A curated list of the best tools, data sources, research, and resources for precious metals investors, stackers, and collectors. Gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and Goldbacks.
Contributions welcome! See contributing guidelines below.
- Portfolio Trackers
- Live Spot Price Sources
- Melt Value Calculators
- Gold-Silver Ratio Tools
- Goldback Resources
- Coin & Bullion References
- Market Data & Research
- Industry Organizations
- Exchanges & Trading
- Tax & Legal
- News & Analysis
- YouTube Channels
- Newsletters
- Books
- Reddit Communities
- Podcasts
Tools for tracking the value of physical precious metals holdings against live spot prices.
- MetalMetric — Free portfolio tracker for gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, and Goldbacks. Live spot prices updated every 60 seconds, real-time P&L, AI-powered coin and receipt scanning, melt calculators, GSR signal detector, and tax reporting. The only tracker with native Goldback support across all denominations and issuing states.
- BullionVault — Buy, sell, and store allocated gold, silver, and platinum. Integrated portfolio tracking for metals purchased through their platform.
- Gold Tracker — iOS app for tracking precious metals holdings with real-time spot pricing and customizable calculators.
- Bullion Log — Web-based bullion inventory manager for tracking gold, silver, platinum, and palladium holdings.
Real-time and near-real-time precious metals pricing.
- MetalMetric Live Gold Spot — Live gold price per troy ounce with 60-second refresh, daily change percentage, and historical context.
- MetalMetric Live Silver Spot — Live silver price per troy ounce with 60-second refresh.
- MetalMetric Live Platinum Spot — Live platinum price with LPPM fixing context and supply analysis.
- Kitco — Long-running precious metals price aggregator with charts, news, and commentary.
- LBMA Gold Price — Official London Bullion Market Association benchmark prices for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. Two daily fixings.
- COMEX / CME Group — Futures pricing for gold (GC), silver (SI), platinum (PL), palladium (PA), and copper (HG).
- GoldPrice.org — Simple live gold and silver price charts in multiple currencies.
Calculate the intrinsic metal value of coins, jewelry, and scrap.
- MetalMetric Melt Calculator — Universal melt value calculator for any metal, weight, and purity. Includes presets for all major US coins.
- MetalMetric Scrap Gold Calculator — Calculates scrap gold value by karat (10K–24K) against live spot price with refiner payout estimates.
- MetalMetric Junk Silver Calculator — Pre-1965 US silver coin melt values using the 715 oz dealer standard. Covers dimes, quarters, halves, and dollars.
- CoinApps Melt Value — Silver and gold coin melt value calculator.
- NGC Coin Explorer — Numismatic values and specifications for graded coins.
- PCGS CoinFacts — Coin values, population data, and auction records.
Track and analyze the GSR for timing precious metals allocation decisions.
- MetalMetric GSR Signal Detector — Live GSR with historical zone classification (buy gold / neutral / buy silver / extreme zones) based on 50+ years of data.
- MetalMetric Gold-Silver Ratio — Live ratio with historical context, including the COVID-19 high of ~127:1 (March 2020) and the Hunt Brothers low of ~15:1 (January 1980).
- Macrotrends GSR Chart — 100-year gold-to-silver ratio historical chart.
| Event | GSR | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Coinage Act of 1792 statutory ratio | 15:1 | April 2, 1792 |
| Hunt Brothers silver corner | ~15:1 | January 1980 |
| 20th century mean | ~47:1 | 1900–2000 |
| COVID-19 market dislocation (all-time high) | ~127:1 | March 18, 2020 |
Goldbacks are physical gold currency notes containing 24K gold applied via physical vapor deposition (PVD). Each 1-denomination note contains exactly 1/1000th of a troy ounce of .999 fine gold.
- MetalMetric Goldback Calculator — Live melt value for all Goldback denominations (½, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 GB) across all issuing states.
- Goldback Inc. — Official manufacturer. Denominations, state series information, and merchant directory.
