they are the best examples. They will be priced at a large premium over the price of the metal, and they may try to tell you that your purchase is guaranteed. Modern bullion coins will all grade well due to precision equipment and techniques that result in much better quality than was possible even 40 years ago. These coins are overpriced, and when you go to sell them you will lose part of your investment, unless they have a guarantee, of course. Then you will only lose 10% of your investment, and they will sell that same overpriced coin to someone else. In reality, a high grade Gold Eagle is still a Gold Eagle. They are not rare. They are not exceptional. If you are selling graded bullion coins most coin dealers will only pay the same as for an ungraded coin.

In short, usually not, although there are definitely exceptions. Many individuals who travel abroad tend to bring home the coins and paper currency from the country they visited. Starting as far back as WWI, United States military personnel that traveled to Europe and beyond eagerly brought back pocketfuls of coins as souvenirs to show their family and friends back home. Usually, that meant the coins brought back to the US from foreign tours of duty were, as we call it, just foreign pocket change. It was not rare in the country of its origin, and therefore is not rare here in the US. This becomes doubly so when you factor in the use of the internet. People who want to collect foreign coins now have a world of coins at their fingertips, and since the pocket change was not valuable to begin with, people who actually want to pay money to collect it can cherry pick for the absolute best specimens from around the world in just a few clicks.

We do, but to varying degrees. The first thing we do is check your collection for silver coins. We have a lot of experience with this, and can usually tell silver from copper-nickel just by sight and sound. We pull the silver coins and make you an offer based on their current melt value, albeit below their current melt value. If you have better coins, usually meaning older (pre-1930s) coins in higher grades, we can double check them to see if they bring higher premiums. If they do, we pay you based on that number. When it comes to common foreign coins however, when we buy, we have to pay you less than what we can sell it for. Often times, we accumulate foreign pocket change for years at a time before we are able to sell it in bulk, only getting paid by the literal pound (lb). As such, once we have checked your collection for silver coins and better collector coins, we will weigh out your common coinage and pay you by the pound.

For certain stable and widely used currencies, we do pay part of the exchange rate. These include the British Pound (paper), the Euro, the Australian dollar, and the Canadian dollar. We do not pay the full exchange rate however, because when we sell it, we sell it for less than the exchange rate. There is very little call for foreign currency in a landlocked, lower population state like Montana, and therefore we have to be selective about what we buy and how we buy it. We are in business to make money, after all. If you have a good amount of usable, foreign paper currency, our first suggestion would be to hang on to it if you plan on returning to that country and simply use it there, or to save it until the next time you're in a major airport and find a currency exchanger. However, if you never plan on returning to that country and just want some money back, we are able to at least give you something for it.

We are often asked whether or not Missoula Gold & Silver Exchange's bullion transactions are "private". The privacy of our customers is one of our utmost concerns. When you buy from MGSE, there are no reporting requirements of any kind - no matter the quantity, the metal type, or the product. However, when it comes time to sell your products, the government does require bullion dealers to file reports where applicable. This IRS report is the 1099B form, and it applies to the following transactions: 1099B IRS Reporting Requirements Reportable Item: Minimum Reportable Amount Gold Bars: Any size bars totaling 1 Kilo (32.15 troy oz.) or more Silver Bars: Any size bars totaling 1000 troy oz. or more Platinum Bars: Any size bars totaling 25 troy oz. or more Palladium Bars: Any size bars totaling 100 troy oz. or more Gold 1oz. Maple Leaf: 25 1-oz. coins Gold 1 oz. Krugerrand: 25 1-oz. coins Gold 1oz. Mexican Onza: 25 1-oz. coins U.S. 90% Silver Coins: Any combination of dimes, quarters, or half dollars totaling $1,000 face value or more You might wonder why sales of these specific objects are reportable. These reporting requirements are related to the regulations that require brokers to report all proceeds from stock and commodity transactions. These specific objects are currently traded (or used to be traded) on commodity exchanges. Form 1099-B reporting requirements do not apply to any other coins. They do not apply at all to American Gold Eagles, American Buffalo, Austrian, Australian (Perth Mint Coins), Chinese or any fractional bullion gold coins. And they apply only if you sell at least the minimum quantity that is equal to the quantity of a commodity contract for the object.

We accept personal checks, cashier's checks/ bank checks, bank wires, direct deposits, and debit cards. We also accept credit cards, but there will be a surcharge on all credit card transactions. We do not accept debit or credit card payments over the phone. You must be here in person. We do not accept cash payments greater than $9,999 because regulatory rules would require us to file paperwork with the IRS to report the transaction. We don't want to have to do that, and we assume you don't want to either. We do not accept international orders, or payments from other countries.