Doesn’t ring a bell on the main deck of your mind?

Odyssey Marine recovered approximately 17 metric tones of gold and silver coins and other artifacts in 2007 from the Atlantic Ocean floor after finding the wreck off the coast of Portugal thanks to a remote-controlled underwater robot. The operation took the coins and objects from the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, a Spanish frigate that was intercepted and sunk by the British in 1804. The treasure hunters then moved the trove to Gibraltar before taking most of it back to Florida — to the fury of the Spanish authorities.

In the ensuing American legal battle, Spain successfully defended its claim that it maintained ownership of the ship after more than 200 years as part of its historical property rights under international law.

Odyssey continued to challenge Spain’s ownership claims. The tides never did turn completely in Odyssey’s favor.

Now, nearly five years of legal battle in the U.S. appear to have come to a close. Or have they? Read the entire story here.

Like the Brilliant Uncirculated version released a few months ago, the coins have been designed by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS to celebrate a regal achievement matched only by Queen Victoria, The Queen’s great-great- grandmother. The portraits encapsulate The Queen’s 60 years on the throne, and will appear exclusively on the Diamond Jubilee £5 coins, now available in Silver Proof, Silver Piedfort, Gold-Plated Silver Proof, Gold Proof and Platinum Piedfort.

The first of the new portraits shows a contemporary image of Her Majesty dressed in formal Garter Robes with gravitas and stately bearing. The other portrait is a tribute to Mary Gillick’s youthful 1953 effigy; a classical depiction of a young monarch wearing a laurel wreath alongside the Latin words Dirige Deus Gressus Meos – May God Guide My Steps.

Combined, both portraits tell a celebratory story of a rich, historic reign, from the fresh and optimistic beginning of a new Elizabethan era to the gravitas of an assured and dignified Head of State 60 years on.

Commenting on the new coin, Kevin Clancy, Director of the Royal Mint Museum, said: “Ian’s new portraits tell the story of The Queen’s long reign with beauty and elegance and his artistry combines with the fine quality of these precious metals to create five beautiful coins that truly honour this remarkable occasion. The coins offer collectors a chance to mark this momentous achievement with an individual and treasured piece of history.”

The official UK £5 precious metal coins to commemorate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee are available now from The Royal Mint’s website www.royalmint.com.

Weighing 1,012 kilograms, it is more than a tonne of 99.99 percent pure gold worth more than $53.5 million.

Read the whole story here.

Well, depending on what form it’s in and how much you’ve purchased, you may need to look at storage options.

Some people like the idea of holding metals at home, but that creates security issues. They can be stolen, melt in a fire, or vanish in a tornado or flood.

Alternatively, safe deposit boxes at banks may seem like a good option. The metal boxes are locked up in a bank, after all. But they’re not always the best choice either.

Mike Clark, president and general manager at Diamond State Depository, said, “Owners of precious metals need to carefully consider the safest place to keep their bars or coins in the event of a financial collapse or other major event.”

Check out these pages for more information on Diamond State Depository’s storage options.

Gold looks more promising by the day because right now, the dollar and euro are both shaky. Investors believe that gold is safe for other reasons, too, and that belief is what’s driving up the price. But a different set of (believable) circumstances could cause the price to fall. For the entire story, check out this article by the Washington Post.

Slide in Silver Prices Could be Short Lived, Dillon Gage Experts Say
World demand for silver in coins, industrial uses and jewelry remains strong

ADDISON, TX — May 12, 2011– Silver’s drop could be only temporary after prices retreated from a 31-year high reached in late April as traders watched crude oil values decline. Prior to that, silver was a sizzling hot commodity favored by small investors and money managers, and Dillon Gage experts say not to write it off now.

Terry Hanlon, president of Dillon Gage Metals, the Dallas-based, precious-metals trading firm, said, “This year, silver had its biggest run in the shortest period of time in recent memory. Profit-taking corrections are to be expected when markets rally.”

How far will silver slide this spring? “Of course, we can’t say for sure, but we do see support at the $32 an ounce level,” he noted. Silver reached a peak of $49.84 an ounce on April 29.

“This recent price correction doesn’t change the basic fundamentals, which include good demand for silver to make coins in a number of countries,” Hanlon stated, adding that world demand for silver in industrial applications and jewelry grew last year.

So what’s behind silver’s recent retreat? Many commodities have climbed since last summer because of expectations that improving national economies will boost demand for materials. And with most commodities priced in dollars, the greenback’s decline against other currencies since August made raw materials cheaper for foreign investors to buy. U.S. investors bought silver and gold as a way to hedge against further erosion in the dollar’s buying power.

