A-Mark Financial Corporation - Risky New Millennium

Risky New Millennium

A-Mark had established a New Issues and Collectibles division in 2001 "to market established and proprietary collectibles products and expand international distribution of all its product." But events across the continent brought nearly all commerce to a halt for a time.

In September, New York's World Trade Center was attacked and destroyed. The Financial Times used the event to explain gold's enduring reputation as a safeguard of wealth. "In excess of 379,000 troy oz (almost 12 tonnes) of gold in Scotia Mocatta's underground depository, beneath 4 World Trade Center, lie buried under the mounds of rubble. Experts think that it remains intact."

The stock market took a beating following 9/11, helping precious metal prospects. Even though the stock market had rallied by the time the decade headed into its middle years, the precious metal market benefited from continuing global tension.

The Royal Canadian Mint introduced its 25th anniversary Maple Leaf gold coin in 2004. As an official distributor for the mint, A-Mark was on the bandwagon, promoting its virtues. In addition to coins, A-Mark continued to offer precious metals in bar, wafer, and grain form, as well as services such as leasing, consignment, hedging, and finance.

The company's fortunes would continue to rise and fall with that of precious metals, but A-Mark had the experience of four decades of continuous operation on its side.