News

KFDM-TV Channel 6 Crime Stoppers Interviews Mike Fuljenz

KFDM-TV Channel 6 in my hometown of Beaumont,Texas recently did a Crime Stoppers story about a Texas dealer who reportedly paid only $16,000 for nearly $250,000 of coins sent to him by an 82-year old California woman. The interviewer asked me for consumer protection advice so other people can avoid encountering this kind of problem. My suggestion was simply to remember: “It’s important to do your homework before selling or buying gold and silver coins.”

There are easy-to-do precautions you can and should take before you make a purchase or sell to someone you’re not familiar with. Too often I hear horror stories about people who grossly overpaid for what they purchased, never received the merchandise they ordered, or were grossly underpaid — or never paid — for what they sold. In one case I personally helped the news media investigate and expose a traveling “hotel buyer” who claimed in his big advertisements he would “Pay the Highest Prices” but offered only $60 for a gold coin actually worth $10,000.

When you sell, sell to a specialist. If you have gold coins, sell them to a gold coin dealer, perhaps in your own community. Specialists usually will pay far more than a pawn broker, jeweler or hotel buyer who is in town for a day or two and then gone.

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Successful Achievements and Awards In 2013 For America's Gold Expert®, Michael Fuljenz

Michael Fuljenz was honored the past year by numerous national and local organizations for his professional writings and consumer protection work as well as his civic activities. Major news organizations, including Fox Business Network, Forbes and NBCNews.com, sought his comments regarding the rare coin and bullion markets, and he was featured in a profile story in the Beaumont Enterprise VIP magazine.

"I've always tried to provide the public with must-know information so they can make informed decisions before they buy or sell rare coins or bullion coins. I am grateful for the recognition of my consumer protection and education efforts," said Fuljenz who is known as America's Gold Expert®.

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Fox 4 KBTV: America’s Gold Expert, Mike Fuljenz, reports on gold and celebrity collectors

The Ultimate

By Mike Fuljenz

The Ultimate

That’s the goal we mortals strive to attain in myriad fields of endeavor. To climb the highest mountain … run the fastest race … pitch a perfect game … draw a royal flush – these are the kinds of accomplishments few of us ever achieve but most of us aspire to, every now and then, if only in dreams and fantasies.

In the world of collectible coins, there are dozens of superstars – gold pieces, silver dollars and even nickels and cents – that command small fortunes (and sometimes very large ones) because of their great rarity, exceptional condition, unusual historical importance and often combinations of these attributes. But many numismatists agree that one stands alone as the brightest star of all – the single most desirable prize in the realm of coins. In short, the ultimate.

That stunning supernova is the 1907 Indian Head double eagle, the rarest, most majestic example of the dazzling gold coinage designed by famed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. This coin – a unique proof pattern struck in extremely high relief – is the only example that shows the artist’s work exactly the way he meant it to appear. Intriguingly, it’s a composite of the two coins Uncle Sam issued bearing the artist’s designs: the beautiful Indian Head eagle, or $10 gold piece, and the elegant Striding Liberty double eagle, or $20 gold piece.

Patterns have been described as “might-have-been” coins. Generally speaking, a pattern is a coin struck by a government mint to demonstrate something new – a new design or inscription or perhaps a new denomination – and typically, though not always, struck in the same metal intended for use on regular coins of that type. Patterns carry a statement of value, but are not legal tender because they were never monetized.

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