But in the first week of May, the dollar had its strongest rally of the year, undercutting commodity prices. Crude oil traded in New York sank $10, closing below $100 a barrel for the first time in nearly two months. Silver followed and relinquished nearly a third of its value from a late-April high of $49.84.

News of the death of Osama bin Laden eased terrorism worries a bit and prompted investors to sell precious metals. And weak U.S. economic data released in early May, including higher-than-expected jobless claims, raised doubts about the pace of economic recovery and hurt precious metals.

But Hanlon noted that silver’s rally to its late-April high represented a 60% move in 2011 to date. “So it wasn’t surprising to see profit-taking from those levels,” he said.

Then, too, the initial margin money or deposit required by the Comex to trade silver futures swelled from $4,250 per contract a year ago to $16,200 per contract in early May.

“I look for investors and money managers to take a brief breather on the sidelines before getting back into the silver market on the buy side,” Hanlon commented.

Dillon Gage deals in one-ounce, 10-ounce, 100-ounce and 1,000-ounce silver bars, along with silver coins, including American Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs and Austrian Philharmonics. For prices of those products, visit Dillon Gage’s electronic trading system at FizTrade.com.

For orders submitted to Dillon Gage, the only additional fee is the shipping charge. Immediate confirmation is provided on real-time orders, which are processed by Dillon Gage traders. All buy or sell orders entered with Dillon Gage should total $5,000 or more.

For more information on Dillon Gage Metals, please visit www.dillongage.com/metals or phone 800-375-4653. Follow Dillon Gage on Twitter @DillonGage and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/dillongage.

Read the entire story here.  The official U.S. Mint statement on the matter is included.

What do you do when a gold seller fails to deliver or the merchandise you received was not as described when you ordered it?  Who can you contact for help when you don’t receive payment for gold you’ve submitted to sell?

In two recent cases, “Howard” in Mississippi wired $20,000 several months ago to a California coin and bullion dealer to purchase gold coins, and “Richard” in Virginia sent $150,000 to the same dealer.  With the recent run-up in bullion prices they both would have made a nice profit, except they still have not received any gold from the dealer.  Howard laments, “All I’ve gotten is the run-around.”

“If you don’t know gold coins, you’d better know your gold coin dealer,” is the advice to collectors and investors from three nonprofit organizations: the American Numismatic Association (www.money.org), the Industry Council for Tangible Assets (www.ictaonline.org) and the Professional Numismatists Guild (www.pngdealers.com).        

“There are many reputable, professional numismatists in the United States,” the three organizations emphasize.  “Before you make a purchase or offer something for sale, do your homework and check the dealer’s credentials.  For example, contact the Better Business Bureau to check the company’s BBB rating or if the company is even accredited by the BBB.”

A listing of Better Business Bureau accredited and rated companies nationwide can be found online at www.bbb.org.

The dealer that received the combined $170,000 in unfulfilled purchase orders from “Howard” and “Richard” had an “F” rating from the BBB. 

Typically, dealers who are unresponsive to reasonable requests from customers seeking resolution of disputes are not involved in the mainstream of numismatics, but may advertise in prominent, mainstream news media. 

Based on the experiences of the ANA, ICTA and PNG, and in consultation with law enforcement agencies, the three organizations suggest that buyers or sellers of gold coins who encounter problems consider taking these actions:

• Make copies of all correspondence, receipts and transactions and if possible have copies of advertisements or the dates and times ads were broadcast. 
• Always contact the company directly to try to resolve the dispute.  Ask for the manager or company owner.
• Take thorough notes of your conversation(s). 

If the problem is still not resolved after a reasonable amount of time, contact the Customer Service and/or Advertising Departments of the news media organization(s) that published or broadcast the company’s advertisements and let them know about the problems.

The ANA, ICTA and PNG advise: “It’s your money, so do your homework before placing an order, and if there is a problem then don’t just sit back and wait.  Be persistent in your efforts to resolve the dispute. Follow up with the company you did business with and the agencies where you’ve filed a complaint.  You may also want to consult with an attorney.”

Depending on the specific circumstances of the situation, one or more of these agencies also may be able to assist in the resolution of the dispute.

Numismatic Consumer Alliance, Inc. (www.StopCoinFraud.org) helps consumers secure relief for allegedly fraudulent and illegal conduct within the coin industry. Address: P.O. Box 144, Bedminster, New Jersey 07921.  Phone: (908) 781-7947.

