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Welcome to our Buyers' Group!

Every so often chests hidden away in vaults and basements are cracked just enough to see the shimmer, and we clear our table with eyes wide as coins we haven't had the privilege of holding for years are stacked before us. Now's your chance to feel the same excitement we experience here at Centennial when items that aren't part of our regular menu come our way...

On Special at Centennial Precious Metals
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Initial Offering: Wednesday, July 23rd, 2003...


FRENCH 100 FRANCS -- NAPOLEON III
Quantity: 150

Minted 1855 - 1869
Fineness: .900
Actual Gold Content: .9335 troy ounce
XFAU

Napoleon III (1808-1873) was the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte and Emporere of France from 1852 to 1870. Napoleon III strove to restore the glory of France to the lofty stature attained under his famous uncle, but his rule was undermined by a succession of political blunders including rifts with the Vatican over papal lands and French industry over his free trade policy with England. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, in part due to the disunity at home, he met defeat at the hands of the Prussians near Sedan. Within days, the weakened Napoleon III was unseated by a new revolution and he left France for England where he died, failing to restore the glory of Napoleonic France.

After a very popular initial offering the smaller 20fr version of this coin last November, this is also the first time USAGOLD~Centennial Precious Metals has been able to offer this hefty 100fr denomination of this coin. Please call at your earliest convenience to reserve your own claim on this historic Napoleonic gold. We do not expect this item to be available for long. NOTE: SOLD OUT in eight business days.

Initial Offering: Wednesday, July 23rd, 2003...


FRENCH 100 FRANCS -- ANGEL
Quantity: 100

Minted 1878 - 1914
Fineness: .900
Actual Gold Content: .9335 troy ounce
XFAU

The 20Fr French Angels have always been among our most popular items, so we are very pleased to bring you this nearly one-ounce100Fr Angel for the first-time in our history. This coin characterizes the ideals of the French Revolution, which toppled the Monarchy and introduced the Republic after a brutal revolution. Symbolically, the Angel represents the Spirit of France and she is shown on the coin writing the French Constitution. A rooster symbolizing Vigilance appears nect to the Angel. Behind the Angel stands the fasces or bundle of rods -- a symbol of power previously carried by Roman magistrates. On top of the fasces is the Cap of Liberty, which also appears on U.S. coinage with the same meaning. The slogan "Liberte Egalite Fraternite" appears on the reverse along with the date. A century old and no where near going out of style. Place your order today. We expect to sell out of this item in short order. NOTE: SOLD OUT in five business days.

We welcome your involvement, one and all. To receive timely notification of the latest Buyers' Group offers please send your name and contact information, including your e-mail address, to admin@usagold.com to request inclusion in our mailing list. Clientele of Centennial Precious Metals receive the added advantange of advanced notice of these special offers -- a helpful privilege when supplies of popular items are limited!

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Initial Offering: Wednesday, May 21st, 2003...


ITALIAN 20 LIRA -- UMBERTO I
Quantity: 500

Minted 1880 - 1897
Fineness: .900
Actual Gold Content: .1867 troy ounce
Uncirculated
** 10 coin minimum, 100 coin maximum order **

Ahhh, Italy! The mind almost reels when it tries to imagine what sort of melted treasure and rich history of contact and ownership might be represented by the gold contained in any one of these coins. Throughout the ages old gold never fades, it just changes form! Take hold of this offer and let your thoughts float along like a sailboat on the Adriatic or Mediterranean Seas... Tuscany, the Alps, Leonardo da Vinci, Rome, Venice, a Pope (or two), the Medici of Florence, Michelangelo, Sicily, a leaning tower and Galileo...

The Italian Umberto I 20 Lira gold coin is a fantastic opportunity to own a piece of history at near bullion prices. The late eighteen-hundreds saw a dramatic increase in the quality of gold coinage. European monarchs essentially competed with a sort of "one-up" mentality, producing some of the most magnificent and widely desired coins in history. The Italian Umberto I represents a great addition to any pre-1933 gold holding, and can be done through this special at group discounted pricing. Coins of this type are rarely available to the public and far less frequently priced below $100. If you delay, this is a purchace opportunity you may regret passing up for years to come.

Initial Offering: Thursday, May 1st, 2003...


