Numismatic vs. Bullion for MY Gold IRA - What's your take?

• •Been seeing a few posts lately about folks debating numismatic vs.
• •bullion for their Gold IRAs, and it got me thinking about my own setup.
• •I've been in the gold game for close to 15 years now, pretty much since my kids were little, watching the market from my office here in Dallas.

Been seeing a few posts lately about folks debating numismatic vs. bullion for their Gold IRAs, and it got me thinking about my own setup. I've been in the gold game for close to 15 years now, pretty much since my kids were little, watching the market from my office here in Dallas. My portfolio is sitting comfortably between $500k and $1M, mostly in physical gold, with a good chunk tied up in my IRA.

For the longest time, I've stuck almost exclusively to bullion coins – think American Gold Eagles, Canadian Maples. The logic was always pretty straightforward: low premiums, easy to track the spot price, and good liquidity if I ever needed to sell. It's just simple, reliable, and fits well with my oil industry background where you value tangible assets and clear values. I've bought some directly, some through my IRA custodian over the years. Never saw the point in paying extra for fancy grading or rarity when the goal was inflation protection and wealth preservation.

However, I've had a buddy of mine, who's more into collectibles, try to convince me to diversify a small portion into some graded numismatics for their potential appreciation beyond just the metal content. He argues that for a long-term hold in an IRA, the premium on a really rare coin could pay off significantly down the line. I’m skeptical, mostly because I hate the idea of paying a huge premium and then having to hope someone else sees the value in that specific coin later. Bullion just feels more... universal.

So, for those of you with bigger gold IRAs, especially those with some experience, where do you fall on this? Have any of you seen significant gains from numismatics in your retirement accounts that bullion couldn't match? Or is it just added complexity and risk for what should be a straightforward, safe investment? I'm curious to hear some real-world experiences beyond the sales pitches.