Coin Collections: How Do They Figure in Australia’s Divorce Court?
- Riggor Obwambo-
- September 12, 2023
In Perth, WA, the Burra-Robinson Family Lawyers (https://www.brfamilylaw.com.au/) are reputed for having reliable expertise in giving valuable guidance on divorce matters. In Western Australia (WA), it’s important that separating couples have competent representation and comprehensive support in a divorce court; The country’s family laws want lawyers to avoid costly and unreasonably prolonged divorce proceedings.
As an example, the division of coin collections could take long to settle if there is no Binding Financial Agreement (BFA) in place; or if there’ is ambiguity and lack of comprehensibility on the division of the collection. Generally, judges in other countries simplify matters by ruling a 50-50 division between the separating spouses.
Not unless there is a prenuptial agreement or BFA. Yet in Australia, if multiple coin collections were built during marriage using the commingled funds of the couple, the valuation and division of every coin collection must be clearly established. This is because the provisions of Australia’s Family Law Act 1975 and 1997 aim to ensure clarity of asset protection and division. That is regardless of whether the separating couple is legally married or is in a de facto relationship.
Growing one’s collection of coins and levelling up to collecting as a form of investment during marriage makes the assembly of various coins a part of the marriage assets. Also, the coin acquisitions during marriage, to build new types of collection, gives the collector’s spouse the right to claim equitable share over the entire value of the coins.
Understanding the Essence of Coin Collection
Coin collecting as a hobby involves building an assembly of various coins based on specific themes. Examples of themes may include:
- Different years minted by the US Treasury;
- Type of metal used in minting the coin (silver,gold or platinum);
- Coins circulating in different countries in which the collector travelled during his or her lifetime.
Yet collecting coins as a hobby can level up as a type of investment to diversify one’s portfolio, such as building a collection of rare coins. Some examples are Roman Coins, which can be further subclassified as silver or gold coins minted during the rule of the 12 Caesars, from Julius Caesar to Domitian. Other examples are assemblages of silver, gold and platinum US Eagle coins.
Investing in rare coins is regarded as a sound venture because unlike crypto currencies, special and rare coins are tangible assets with price indices that remain stable for a long time. Moreover, they have great potentials to appreciate in values. Serious investors regard them as sound investments because the stability of their price is a good constraint against the effects of inflation.