Private Gold And Silver - Who Owns Yours?

With so many people now trying to get their hands on private gold and silver the question comes up - what should I get? There are coins, bars, numismatics (collectible coins) jewellry etc. There are a number of factors to take into consideration, and I believe one of the biggest is - Who Owns It?

If you are going to acquire private gold or buy silver as a hedge against inflation or as insurance against an economic collapse I'm sure you're going to want to feel confident that the precious metals are YOURS. Many of the most common purchases from precious metals brokers are of government issue coins like the American Eagle or Canadian Maple Leafs.

While these are certainly recognizeable, of consistent quality, and hard to counterfeit - they are also still the property of the government who issues them. They are currency, and as such you are simply the bearer of the coin, not the owner.

• Under the currency or coinage Acts of almost all nations, the government (and/or central bank) at all times directly owns the coins and notes issued in that country. This means that if you purchase a bullion (gold or silver) coin issued by government, you are only the BEARER of the coin, and never the outright owner. The issuing government owns the coin.

When you purchase non-legal-tender, privately issued coinage, you are the outright OWNER, not just the bearer.

There are certainly many different opinions about whether or not we'd face another gold confiscation like the one ordered by Roosevelt in 1933. Times are certainly different now than they were in the 30's, but I'd still prefer not to take my chances in owning a government issued coin. Desperate governments will take desperate measures and the wold's governments are getting pretty desperate right now!