Numismatics vs. Bullion in Gold IRA - My Experience with Both

• •Been seeing some chatter lately about numismatic coins in IRAs, and frankly, I'm a bit surprised by some of the FUD out there.
• •When I first set this up about five years ago, I went with a mix.
• •About 70% in standard bullion – American Gold Eagles, a few Canadian Maple Leafs.

Been seeing some chatter lately about numismatic coins in IRAs, and frankly, I'm a bit surprised by some of the FUD out there. Speaking from experience here – I've been allocating a portion of my portfolio to precious metals for a while now, probably around 5% of my ~$3M total, currently sitting on about $150k in physical gold through an IRA. For context, I’m in Greenwich, CT, manage a fund, so I'm used to dissecting risk and reward a bit differently than perhaps the average retail investor.

When I first set this up about five years ago, I went with a mix. About 70% in standard bullion – American Gold Eagles, a few Canadian Maple Leafs. The other 30% I put into some certified MS69 and MS70 graded numismatic coins, mostly pre-1933 US gold coins. My rationale at the time was two-fold: diversification within the gold allocation itself, and the potential for greater appreciation beyond just the spot price of gold. My custodian was perfectly fine with it, and everything executed smoothly.

Now, five years on, the bullion has done exactly what I expected – tracked the spot price of gold, albeit with the usual premiums. The numismatics? That’s where it gets interesting. While they definitely command a higher premium upfront, the appreciation on some of those graded coins has been pretty significant, outpacing the simple bullion. It’s not a straight line, mind you, and there's definitely less liquidity if I needed to sell quickly, but the scarcity and historical value have played a real role. Has anyone else who went the numismatic route found similar results? Or did you just stick to plain bullion for simplicity?

I know there's a lot of debate about the "collectible" nature making them ineligible or problematic for IRAs. My understanding, confirmed by my financial advisor and the custodian, is that as long as they meet the fineness requirements and are not explicitly excluded by the IRS (e.g., certain South African Krugerrands are a no-go), certified high-grade coins are permissible. The key is avoiding anything that’s primarily valued for its rarity over and above its gold content, which is where careful selection and understanding grading become critical. Anyway, just my two cents from having skin in the game. Would love to hear other perspectives, especially if anyone's gone through a distribution with numismatic coins from their IRA.