Silver Coins Allowed as Legal Investment
In American Individual Retirement Account (IRA)

American Eagle Gold and Silver Bullion Coins
Are Most Wanted Coins for USA Tax-Sheltered IRA Accounts

Gold and Silver Coins Which Are Eligible Investments for IRA Plans and Roth IRAs

• Gold and Silver American Eagles which were introduced by the U.S. Mint in 1986 as bullion coins are the only coins specifically approved for a U.S. Individual Retirement Account (IRA). You may hold these coins in one IRA. All of the American Eagle coins are U.S. legal tender denominated in dollars, and the one-dollar Silver Eagle coins are .999 fine and contain 1 troy ounce of 99.9% pure silver, which by law must be mined in the USA. The U.S. government guarantees the weight and precious metal content of the American Eagle coins. They have become the most recognized and easily traded coin throughout the world, and are considered by many to be the most beautiful coins ever minted.
  
  
• Other gold and silver coins must be at least .995 fine (meaning 99.5% pure gold or silver) and be "legal tender" coins.

By meeting both these "purity" and "legal tender" requirements, these popular .999 and .9999 silver and 24K gold coins may be legal investments for a tax-sheltered American IRA...

• Canadian Gold Maple Leafs
• Austrian Philharmonics
• Australian Kangaroo-Nuggets
• Australian Lunar Series from Perth Mint
• Canadian Silver Maple Leafs
• Mexican Silver Libertad

This same requirement that the coins be at least 99.5% pure precious metal means these other gold and silver coins WILL NOT be an eligible investment for an American IRA...

• South African Krugerrands. These gold coins issued since 1967 are only 91.67% pure gold and fail to meet the "purity" requirement.
  
  
• Old American silver coins issued before 1965. Though they are "legal tender", these half-dollar, quarter, and dime coins contain only 90% pure silver. The 1965-1970 Half Dollar coins contain only 40% silver.
  
  
• Old Canadian silver coins issued from 1920 to 1967 (often sold as "junk silver") are 80% pure silver and fail to meet the "purity" requirement, so are not eligible investments for an IRA.
  
  
• Sterling silver coins are only 92.5% pure silver and fail to meet the "purity" reguirement. Various Sterling silver coins were issued by Canada until 1919, by Great Britain (UK) until 1919, and by Australia until 1945.

Acquiring and Storing Gold and Silver Coins for an IRA or Roth IRA

The assets included in a tax-sheltered IRA plan must be held in trust by an authorized third party known as a Custodian or Trustee. The Custodian of the IRA must be the purchaser of the asset (such as gold or silver coins) and must have the ability to take delivery and store the physical gold or silver in an approved depository - which is usually a secure place such as a bank vault or precious metals depository.

There are two ways to get funds into your new IRA account. The first method is a "transfer." You can do this at any time with your existing IRA, but the assets (all or a portion) must be transferred directly from the old IRA custodian to the new IRA custodian. The assets or money do not pass into your hands at any time. The distribution check from the old IRA custodian must be made out in the name of the trustee or custodian of the new IRA account. You may make as many direct transfers as you wish, as often as you wish, without incurring any tax liability.

The second method is called a "rollover". You personally withdraw and temporarily receive money into your own hands from an existing IRA, and then personally deposit it into another IRA with a different custodian or trustee. Once you have withdrawn the funds from your old IRA, you must deposit the funds into a new IRA within 60 days or you would be liable for taxes and penalties. The same money may be rolled over only once every 12 months. Doing a rollover according to the regulations will maintain the tax-deferred status of your IRA.

Not all Trustees will have this ability, so you will need to choose your Trustee carefully if you wish to include eligible silver or gold coins in your IRA. One trustee which can hold gold and silver coins in an IRA is Sterling Trust Company. You then direct the Trustee to buy the coins for you from the dealer you have selected as your source for gold or silver coins.

IRA regulations prohibit you from depositing coins which you already own into your IRA. After depositing funds to your IRA, or having sufficient funds already available in your IRA, you must direct your Trustee to purchase the silver or gold coins from your chosen coin dealer and have them shipped directly to the approved depository. You cannot hold the coins in your possesion while they are an investment of your IRA.

Note that some Trustees will require a minimum investment, which might be more than you are legally allowed to (or can afford to) deposit into your IRA in a single year. So you may not be able to start a self-directed IRA with too small an initial deposit, and may have to wait until you have built up sufficient funds in your IRA which you can then transfer to the new Trustee who can hold eligible coins for your IRA. The Trustee may also have a minimum investment level, such as $1,000, so be sure to check the contract and fee schedule of the Trustee you choose to handle your IRA.

Usually there will be a transaction fee for every purchase or sale of an asset in your IRA, an annual fee for managing the Trust, and an annual fee charged by the approved depository which stores your silver and gold coins and/or bullion. There may also be a fee charged when you close your IRA account.

1986 to 2007 American Eagle Gold and Silver Coins - An Ideal Investment for IRAs

In 2006 the US dollar spot price of silver increased 44.3 percent. Did any other investments in your IRA perform as well as silver bullion did in 2006?

Minted bullion coins may be more desirable than silver or gold bullion bars, or than bullion wafers or rounds, for these reasons...

• The American Eagle coins do not require any assay to be done to establish their real weight and metal content. Their weight and purity are guaranteed by the U.S. government, and it is virtually impossible to shave or clip or adulterate a minted coin without the tampering being obvious. People anywhere in the world just naturally trust that an uncirculated American Eagle silver or gold coin contains exactly the amount of precious metal it contained when minted. Saving the cost of an assay helps reduce the overall cost of the silver or gold in the coins when compared to the cost of buying and selling bullion bars, wafers, or rounds.
  
