Numi vs. Bullion in Gold IRA - My Experience + Need Your Thoughts!

Michelle Collins

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Numi vs. Bullion in Gold IRA - My Experience + Need Your Thoughts!

michelle_collins🏆Advanced (250-500k)

about 2 months ago

Key Takeaways

•I've been wrestling with a decision about my Gold IRA holdings and wanted to get some input from others here.
•I ultimately decided on a mix of American Gold Eagles and some Canadian Gold Maple Leafs for my bullion allocation.
•Lately, though, I’ve been reading a bit more about numismatic coins and their potential for appreciation beyond just the spot price of gold.

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I've been wrestling with a decision about my Gold IRA holdings and wanted to get some input from others here. For context, I'm a professor here in Richmond, and about two years ago, I rolled over a good chunk of my old 401k into a self-directed Gold IRA – sitting around the $350k mark currently. Being research-driven, I spent a lot of time digging into the pros and cons of physical precious metals as a hedge against inflation and market volatility. I ultimately decided on a mix of American Gold Eagles and some Canadian Gold Maple Leafs for my bullion allocation.

Lately, though, I’ve been reading a bit more about numismatic coins and their potential for appreciation beyond just the spot price of gold. My current custodian, while generally helpful, mostly pushed me towards bullion, emphasizing liquidity and lower premiums. Makes sense, and I get that. But I can't help but wonder if I'm leaving something on the table. I'm thinking specifically about some of the more recognized pre-1933 U.S. gold coins. The premiums are certainly higher, and I know authentication and grading are critical, but the idea of owning something with historical significance that also has a potential collector's premium on top of its metal value is pretty appealing.

My concern is obviously the investability of these. While I'm not planning on selling these anytime soon, I want to ensure that if I do allocate say, 5-10% of my gold holdings to numismatics, it’s not going to be a nightmare to liquidate when the time eventually comes. I've seen some cautionary tales about the "dealer spread" on these types of coins being much wider than for standard bullion, which is definitely a consideration.

Has anyone here diversified into numismatic coins within their Gold IRA? What were your experiences? Did you find a custodian that was particularly knowledgeable or helpful in navigating that side of things? Any specific series of coins you'd recommend looking into (or avoiding)? I'm thinking about adding a small portion, maybe $20k-$30k, just to dip my toes in, but I'm still on the fence. Appreciate any insights!

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8 comments

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Best Answer▲ 11 upvotes

susan_clark💰Established (100-250k)

Interesting take. I've heard the opposite from a few people though — would love to see some actual numbers on this.

Comments (8)

carol_carter💰Established (100-250k)Real Investor•about 2 months ago

Oh man, this sounds super familiar! I had a similar headache a few years back trying to figure out the Numi vs. bullion thing for my own Gold IRA. Ended up going a bit more bullion-heavy in the end, but it was definitely a tough call. Curious to see what others recommend here.

sandra_green📊Growing (50-100k)✓ Verified•about 2 months ago

Interesting, you mentioned you rolled over a "good chunk" of your old 401k. Was that a traditional or Roth 401k, and did that impact the process at all when you moved it into the Gold IRA?

jason_morgan💰Established (100-250k)Real Investor✓ Verified•about 2 months ago

Interesting take. While I appreciate the thought process behind going with numismatics for a perceived upside, I've always been a bit wary of the premiums. Sure, bullion doesn't have the "collector" potential, but the lower premiums and tighter bid-ask spread mean more of your capital is actually in gold. It really boils down to whether you're investing in gold as a commodity or as a collectible, and for an IRA, I lean heavily towards the former.

steven_mitchell🏆Advanced (250-500k)Real Investor✓ Verified•about 2 months ago

Hey, interesting post! It's definitely a common dilemma. One thing that helped me when I was looking into this was really understanding the difference between "collectible" coins (like some Numismatics can be, even if they're still gold) and pure bullion for IRA purposes. The IRS has pretty specific rules, and sometimes coins with a high numismatic value don't count for a Gold IRA, or their premium eats into your actual gold exposure.

You might find this guide helpful; it breaks down what's allowed and what's not pretty clearly: IRS Guidance on Collectibles in IRAs. Good luck with your decision!

donald_nelson💎Premium (500k-1m)Real Investor✓ Verified•about 1 month ago

I keep going back and forth between gold and silver allocations. The gold-to-silver ratio right now is making silver look attractive.

joshua_phillips🏆Advanced (250-500k)Real Investor✓ Verified•about 1 month ago

This mirrors what I've been seeing too. The macro environment right now is making a strong case for physical metals.

sharon_evans💰Established (100-250k)Real Investor•about 1 month ago

I was pretty skeptical about another gold IRA forum but the tools here on GIRAB actually surprised me — the calculator alone saved me hours of spreadsheet work.