- Goldback Wikipedia — Overview, history, and state-by-state expansion timeline.
| State | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | 2019 | Active |
| Nevada | 2020 | Active |
| New Hampshire | 2021 | Active |
| Wyoming | 2021 | Active |
| South Dakota | 2022 | Active |
| Arizona | 2025 | Active |
| Florida | 2025 | Active |
| Oklahoma | 2025 | Active |
| Idaho | 2026 | Active |
| Washington D.C. | 2026 | Active |
| Denomination | Gold Content (troy oz) |
|---|---|
| ½ GB | 0.0005 |
| 1 GB | 0.001 |
| 2 GB | 0.002 |
| 5 GB | 0.005 |
| 10 GB | 0.01 |
| 25 GB | 0.025 |
| 50 GB | 0.05 |
| 100 GB | 0.1 |
| Coin | ASW (troy oz) | Silver % | Total Weight (g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roosevelt/Mercury Dime | 0.0723 | 90% | 2.50 |
| Washington/Standing Liberty Quarter | 0.1808 | 90% | 6.25 |
| Walking Liberty/Franklin/1964 Kennedy Half | 0.3617 | 90% | 12.50 |
| Morgan Dollar (1878–1904, 1921) | 0.7734 | 90% | 26.73 |
| Peace Dollar (1921–1928, 1934–1935) | 0.7734 | 90% | 26.73 |
| Kennedy Half (1965–1970) | 0.1479 | 40% | 11.50 |
| War Nickel (1942–1945) | 0.0563 | 35% | 5.00 |
| American Silver Eagle (1986–present) | 1.0000 | 99.9% | 31.10 |
| Coin | Gold Content (troy oz) | Purity | Total Weight (g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Gold Eagle 1 oz | 1.0000 | 91.67% (22K) | 33.931 |
| American Gold Buffalo 1 oz | 1.0000 | 99.99% (24K) | 31.108 |
| American Gold Eagle ½ oz | 0.5000 | 91.67% (22K) | 16.966 |
| American Gold Eagle ¼ oz | 0.2500 | 91.67% (22K) | 8.483 |
| American Gold Eagle 1/10 oz | 0.1000 | 91.67% (22K) | 3.393 |
| Karat | Purity (%) | Hallmark | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24K | 99.9%+ | 999 | Too soft for most jewelry. Three tiers: 999, 9999, 99.999 |
| 22K | 91.67% | 916/917 | Krugerrand, American Gold Eagle, British Sovereign |
| 18K | 75.00% | 750 | CIBJO fine jewelry standard. ~95% of Swiss watch cases |
| 14K | 58.33% | 585 | ~70% of US engagement rings. US market standard |
| 10K | 41.67% | 417 | US federal minimum for "gold" jewelry (15 U.S.C. §294) |
- Dealer standard: 715 troy oz of pure silver (accounts for 1–3% circulation wear)
- Mint spec (theoretical): 723.4 troy oz (uncirculated weight)
- Difference at $30/oz silver: ~$252 — always confirm which standard your dealer is quoting
- MetalMetric Shanghai Gold Premium — Live SGE vs COMEX gold spread with import license context.
- MetalMetric Shanghai Silver Premium — SGE vs COMEX silver spread with China VAT context.
- World Gold Council — Gold demand trends, central bank data, and research reports. Publishes quarterly Gold Demand Trends.
- The Silver Institute — Annual World Silver Survey, industrial demand data, and supply/demand analysis.
- World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) — Quarterly platinum market reports and supply/demand forecasts.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries — Annual US government data on gold, silver, platinum, and palladium production, reserves, and consumption.
- CPM Group — Independent precious metals research. Publishes annual Gold Yearbook and Silver Yearbook.
- Metals Focus — Precious metals research and consultancy. Produces data for the World Gold Council and Silver Institute.
- Macrotrends — 100-year historical price charts for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium adjusted for inflation.
- LBMA — London Bullion Market Association. Sets the global benchmark gold and silver prices. Accredits refiners for Good Delivery status.
- CME Group — Operates COMEX, the primary US futures exchange for gold (GC), silver (SI), platinum (PL), and palladium (PA).
- Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) — China's state-controlled physical gold exchange. Largest physical gold exchange by volume.
- LPPM — London Platinum and Palladium Market. Sets twice-daily platinum and palladium benchmark prices.
- US Mint — Produces American Eagle, Buffalo, and commemorative precious metals coins.
- Royal Canadian Mint — Produces Maple Leaf coins. First mint to achieve .99999 (five-nine) gold purity.
- Perth Mint — Australia's official bullion mint. Produces Kangaroo/Nugget series.
- COMEX — Primary US precious metals futures market.
- LBMA OTC Market — Over-the-counter market for physical gold and silver in London. Trades ~$30 billion in gold daily.
- Shanghai Gold Exchange — Physical delivery gold exchange. Peak withdrawals: 2,596 tonnes in 2015.
- BullionVault — Retail-accessible allocated precious metals trading and storage.