  
• Silver and gold bullion, on the other hand, can be shaved or adulterated (by adding cheaper metals such as lead) without the tampering being easily detected. And fresh-cast bullion bars always vary in weight when manufactured. Thus a sale of bullion requires that the bars be assayed to assure the buyer of the weight and purity of the precious metal. The cost of the professional assay adds to the cost of acquisition of the bullion. Further, there might be additional costs for more assays to satisfy IRA rules concerning an annual audit of the value of the investments.
  
  
• When it comes time to withdraw funds from the IRA, the coins need not be sold, but can be delivered to your home and conveniently stored or hidden in various places. If a financial crisis or national disaster should occur, having some easily carried and easily recognized gold and silver coins may be a lifesaver when paper dollars are not being accepted in exchange for food or fuel or other goods necessary for survival. It would be problematic to try to use bullion bars or wafers to make everyday purchases.
  
  
• Because the coins come in smaller sizes from 1 troy ounce of silver or 1 troy ounce of gold, and also .5 and .25 and .10 ounces of gold, they can be purchased in small quantities and for smaller amounts of money than bullion bars or wafers. For the smaller investor, minted bullion coins like the Gold and Silver American Eagles may be the best or only choice. Even though some mints sell small-sized bullion "rounds", often there is a minimum purchase of 10 or more required, and they are not as easy sold or traded as the widely recognized American Eagle legal tender coins.
  
  You can buy a single $1 American Eagle silver coin for US $13 to $15, or a single $5 American Eagle one-tenth ounce gold coin for $65 to $85 (based on the spot price of silver and gold at time of writing). Note that purchases of $1000 or more of American Eagle coins are not subject to any state tax.

To buy the one ounce Silver American Eagle is the best way to acquire silver coins at the lowest price and in the most convenient form. They are easily transported, are recognized and accepted world-wide, and are easily traded for cash close to the current spot price (meltdown value) of the one troy ounce of 99.9% pure silver metal they contain. And they are the only American silver coins which qualify as a legal investment in a self-directed IRA or Roth IRA.

Public Gold sells mint-fresh, gem brilliant uncirculated, "bullion" grade minted coins at the lowest cost so that most of your money gets invested in real silver - without paying a high "premium" for the artistic craftsmanship and beauty of newly minted collector grade, double-struck "proof" coins in fancy display cases. For the average investor, the best way to buy smaller quantities of silver bullion is to buy cheap silver coins at a price which is as close to the spot price of silver bullion as possible.

These are U.S. government-issued and government-guaranteed, mint-fresh, gem brilliant uncirculated (BU), American Eagle silver bullion coins for savings and investment purposes, acquired for their real silver content at the lowest premium over the melt-down price of the one troy ounce of .999 pure silver they contain.

Public Gold passes on the price savings from its large-volume wholesale buying power to its Members, who can purchase a specified number of American Eagle silver or gold coins at wholesale dealer cost with no mark-up. Few, if any, coin dealers can match this low wholesale price for mint-fresh, brilliant uncirculated Silver Eagle coins. The smaller-volume dealers cannot buy at the lower discount prices, and the large-volume dealers who can will not sell coins without adding a mark-up to earn a profit.

Non-members of Public Gold can purchase mint-fresh, uncirculated American Eagle gold and American Eagle silver bullion coins at the regular Retail Price, which is lower than most retail coin dealers. Retail price is based on the current wholesale dealer cost plus $2.50 per one-ounce Silver Eagle coin, or wholesale dealer cost plus $10 per tenth-ounce Gold Eagle coin.

Selling price varies daily based on the current spot prices of gold and silver bullion. Call Monday through Friday for current quotes.

There is no miniumum purchase requirement, so you can buy single silver coins at the best price per coin. Coins are shipped world-wide by insured U.S. registered mail at the lowest possible cost (S&H starts at $8.25 for small quantities).

Shop online to check competitive prices, and be sure to check minimum quantity and the quoted shipping and handling fee and any sales commissions, because these can vary widely with different dealers. You will soon see how much you can save when you buy mint-fresh American Eagle uncirculated silver bullion coins through an Independent Sales Representative (ISR) of Public Gold. (You can also sign up online for free as a Public Gold ISR and buy gold and silver coins from your own free web site store, or direct your IRA custodian to purchase them there. No entry fee, no monthly fee, and no minimum purchase required.)

There are at least five very important and compelling reasons why you should start trading American paper dollars for American Eagle silver bullion coins NOW before the value of the U.S. dollar goes down and the price of silver coins and silver bullion goes up even further. In 2007 silver has been undervalued in its historic relationship to the value of gold, and is far undervalued in relation to its all-time high price in 1980. The best way to protect the purchasing power of your savings and retirement funds is to use those shrinking paper dollars to buy and hold real silver bullion coins.

In 1980 gold and silver prices hit historically high levels, but have traded below those peak prices ever since. What most people do not realize is that when you take inflation into account and adjust those 1980 prices to their equivalent prices in 2006 dollars, gold would have to rise to $2,176 per ounce, and silver to $122 per ounce, just to get back to those prices they already achieved in 1980!

Don't think it's not possible that gold and silver could rise to those prices, because in 1980 they already did! Gold and silver are significantly UNDER-valued in 2007 U.S. dollars, and the market always adjusts itself eventually. Over the year 2006 the spot price of gold increased 22.5 percent, and the spot price of silver increased 44.3 percent.

Now is the time to buy gold and silver while they are still at bargain prices and you can get much more for your dollars.

Get this "need to know" inside information and learn how to buy gold and silver bullion coins at the lowest price
by clicking here to visit the Public Gold web site... Public Gold Coins

The information provided on this page about silver and gold is intended for educational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to purchase any investment, and is not to be considered as advice on taxation.