GERMAN 20 MARKS -- HAMBURG
Quantity: 320

Minted 1875 - 1913
Fineness: .900
Actual Gold Content: .2304 troy ounce
Uncirculated
** 30 coin maximum order **

The city of Hamburg, founded by Charlemagne in the 9th century, reposes 75 miles upstream from the North Sea upon the Elbe River. The mint in Hamburg has had a rich history of coin production since the mid 1200's when the first hohlpfennings there were struck. These gold 20 marks minted more than half a millennia later are very attractive coins! A "must have" for any variety-minded investor. A little "spice" for life! NOTE: SOLD OUT in two weeks.

GERMAN 20 MARKS -- KAISER WILHELM I
Quantity: 100

Minted 1871 - 1888
Fineness: .900
Actual Gold Content: .2304 troy ounce
Uncirculated
** 10 coin maximum order **

Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig was born in Berlin on March 22, 1797, the second son of Prussia's future king. In 1861, Wilhelm I became King of Prussia, and after Prussia defeated France in the Franco-German War (1870-71), he became the first German emperor (January 18, 1871).  During his rule, he survived two assassination attempts in 1878 -- typifying the resiliance of the gold found in these coins that bear his visage. Wilhelm died in Berlin on March 9, 1888. NOTE: SOLD OUT in seven business days.

GERMAN 20 MARKS -- WILHELM II, "MILITARY BUST"
Quantity: 150

Minted 1913 - 1915
Fineness: .900
Actual Gold Content: .2304 troy ounce
Uncirculated
** 15 coin maximum order **

Wilhelm I was the grandfather of this younger kaiser, this lad being the oldest son of Wilhelm I's Crown Prince Friedrich (who died of cancer after a three-month rule) and his wife Victoria -- Victoria being the oldest child of England's Queen Victoria. Thus, Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm I were each a grandparent of young Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert (Wilhelm II). Upon taking up the rule in 1890, he pushed out chancellor Otto von Bismarck and shifted Germany toward becomeing an industrial power even as foreign relations lapsed with, notably, England, France, and Russia prior to a final escalation to WWI at the doorstep of Austria-Hungary relations. NOTE: SOLD OUT in two weeks.

Due to the very small size of our available allotments of these very special gold German coins, in order to "share the joy" among as many clientele as possible within our Buyers' Group, we are implementing maximum rather than our usual minimum order quotas. Feel free to mix and match your order for at least a minimum 5-coin total, but larger orders will be limited to the maximum number allowable per any given type (as specified for each coin pictured above).

While paper money during the American Revolution fell in value from $1 to less than 3¢, the later German experience made even that dismal financial performance seem like an attractive investment by comparison. By 1923 in Germany, it required 726,000,000,000 paper marks to buy what could have been purchased for just one mark in 1914. For those who were wise enough to be holding their marks in the form of these gold coins instead of paper notes or as bank deposit accounts, the intrinsic value of the gold in the coin preserved their purchasing power against real goods, thus preserving their monetary wealth. At the end of this nightmare inflation, each 20 mark gold coin provided the same purchasing power as 14,520,000,000,000 (fourteen-and-a-half trillion!) paper marks.

These 20-mark coins in gold offer the mystique of days gone by. With its passing is marked the end of the Prussian monarchy in the period just before the disastrous German currency inflation which brought about severe socio-economic disorder, thus paving the road for the ascendency of Hitler's Third Reich.

Initial Offering: Friday, April 18th, 2003...

ARGENTINA 5 PESOS ARGENTINO
Quantity: 600

Minted 1881 - 1896
Fineness: .900
Actual Gold Content: .2334 troy ounce
Uncirculated
** 10 coin minimum order **

The Argentino is one of our most popular items. When we can get them, they go fast. It has been a few years since we last offered the Argentino coin, so we do not expect this to be on the table for long. If you have an interest, we encourage you to act quickly by calling us to lock in your order. This coin is natural follow up for those who already own the Uruguay coin offered recently. NOTE: SOLD OUT in seven business days.

Adding to the coin's desirability, the devices reflect the Republican period in Argentina's history when the nation aspired to the ideals of liberty and freedom. These coins also represent a solid reminder of what inflation can do to a paper currency. Following massive currency depreciation that reached a fever pitch since the 1970's, a single one of these 5 pesos gold coins now holds the same modern purchasing equivalent as an original bank account or notes bearing 500,000,000,000,000 of these original pesos. That's right... 500 trillion original pesos in paper form were wiped out to match 5 original pesos that were wisely held in gold form. There were only 6 million Argentinos minted.

