The term “Stand Alone Coin”, in the numismatic context, refers to a coin that is generally free from market swings resulting from economic, political or promotional occurrences. To be sure, this is the environment in which we live these days! This makes “Stand Alone Coins” an ideal investment vehicle, however, the projected rate of return is difficult to ascertain and actually, the best information on the potential return is gathered by looking at historical data to get a glimmer of future performance. However, as a warning up front, past performance does not necessarily guarantee future performance, and this statement should be taken very seriously by all interested in investing in rare coins.
There is a certain segment in the rare coin market that is often overlooked by most collectors, and to a lesser extent investors, that has often provided those who pursue it tremendous rates-of-return on their investment. We are talking about a segment consisting of coins that are critically important to the field of numismatics. These coins are pivotal within the denominational series they represent. We are talking about “Key Date” coins, a term every collector and investor alike is familiar with in numismatics. These “Key Date” coins are in fact, for the most part, “Stand Alone Coins” as well.
Why are these coins so critical to the numismatic market? It is a simple matter of supply and demand. Stand Alone Coins have never existed in great quantities and the demand for them has always been intense since the earliest days of numismatics. Furthermore, astute collectors and investors are more than willing to pay record prices for these rare coins because they establish the price by which all other similar coins are valued.
If purchased at competitive market price, “Stand Alone Coins” will meet the following criteria and have the corresponding advantages:
Gammill Coin Gazette 