Eagles vs. Buffalos - My Two Cents as a Long-Time Gold Investor
- •Been seeing a lot of back-and-forth lately on the forum about American Gold Eagles versus American Gold Buffalos for IRAs.
- •For me, personally, I’ve always leaned heavily into the Eagles.
- •The fractional options are a huge plus, allowing me to scale my investments precisely.
Been seeing a lot of back-and-forth lately on the forum about American Gold Eagles versus American Gold Buffalos for IRAs. As someone who’s had a significant chunk of my portfolio in physical metals for decades, and specifically these two, I figured I’d weigh in with my perspective from down here in NYC.
For me, personally, I’ve always leaned heavily into the Eagles. The fractional options are a huge plus, allowing me to scale my investments precisely. When you're building a multi-million-dollar precious metals IRA, that flexibility matters. Plus, and maybe this is just the old-school Wall Street guy in me, but that 22k durability has always given me a peace of mind. It’s a workhorse coin, less prone to dings and scratches, which, when you’re talking about storing a substantial amount, you want that confidence. I started buying these bad boys back in the 80s when I was still in my prime on the trading floor, and they’ve been a consistent bedrock of my retirement planning.
Now, I get the appeal of the Buffalos, I really do. The 24k purity is undoubtedly attractive, and they are beautiful coins. I even hold a few myself, mostly for aesthetic reasons or as gifts. But for a core IRA holding, where liquidity and broad recognition are paramount, I still feel the Eagle edges them out. The premium on Buffalos can sometimes feel a bit… well, premium for the sake of premium, if you catch my drift. When you’re talking about 7-figure allocations, those basis points add up quickly.
What are others’ experiences with selling these back to dealers or depositories? Has anyone found a significant difference in ease or premium when offloading a large quantity of one versus the other? I'm always curious to hear from those who've actually gone through the liquidation process for significant holdings. My plan is to pass a lot of this down to my grandkids eventually, but you never know when you might need to adjust things.