If scratches on your bullion coins don’t bother you, you are in the minority. Most investors object to even a small surface abrasion. Surface scuffs and scrapes will almost certainly affect the value of a coin for collectors of numismatic or rare coins. But what about silver bullions coins, rounds, and bars such as silver and gold Krugerrands, the American Silver Eagle, or the 10 oz. Sunshine Mint silver bar? Do minor surface abrasions on these bullion products affect their value?
The tentative answer is no – they should not. Bullion products generally don’t have numismatic value over and above the value of the content and worth the precious metals they contain. They likewise have no rarity value per se. Therefore, even if the coin or bar has minor surface abrasions, the focus of the purchase for investors is on the weight of the bullion product. Commonly, all bullion products have some slight abrasions on them, since pure gold and silver products are extremely soft and are stacked on top of one another in tubes of 20 or 25. In my view, it is unreasonable to expect coins to be in perfect condition in a bullion tube.
Article courtesy of Going for Gold: A guide for the South African precious metal investor by Zoltan Erdey