Initial Offering: Friday, April 11th, 2003...

URUGUAYAN 5 PESOS
Quantity: 1000

Minted 1930
Fine gold content: 0.2501 troy oz.
Uncirculated
** 10 coin minimum order **

We are pleased to announce that for the third time ever Centennial Precious Metals has recently secured a cache of uncirculated Uruguayan 5 pesos gold coins. The Uruguayan five pesos coin has an interesting mintage history. Listed in The Standard Catalogue of World Gold Coins as the only coin of its design type and minted in 1930 only, the catalogue notes: "Only 14,415 were released. Remainder withheld." A hoard of roughly 80,000 coins (which comprised most of the remaining mintage) was released, rumor has it, by the Argentina Central Bank in 1998, and most of those coins were placed with private investors and collectors. We have come to understand the original offer sold out in less than 60 days. In light of this coin's very limited mintage, we feel that it remains a bargain at this reasonable premium over the gold value. These very same items were being sold routinely at over $125 about a year ago. As with other unique offers we have had in the past, these coins are sure to be held as a popular and welcome addition to the personal gold caches of those among our clientele who may have historical/ancestral ties to this region, or else simply enjoy building the variety of their pre-1933 coin portfolio. With only 1000 available, we don't expect them to be available for long. We will be filling orders on a first-come, first-served basis. NOTE: SOLD OUT within one week.

Examination of this coin reveals the words Republica Oriental Del Uruguay (Oriental Republic of Uruguay). The designation "Oriental" in the official name of Uruguay refers to the country's location upon the eastern bank of the Uruguay River, which separates it from Argentina to the west. Comprised of a population exceeding 3.25 million largely derived from Spanish and Italian descent and occupying a landmass about the size of Oklahoma between Brazil and Argentina, Uruguayans, in fact, sometimes call themselves "Orientals."

As demonstrated in our previous offering of the German 20 mark (Wilhelm II) gold coin, if history teaches anything, it is that government cannot be trusted to manage money. But unlike the flash ending of the 1923 German mark (where it required 726 billion paper marks to buy what one mark could purchase in 1914,) it seems to be the sad legacy of many Latin American currencies to suffer "an endless death" at the inflationary hands of their official custodians. And so it has been with the fate of the Uruguayan peso during the latter half of the 20th century.

In 1930, the Uruguayan peso was of slightly greater value than the U.S. dollar. (Twenty U.S. dollars were worth the 0.9675 troy ounces of gold contained in the $20 double-eagle gold piece, whereas twenty Uruguayan pesos were worth the 1.0004 troy ounces of gold contained in four of these 5-peso facevalue coins.) As inflation took its toll, the New Peso was introduced in 1975 to replace the old peso at a rate of 1 NP for 1,000 old pesos. But alas, the New Peso also fell victim to these same inflationary trends, and was itself supplanted in turn at a rate of 1-for-1,000 NP in March 1993 by the "newer" peso which is currently in circulation today at 12 pesos [(1/1,000 NP) (1/1,000 old pesos)] per U.S. dollar.

When measured today using gold as the benchmark, since 1930 the U.S. dollar has been reduced to one-fourteenth of its former gold value--as currently available on the spot gold market. The original Uruguayan peso has fared considerably worse. Adjusting for the two thousand-peso "reverse splits," it would require savings of more than 3.4 BILLION of the original paper pesos to equal the single ounce of gold comprised by four of these featured coins bearing 20 pesos total face value. As with Germany, for those who were wise enough to be holding their currency in the form of these gold coins instead of paper notes or bank deposit accounts, the intrinsic value of the gold in the coin preserved their purchasing power for real goods over time, thus preserving their monetary wealth. Today, after 70 years of inflation in Uruguay, each 5 peso gold coin retains the same purchasing power as would be found in 856,000,000 of those original "old pesos" kept in the form of paper or bank deposits.

P.O. Box 460009 Denver, Colorado 80246-0009

We invite you to contact us for quotes and purchase information. 1-800-869-5115 (US) 00-800-8720-8720 (EU) Office Hours 6:00am - 5:00pm (U.S. Mountain Time) Monday - Friday admin@usagold.com