Numismatics in an IRA - anyone actually doing this?

• •I've been thinking a lot lately about diversifying the gold and silver in my IRA beyond just straightforward bullion.
• •Most of my holdings, as you'd expect, are American Gold Eagles and Silver Canadian Maples – can’t go wrong with those for liquidity and purity.
• •It feels like a very grey area, and frankly, some of the information out there is contradictory.

I've been thinking a lot lately about diversifying the gold and silver in my IRA beyond just straightforward bullion. Most of my holdings, as you'd expect, are American Gold Eagles and Silver Canadian Maples – can’t go wrong with those for liquidity and purity. But I've been eyeing some numismatic coins, particularly some older US coinage, and wondering if anyone here has gone down that rabbit hole within their self-directed IRA.

My understanding is that certain numismatic coins, particularly those with collectible value above their melt value, typically aren't allowed in a precious metals IRA because they don't meet the "fineness" or "collectible" criteria. I remember digging into this issue a while back when I was first setting up my account in '08, and my custodian was pretty clear about sticking to government-issued bullion. But I also know there are some exceptions, like certain uncirculated proof sets or coins that somehow meet both the fineness standard and are recognized solely for their monetary value despite having a premium. It feels like a very grey area, and frankly, some of the information out there is contradictory.

For those of you with significant gold/silver allocations in your IRAs (I'm pushing well over $1.5M in metals across my accounts, not just IRA, and that's just fine by me here in NYC), have you found a way to successfully include any numismatic pieces? Or is it really just asking for trouble with the IRS down the line? I'm talking about genuine numismatic value, not just a proof coin that costs 5% more than its bullion counterpart.

I've poked around a bit on some dealer sites, and even checked out the Learning Center at Gold IRA Blueprint for some clarification, but it mostly reiterates the standard rules. I'm looking for real-world experiences here. Did anyone get audited for it? Or is everyone just playing it super safe? Part of me wants the thrill of collecting within the IRA, but not if it means risking my tax-deferred status. What are your thoughts?