A good place for investment dollars by David Albanese Hi to all, Well the Baltimore show is behind us now, the holidays are fast approaching, and the next big show is the (as far as I'm concerned) best of the circuit: the FUN show in sunny Florida which is always a nice break for us, getting away from the cold for a week. Coins continue to be very strong especially better dates and classic rarities. Of course all can't afford these type coins. I must say looking at auction catalogs I've never seen so many 09-SVDB pennys in auctions at one time, which proves a point that only in higher grades, especially 67RD, is this really a rare coin although it's a coin always in demand as it should be. Many articles are touting coins as a new place to put some of your investment dollars, and yes it is a good area. Like anything it should be researched before you spend your hard earned bucks. Do business only with a reputable coin dealer who wouldn't hesitate to give you references and isn't insulted if you ask! After all it's your money!!! I truly feel that coins are a good place to put some money as I feel the number of collectors will continue to grow over the years. Now we were one of the very first dealers who did business on the web beginning in 1995, which is now ancient history. I could see back then what was happening and you must realize that it is still in its infancy to a point. It will continue to grow in importance and more people will discover rare coins as time goes by. All this adds up to a nice growth in our industry and one thing for sure is that on most of the collectable coins, they aren't making the most anymore as demand grows so prices shall rise. Truly if it would just grow at about 10% or so a year, it would be very healthy for all concerned. A major move up too sharply would not be good in the big picture. Keep in mind that this is my own personal opinion but being rather conservative I feel that its good advice to the point if your expectations aren't too high you won't be hurt if the market goes down. So to all we wish you a very super happy Holiday season and hope you have a Healthy 2005 and may all your Numismatic Dreams come true. Happy Holidays! David Albanese, President, Albanese Rare Coins David Albanese is a Nostomania advisor. He can be reached at his outstanding web site. Visit our Coin News Archive.