- APMEX — Major US online bullion dealer.
- SD Bullion — Online bullion dealer known for competitive premiums.
- JM Bullion — Online bullion dealer with a wide product selection.
- Money Metals Exchange — Online dealer with monthly savings plans and Goldback inventory.
- US collectibles tax rate: Physical precious metals sold at profit are taxed at the federal collectibles rate — maximum 28%. Standard long-term capital gains rates (0/15/20%) do NOT apply.
- Short-term gains: Held ≤1 year, taxed as ordinary income at marginal rate.
- Inherited metals: Receive stepped-up cost basis to fair market value at date of death.
- IRA eligibility (IRC §408(m)(3)):
- Gold: ≥.9950 fineness (exception: American Gold Eagle at 22K is explicitly approved)
- Silver: ≥.999 fineness
- Platinum: ≥.9995 fineness
- Palladium: ≥.9995 fineness
- Coinage Act of 1792: Established the first US statutory gold-silver ratio at 15:1.
- Coinage Act of 1965: Removed silver from US dimes and quarters. Signed July 23, 1965.
- Executive Order 6102 (1933): Required US citizens to surrender gold at $20.67/oz. Repealed by Public Law 93-373 (1974).
⚠️ This is general information, not tax or legal advice. Consult a qualified professional.
- Kitco News — Daily precious metals news, analyst commentary, and video interviews.
- GoldSeek — Gold and silver market commentary and analysis.
- Silver Doctors — Silver-focused market analysis and news.
- GATA — Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee. Research on precious metals price suppression.
- Bullion Star — Research articles on physical gold markets, central bank activity, and LBMA/COMEX flows.
- MetalMetric Resources — Curated precious metals newsletters, research tools, and market data sources.
- Arcadia Economics — Chris Marcus. Daily silver market analysis, COMEX data, and expert interviews. Author of "The Big Silver Short."
- SD Bullion — Market commentary and product reviews.
- Backyard Bullion — UK-based. Silver and gold stacking, pouring, and community content.
- Don Durrett — Gold, silver, and mining stock analysis bridging physical fundamentals and equity upside.
- Arcadia Economics Gold & Silver Daily — Chris Marcus. Daily updates on gold and silver market developments.
- Gold Newsletter — Brien Lundin. Published since 1971. One of the longest-running precious metals newsletters.
- Money Metals Newsletter — Weekly market analysis and commentary from Money Metals Exchange.
- The Big Silver Short — Chris Marcus (2020). Investigation into silver market manipulation, COMEX structure, and the CFTC's role.
- Guide to Investing in Gold and Silver — Mike Maloney (2008). Foundational text on precious metals as monetary assets.
- The New Case for Gold — James Rickards (2016). Argument for gold's role in the modern monetary system.
- Stack Silver Get Gold — Hunter Riley III (2015). Practical guide to physical precious metals stacking.
- r/Silverbugs — Silver stacking community. ~250K members.
- r/Gold — Gold collecting and investing discussion.
- r/WallStreetSilver — Silver market activism and stacking. Born from the 2021 Silver Squeeze.
- r/Coins — Numismatic collecting community.
- r/Pmsforsale — Peer-to-peer precious metals marketplace.
- r/StackerNews — Precious metals news and discussion.
- Arcadia Economics Podcast — Daily episodes on silver and gold market developments.
- Palisades Gold Radio — Interviews with mining executives, economists, and precious metals analysts.
Quick reference data points frequently cited in precious metals analysis:
- Gold all-time high: Above $5,000/oz (2026)
- Silver all-time nominal high: $49.80/oz (April 28, 2011)
- Gold density: 19.32 g/cm³
- Silver density: 10.49 g/cm³
- Platinum density: 21.45 g/cm³
- Troy ounce: 31.1034768 grams (exact)
- Central bank gold purchases (2023): Net 1,037 tonnes — second-highest annual total on record
- Solar panel silver demand (2023): 161.1 million troy ounces
- Global silver supply deficit (2022): 237.7 million troy ounces
- South African platinum production: ~70% of global supply
- JPMorgan spoofing settlement (2020): $920 million paid to US DOJ for gold and silver futures manipulation
- LBMA Gold Price fixing times: 10:30 AM and 3:00 PM London time (ICE Benchmark Administration)
- LPPM Platinum fixing times: 9:45 AM and 2:00 PM London time
Contributions are welcome! Please:
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All resources must be relevant to precious metals investing, collecting, or analysis. Commercial listings must offer genuine value to the community.
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