Eagles vs. Buffalos for my IRA: Thoughts from a former banker

• •Diversification is key, something I learned firsthand during my banking days, and precious metals are a crucial part of that for me.
• •I initially leaned heavily into American Gold Eagles, mostly for the fractional options and the general familiarity.
• •Lately, though, I've been giving American Gold Buffalos a serious look.

I've been holding physical gold in my IRA for a while now – about $300k worth, which feels pretty good, especially given the current economic climate here in Portland. Diversification is key, something I learned firsthand during my banking days, and precious metals are a crucial part of that for me. I initially leaned heavily into American Gold Eagles, mostly for the fractional options and the general familiarity.

Lately, though, I've been giving American Gold Buffalos a serious look. The 24k purity is definitely appealing; it just feels more straightforward, less fuss than dealing with the alloy in the Eagles. I'm not really worried about the slight numismatic premium with the Buffalos in a long-term hold like an IRA, but the lack of fractional options does give me pause. My plan was always to have some smaller denominations for liquidity if I ever needed it, and the Buffalos would definitely limit that flexibility.

I'm primarily focused on capital preservation and a hedge against inflation. My current mix is probably 70/30 Eagles to other things, but I'm thinking of rebalancing if there's a strong enough argument. For those of you who've gone down this road, what are your thoughts? Did you pick one over the other for your IRA and why? Are there any hidden costs or considerations I'm missing when it comes to selling either type down the line from an IRA?

Also, on a related note, if anyone is new to this whole Gold IRA thing, I found this Gold IRA Quiz to be a pretty solid starting point for understanding your options. It helped me clarify some things when I first started looking into a rollover.