PreciousMetalsRadar.com Methodology

PreciousMetalsRadar provides educational pricing context for selected physical precious metal products. Currently, we focus on widely recognized gold and silver bullion products such as American Gold Eagles, Gold Buffalos, Canadian Gold Maples, American Silver Eagles, and Canadian Silver Maples.

PreciousMetalsRadar Tracks and Analyzes Observed Premiums

PreciousMetalsRadar is an independent source of information designed to help both new and experienced consumers and investors better understand the world of physical gold and silver bullion.

Our tools focus on a limited group of widely recognized sovereign bullion coins and use a consistent methodology to compare and analyze observed dealer prices, metal values, and bullion retail premiums.

PreciousMetalsRadar does not estimate dealer profit margins, wholesale acquisition costs, or dealer profitability. Our analysis is based upon the retail prices we observe or are supplied for qualifying bullion products.

Observed premium is only one comparison input and buyers should consider a variety of other important factors. Dealer reputation, shipping speed, payment options, buyback policies, product availability, customer service, and overall purchase experience may also be extremely relevant to purchase decisions.

Coins We Track

PreciousMetalsRadar focuses on a selected group of widely recognized gold and silver bullion coins that are commonly available from many online bullion dealers and local coin shops.

The list below reflects the gold and silver products currently included in our observed-premium tracking, drawn live from our active dealer-product roster. Weights and, where applicable, mint years are shown for each coin. This roster evolves over time as products are added or retired in accordance with our dealer inclusion criteria.

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For certain products, PreciousMetalsRadar may distinguish between current-year, prior-year, random-year, and fractional-weight offerings. Products are standardized internally so that comparable dealer offerings can be evaluated consistently.

Dealer Price Observations

PreciousMetalsRadar gathers retail pricing information from selected online bullion dealers using one or more available sources, which may include:

• authorized dealer or affiliate product feeds
• dealer APIs or structured data feeds
• dealer-sourced pricing information
• publicly available dealer product pages
• other publicly available and reliable pricing sources

Only dealer observations that can be reasonably matched to the applicable PreciousMetalsRadar product definition are included.

Where pricing varies by quantity or payment method, PreciousMetalsRadar identifies the applicable pricing basis when that information is available.

Dealer prices can change frequently. Each observation is therefore associated with a date and time, and displayed prices should not be interpreted as a guaranteed current offer.

Reference Spot Price and Premium Calculations

PreciousMetalsRadar calculates observed retail premiums using an independent reference spot price for the underlying metal.

Observed retail premiums are estimated by comparing publicly observed dealer retail pricing for a selected product against the relevant metal spot price at or near the time of observation. Observed premiums may exclude taxes, shipping, insurance, account-specific pricing, promotional codes, quantity-tier pricing, availability changes, and final checkout adjustments. Whenever possible, comparisons are made based upon like-for-like product attributes such as metal, product type, weight, year/variant, and selected payment method. Observed pricing is refreshed periodically. Because dealer prices may change throughout the day, displayed observations may differ from current checkout pricing.

The general purchase price model for a bullion product containing one troy ounce of metal is:

We derive the observed retail premium from observed prices using this formula:

PreciousMetalsRadar may also calculate:

and

Using a common reference spot price allows dealer observations to be compared using a consistent methodology rather than relying upon potentially different spot-price references displayed by individual dealers.

Observed premiums are not final checkout prices. Dealer pricing may change throughout the day and may vary based on product availability, quantity, payment method, shipping, taxes, promotions, account-specific pricing, and other transaction-specific factors. Buyers should confirm all final prices and terms directly with the dealer before purchasing.

Historical Premium Information

PreciousMetalsRadar may retain dated observations to evaluate how retail bullion premiums change over time.

Historical information may be used to calculate or display measures such as:

• historical observed premiums
• average or median premiums
• premium ranges;
• changes over selected periods
• other comparative indicators

Historical observations represent pricing conditions at the time they were recorded. They do not represent an offer that remains available today.

The number and composition of dealers included in an observation may change over time because of product availability, data quality, dealer participation, or changes in available data sources.

Where appropriate, PreciousMetalsRadar may disclose the number of qualifying dealer observations used in an aggregate measure.

Data Quality and Validation

PreciousMetalsRadar uses reasonable procedures to identify inconsistent, incomplete, or anomalous pricing observations.

An observation may be excluded when:

• the product cannot be confidently matched
• the pricing basis cannot be determined
• the information appears stale or incomplete
• the product is unavailable
• an automated observation produces an apparent anomaly
• the data otherwise fails PreciousMetalsRadar's validation standards

Product information is re-observed on a recurring basis. PreciousMetalsRadar may periodically revise its methodology as data sources, dealer practices, or market conditions change.

Material methodology changes may be documented so that historical comparisons can be interpreted appropriately.

Dealer Independence and Affiliate Relationships

PreciousMetalsRadar may participate in affiliate programs and may receive compensation when users visit or purchase from certain dealers through links on the site.

Affiliate compensation does not determine:

• the observed dealer price
• the calculation of premiums
• the methodology used
• the inclusion or exclusion of a pricing observation
• the ranking or presentation of dealer pricing

A dealer does not receive a more favorable premium calculation because of an affiliate relationship.

Dealers may contact us to review or update information related to their profile.

Important Limitations

Precious-metals prices and dealer premiums can change rapidly. Displayed information may differ from the price available when a user reaches a dealer's website because of changes in spot prices, inventory, quantity tiers, payment method, promotions, market conditions, or dealer pricing policies.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, calculations may exclude items such as:

• sales or use taxes
• shipping charges
• insurance
• promotional or conditional discounts
• other transaction-specific costs

PreciousMetalsRadar is an educational and informational resource and does not provide investment, financial, tax, or legal advice.

Some dealer links may be affiliate links, meaning PreciousMetalsRadar.com may receive compensation if users visit or purchase through those links. Affiliate relationships do not determine our premium calculation methodology or published research conclusions. Dealers may contact us to review or update information related to their profile or other information.