Liberty Coin Service

US Treasury debt interest rate yield rose for every single maturity from 1-month to 30-years today. The 3-month interest rate rose to 4.24%, the 10-year rate to 5.18%, and the 30-year rate climbed to 5.47%. The latter two are highest interest rates in almost or more than 20 years!

One consequence of the surge in the 30-year mortgage interest rate to above 7% is that would be home sellers are cutting the asking price on many properties. The National Association of Realtors reported that in August more than 25% of listed homes for sale had their asking price reduced that month. Average time for a home to sell has increased another two weeks in the past couple of months.

Expect significantly higher interest rates in the next few weeks.

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Go to the Numismatic News website to read this past week's Numismatic News column, titled, "Must A Coin Be Made Of Metal?"

There are past exceptions where coins were not made of metal. There will likely be many more exceptions in the future.

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The higher interest rates that the US Treasury is paying on its debt is temporarily attracting demand for this debt. As of a couple minutes ago, the US Dollar Index was up to 101.12, up +2.3% from where it closed two weeks ago. That is also higher than any close since it ended at 101.42 on July 28, 2026.

Keep in mind that the current strength in the US dollar will not last long.

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As we have warned you to expect since early this year, US Treasury interest rate yields are rising.

On Monday this week the interest rate yield on 3-month Treasury debt rose to 4.17%, its highest since it was 4.18% on September 3, 2025.

On September 16 and 18 the interest rate yield on 10-year US Treasuries increased to 5.01%, its highest since it was 5.04% on July 19, 2007 (during the Great Recession).

On September 10, the interest rate yield on 30-year US Treasury debt climbed to 5.37%, its highest since it was 5.37% on February 15, 2002.

Unfortunately, as the US government is forced to pay higher interest costs, looking to be more than $1.2 trillion this year, that also puts pressure on higher residential mortgage rates, credit card interest rates, and business debt.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, the average 30-year mortgage interest rate on February 26, 2026, just before Israel and the US attacked Iran, was 5.98%. As of September 17, 2026, that rate had increased to 6.95%.

The bad news is that interest rates in the US in developed Western economies are going higher in the near future.

Temporarily, rising interest rates increases the opportunity cost of holding assets that do not throw off income. That means that precious metals prices are under short-term pressure right now. However, since rising interest rates also signify that the purchasing power of the underlying currencies is falling, people eventually catch on and rush into precious metals for financial preservation. When the federal government was pay 14% interest on its debt at the beginning of 1980, that's when gold and silver reached record high prices. Adjusted for inflation, gold did not surpass the 1980 peak price until near the end of 2025 and silver has not yet surpassed the 1980 peak. Both prices right now look to be bargains compared to what we may see within the next 3-6 months.

As of a few minutes ago, here were the bid and ask spot prices at which Liberty Coin Service was calculating its buy and sell prices on physical precious metals products:

Gold: bid spot price $4,288.25/ask spot price $4,292.25
Silver: $64.56/$64.76
Platinum: $1,752.00/$1,762.00
Palladium: $1,255.00/$1,275.00

To track the Fed's data on 30-year mortgage interest rates, go to

30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average in the United States View data of the average interest rate, calculated weekly, of fixed-rate mortgages with a 30-year repayment term.

Go to https://www.numismaticnews.net/what-can-you-learn-from-a-lincoln-cent to read the September 11 Numismatic News column titled "What Cay You Learn From A Lincoln Cent?"

This came from a teacher's assignment to her class in the 1960s. Yet, the assignment could be just as interesting, challenging, and educations for students and numismatists today as it was back then.

What Can You Learn from a Lincoln Cent? If a Lincoln cent were the only artifact left from the United States, what could future archaeologists learn about the nation that made it?

If you receive your issue of Liberty's Outlook be email, you should have just received an email of some of Liberty's exceptional fresh purchases picked up at the American Numismatic Association World's Fair of Money in Pittsburgh two weeks ago. This email provides the recipients with "first shot" at some amazing rarities.

If you do not yet receive Liberty's Outlook by email, you can go to www.libertycoinservice.com, scroll to the bottom of the home page, then submit your email address to be added to the email list. We will then email you this special offering.

Here are a few of the treasures on the list to please the fussiest numismatists and dealers:

1884 3 Cent Nickel Superb Proof-67 Cameo
1888 Seated Liberty Half Dollar, Gem Mint State-65
1796 Draped Bust Silver Dollar, B-4a, Extremely Fine-40
1897 $2.50 Liberty, Proof-61
1874-CC $10.00 Liberty, Choice Extremely Fine-45

All of the coins have been independently certified by third party grading services as well as meeting our own strict standards for eye appeal and quality. You will be able to purchase any of these pieces through the Liberty Coin Service website or can call our Trading Desk toll-free at 800-LCS-2375 (800-527-2375).

According to the World Gold Council, the price of gold rose +13% during the month of August as measured in US dollars. That was the 3rd highest monthly % increase in the past quarter century.

Among factors contributing to rising prices were strong demand by gold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) where in North America, Europe, and Asia, these funds saw a net increase in demand of 3.86 million ounces. COMEX net managed money positions increased 3.1 million ounces. And, of course, net central bank purchases, led by China, added to strong overall demand.

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Liberty Coin Service Communications Officer Patrick A. Heller since 2010 has aired twice weekly radio commentaries under the theme of "Things You 'Know' That Just Aren't So, And Important News You Need To Know." These 3-minute pieces broadcast Wednesdays and Fridays starting about 8:45 to 8:50 AM Eastern on 1320 WILS-AM in Lansing.

Although it takes a while, they are eventually archived on the radio station's website at https://1320wils.com/pages/patrick-a-heller-commentary

For instance, the April 29, 2026 is the most recent commentary posted, where he took the New York Times to task for reporting 40-year old history as breaking news.

If you listen to these commentaries over time you will often hear news weeks or months before the regular media finally gets around to covering the issue. Over the years, these commentaries have won seven awards from the Numismatic Literary Guild.

Patrick A. Heller Commentary - 1320 WILS | Lansing's More Compelling Talk Radio Patrick A. Heller Commentary - 1320 WILS | Lansing's More Compelling Talk Radio

Go to https://www.numismaticnews.net/how-do-people-become-a-coin-dealer to read this week's Numismatic News column titled, "How Do People Become A Coin Dealer?"

There is one minor error in the article. I met Robert E. Ladum at the Long Beach Exposition in California in February 2018. The picture for the article is described as being from that encounter. No, it was taken last week at the American Numismatic Association World's Fair of Money in Pittsburgh.

How Do People Become A Coin Dealer? There’s no degree or apprenticeship for becoming a coin dealer, and sometimes an unexpected inspiration can shape a career decades before it begins.