Who would have thought that the gift of a coin would end up being the best gift I've ever received?

I have many fond memories of my grandmother, but one such memory will stay with me for the rest of my life. When I was 10 years old, my grandmother gave me a silver dollar for Christmas.

To this day, I still have that coin. And from that little memento, I gained a lot. I gained the passion to collect coins, leading me to becoming a professional numismatist (coin expert).

Collecting coins has taught me the value of holding on to those special tokens that most people take for granted. And that Carson City, Nev. minted silver dollar ended up gaining a significant value.

Today, people collect coins for numerous reasons. Some accumulate coins as family heirlooms, some simply because they love owning miniature pieces of art sculpted by famous artists. But whatever the reason, they see the gift that coins can bring.

Besides the fact that rare-coin collecting is a fun hobby, here is a list of some other reasons you should start a collection of your own:

* Protect your assets. Hard assets offer you safety and

security in the event of a world currency crisis or stock market crash.

* Maximize your investment in metals. We can't go back in history and create more historic coins. Only a finite number of rare coins are available.

* Inflation. Gold and silver investments follow a long-term cycle. When undervalued, they gain tremendous upside potential when the value of paper money declines.

* Liquidity. Rare coins gain liquidity as millions of dollars are traded for them weekly on the Internet and through other networks.

* No tax consequences until liquidation. Rare coins that have increased in value are not taxed until you sell them. And if you trade coins for coins of equal or greater value, you won't be taxed.

* You'll own a piece of history. You'll learn about American values and history simply by collecting coins.