The “Other” White Metals

COLLECTORS NOW HAVE more than three decades of gold and silver bullion coins from which to choose; and assembling collections of them can be a great deal of fun. The United States Mint has pounded out a river of gold one-ounce, half-ounce, 1/4-ounce and 1/10 ounce gold Eagles, and more recently has come out with high purity gold Buffaloes as well. For those of us who don’t quite have the means to assemble a full date run of something like one-ounce United States gold eagles with proof finishes – especially with the recent rise in the price of gold – the silver one-ounce eagles can be a much more attractive alternative. But what about the “other” white metals? What collecting possibilities exist for bullion coins made from platinum, palladium, or even from rhodium?

All the way back in ancient days, people knew about seven different metals: gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, and mercury. That last movie, including a Spanish aristocrat and gentleman scientist – one Antonio de Ulloa – and the seizure of ships on the high seas. When the dust had settled, de Ulloa named the new metal after “little silver,” platino in Spanish.