Walmart Selling Gold Coins Featuring Snoopy and Darth Vader

Snoopy is undeniably an American pop icon. But does the image of Charlie Brown’s beloved daydreaming dog belong emblazoned on gold?

In case your answer is an emphatic yes, head over to Walmart.com, where you’ll discover a Snoopy flying ace gold round on the market. This is not any mass-produced toy, and it doesn’t sell for (ahem) peanuts. The listing says only 50 of those limited-editions rounds can be found, each comprises 1 ounce of .9999 fantastic gold, they usually’re priced within the neighborhood of (good grief) $2,600 apiece.

Snoopy has loads of company at Walmart’s online marketplace, which sells a wide range of high-purity gold and silver coins featuring popular culture mainstays like E.T., Star Wars, Spider-Man, Coca-Cola, John Wick and Game of Thrones. These collectibles typically cost tons of of dollars or more, and shoppers can put them of their virtual carts for purchase alongside pet food, toilet paper and actual Coca-Cola.

Investors are divided on whether it’s ever sensible to purchase gold or other precious metals, period. So the prospect of shopping for gold or silver with a cartoon character on it might appear to be a very silly gimmick. As the value of gold stays near its all-time high, Money investigated if pop culture-themed precious metal coins could by some means be a worthwhile investment.

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Gold and silver coins sold through Walmart

Precious metals investors often purchase physical gold and silver in sterile-looking bars, ingots, rounds and coins. (Coins and rounds look principally the identical, but only coins are minted by sovereign governments, have a face value and will be used as actual currency.) They’re typically unimaginative and typically carry the refiner’s name, the bullion’s purity or a serial number.

Costco sells such silver and gold bars and coins, as do many other retailers including Amazon and Walmart. Or slightly, a big selection of precious metal products are sold via third-party vendors through Walmart’s online marketplace. It’s here that shoppers can purchase American Eagle and American Buffalo coins officially produced by the U.S. Mint, in addition to coins, rounds and bars offered by various metal sellers featuring Wonder Woman, Shrek, Darth Vader and other popular culture staples. (There is not any sign of a gold collectible featuring the Austin Powers’ character Goldmember, which looks like a missed opportunity.)

The choices range in price from a $4.95 gold-plated “Trump 2024 Take America Back!” coin to a whopping $50,134 for a set of 20 1-ounce American Gold Eagle coins. These prices — like those for any precious metals products — are subject to alter based on the present spot price of gold on the time of purchase.

Walmart says there is not any reason to fret concerning the legitimacy of those precious metals coins and collectibles. In keeping with an organization spokesperson, Walmart’s marketplace program is invitation-only, and participating firms are subject to a rigorous vetting process wherein each prospective seller is “rigorously screened since the degree of authenticity is very important to customers.”

These collectibles first appeared on Walmart’s website in 2018, and per the corporate’s policy, “coins listed at or above $1,000 should be graded by … Numismatic Grading Corporation, Paper Money Guarantee, or Skilled Coin Grading Service, or they are going to not be allowed.”

Among the many sellers participating in Walmart’s marketplace are institutions liable for the minting of those nation’s official coins, including the Department of Treasury’s U.S. Mint, the Royal Canadian Mint, the British Royal Mint, the South African Mint and the Austrian Mint. For collectible coins and rounds, the marketplace also features reputable gold dealers resembling American Precious Metals Exchange.

Younger investors specifically, who’ve demonstrated higher interest in alternative investments like crypto and collectibles, could also be inquisitive about buying precious metals, and products featuring their favorite popular culture characters could also be especially intriguing. But proceeding with caution and a heaping degree of skepticism is best.

Buyer watch out for gold sellers

Relating to precious metals, there is not any shortage of firms with unscrupulous business practices, fraudulent advertisements or extraordinarily high spreads (i.e., markups). It is important for prospective buyers to grasp these risks, learn concerning the best online gold dealers and avoid any pitfalls with suspect firms.

It is also necessary for buyers to be realistic of their investment expectations. While collectible coins, rounds and bars could also be catching the eyes of fanatics, determining their intrinsic value will be tricky. Some carry purities as high as 99.99% and are a part of extremely rare collections.

But rarity alone doesn’t dictate increased price beyond the collectible’s melt value, or the value equivalent of the quantity of metal that will be extracted.

“I do consider that they are going to carry some additional premium value for the ‘popular culture’ aspect of the coin and the generations being targeted,” says Ryan Derda, Vice President of American Independence Gold.

Nonetheless, buying physical gold — and particularly collectible gold items — can present investors with lower liquidity when it comes time to sell. “There is a saying in the valuable metals industry,” says Derda. “The one thing more rare than a rare coin is a rare coin buyer.”

One other factor to think about is the transparency of a number of the firms producing these collector items. A Spider-Man silver coin being sold on Walmart’s marketplace is produced by Latest Zealand Mint, a reputation that means it’s a legitimate national mint.

Nonetheless, the Reserve Bank of Latest Zealand doesn’t operate its own national mint, and as an alternative outsources its precious metal must the U.K.’s Royal Mint and Canada’s Royal Canadian Mint.

Latest Zealand Mint is a non-public company that was founded in 1967 and has no affiliation with the federal government of Latest Zealand.

“I actually have seen this by other precious metals firms,” said Derda. “And I do find it deceptive, as this practice is just an try and increase the premium value by giving the looks of being from an actual mint and being of ‘limited availability.'”

(Latest Zealand Mint has not responded to Money’s requests for comment.)

Are gold coins good long-term investments?

Long run, there’s also reason to be skeptical concerning the value of those pop culture-themed coins. In keeping with Derda, “I do not believe they might be found acceptable in a gold IRA.” Self-directed gold IRAs carry strict regulations established by the IRS that dictate the varieties of precious metals and the minimum purity requirements for what will be held in those accounts.

As a substitute, Derda likens these collectibles to conversation pieces. “I see these products as a novelty item with a really targeted market and they’ll only carry a rather higher premium value attributable to the goal market.”

On the time of writing, the spot price of gold was $2,360.80 per ounce. The 1-ounce gold Snoopy round available on Walmart’s marketplace was listed for $2,591.25, suggesting a 9.76% spread charged for those products above the melt value of 1 ounce of gold.

For some products, the markup is way greater. For instance, 1 oz. UFC-themed silver collectibles on Latest Zealand Mint’s website are retailing for $99. The spot price of silver is $30.97 per ounce, meaning the corporate is charging a diffusion of 230% above the melt value.

That nearly makes the $2,600 Snoopy collectible appear to be a superb deal.

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