Numismatic Crime Information Center (www.NumismaticCrimes.org) can help with investigative resources, information and direction for customers, dealers and law enforcement agencies.  Address: P.O. Box 14080, Arlington, Texas 76094.  Phone: (817) 723-7231.

 Credit Card Companies if the purchase in dispute was made with a credit card within the past six months.  Call the Customer Service number on the credit card and inquire about doing a charge back for undelivered merchandise.

 Local Police Department or Sheriff’s Department, the local District Attorney or County Prosecutor and the State Attorney General in the city, county and/or state in which you live or in which the dealer has a place of business.  Contact the law enforcement agencies in the city, county or state where the transaction took place.  Phone numbers can be found in the Government pages of local phone books or online.  A convenient listing of contact information for every state attorney general can be found on the National Association of Attorneys General website, www.naag.org.

Federal Bureau of Investigation or Secret Service depending on the dollar amount of the transaction and whether interstate commerce or counterfeit coins were involved in the transaction.  Phone numbers for the nearest FBI and Secret Service offices can be found in the Government pages of local telephone books.

United States Postal Service may be able to provide assistance if the transaction occurred using the U.S. Mail.  Go to your main post office and ask to talk with the local Postmaster or Postal Inspector.  

American Numismatic Association (www.money.org) if the dealers involved in the dispute are ANA members and the dispute involves alleged violation of the ANA Code of Ethics, the association offers complaint mediation services for a fee based on the dollar value of the transaction.  Address: 818 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903.  Phone: (800) 367-9723.

Professional Numismatists Guild (www.PNGdealers.com) if the dealers in question are PNG members they must adhere to the Guild’s Code of Ethics, support the PNG Collector’s Bill of Rights and must agree to binding arbitration to resolve any disputes involving numismatic merchandise.  Address: 3950 Concordia Lane, Fallbrook, California 92028.  Phone: (760) 728-1300.

Federal Trade Commission Consumer Sentinel Network (www.FTC.gov); however, don’t expect an immediate response.  The FTC usually responds when a significant number of serious complaints accumulate against a company, but it is still good to alert the FTC about unresolved disputes so they can be added to the agency’s files. Information about filing a complaint can be found online at www.consumeraction.gov.  Phone: (877) 382-4357.

Additional consumer protection information from the American Numismatic Association about “How to Buy Gold & Silver” can be found online at http://www.money.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ExploretheWorldofMoney/BuyingGold/default.htm, and the Professional Numismatists Guild offers consumer education information about “Three Things Gold Buyers Must Know First” online at http://www.pngdealers.com/item.php?item_id=129&category_id=2.

The experts, Scott A. Travers and Maurice H. Rosen, will be the featured speakers at Coin Collector’s Survival® Conference 2010, a 90-minute seminar that will give attendees useful information on how to “survive and thrive during the decade of gold.”

The Survival Conference will start at 10:30 a.m. August 13 in Room 200 of the convention center. Admission is free, and everyone who attends will receive a copy of one of the bestselling books authored by Travers, as well as a newsletter published by Rosen. The free books and newsletters will be vintage copies of earlier editions.

Travers is a nationally known New York City coin dealer, author and consumer advocate who has written more than half a dozen award-winning books, including The Coin Collector’s Survival Manual®, a hobby bestseller that will have its seventh edition published by Random House in November. The New York Times has described him as “the Ralph Nader of numismatics” for his consumer activism.

Rosen is a prominent professional numismatist and coin market analyst from Plainview, New York, whose influential Rosen Numismatic Advisory is recognized perennially as the outstanding newsletter in the field of rare coins and precious metals. He forecasts in the soon-to-be-published edition of the Survival Manual that “by the end of 2020, the price of gold in U.S. dollars will be $5,000 to $10,000 per ounce.”

Travers and Rosen both foresaw the tremendous advance in the market value of gold well before it began. Travers was predicting $1,000-an-ounce gold in books and articles several years beforehand, when the price was less than half that amount and barely one-third its present level of about $1,200.

Also taking part in the symposium will be Jerry Jordan, award-winning news editor of The Examiner, a newspaper in Beaumont, Texas, who wrote a series of articles exposing apparent abuses by traveling gold buyers. Jordan’s four-part series revealed that in many cases, the itinerant buyers – operating out of hotel suites – apparently offered unwary sellers a small fraction of the true value for their gold coins and jewelry.

Read the details of the offer.