Meeting The Demand for Irish Gold and Silver Bullion

Mark O'Byrne's background in gold goes back to his college days. - Irish Examiner - See PDF here

FRI, 24 MAY, 2024
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On a perusal of the Taracoins.com website, this quote from Alan Greenspan, former Federal Reserve chairman for almost 20 years, stands out: “In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation. There is no safe store of value.”

Mark O’Byrne’s interest in the precious metal goes back to his college history degree, which spurred a lifelong interest in the monetary value of gold and silver, and their role in protecting from currency devaluations, economic collapse and wars. Much of his career so far has been around educating individuals on monetary systems and financial advice on wealth protection.

“I inform people and companies about our monetary and financial system and how owning precious metals in the safest ways — silver and gold coins — will help to protect purchasing power and standard of living in the 2020s and beyond,” he explains.

Prior to launching Tara Coins, he spent 17 years at GoldCore, establishing it as one of the leading gold brokers in the world, specialising in fully allocated and segregated gold bullion storage and ownership.

“GoldCore became international gold brokers and had over 20,000 clients in over 140 countries, sales of over €1bn and with over €180m in bullion assets under management and storage.”

GoldCore offered high net worth individuals and institutional investors gold, silver, platinum and palladium bullion for storage in secure vault locations across London, Zurich, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and Perth. He founded GoldCore in 2003 and exited in 2020 after building it into Ireland’s largest gold broker and storage provider.

After exiting GoldCore, he set up Health Wealth Gold, an advisory and consulting service aimed at individuals, companies and communities on how to prepare for coming economic challenges and the so-called ‘Great Reset’, launched by the World Economic Forum in the aftermath of covid-19.

“When people are worried about the future they turn to gold to protect their savings. Demand from the pandemic created a shortage of the small gold bars most popular with consumers.”

Mark established Tara Coins as a result of demand from Irish customers in search of their own national bullion coins and bars, rather than having to purchase from abroad. His interest in Irish history and culture prompted him to fill this gap in the market. “The name Tara Coins itself is steeped in history and symbolism,” he explains. “Inspired by the ‘Hills of Tara,’ the ancient and sacred seat of Irish High Kings for over 5,000 years, Tara Coins evokes a connection to Ireland's past. The brand symbolizes freedom, beauty, and abundance, encapsulating Ireland’s most cherished qualities.”

Embarking on an extensive journey of research and consulting with experts in Irish and Celtic history and mythology, he selected symbols that encapsulate the essence of Éire, and Ireland’s Gaelic past.

“We chose the Tree of Life, ‘an Crann Bethadh,’ the rising sun, and the quintessential Irish and Celtic symbols of the Gaelic Harp and the Triskele to adorn these exquisite coins.”

With the assistance of designers and minting experts, Mark oversaw the crafting of the designs, resulting in coins “that not only serve as bullion but also tell the story of Ireland”. The gold and silver Trees of Life coins are more than just bullion, he says: “They are a celebration of Ireland's rich history and civilization. The principal design features the Tree of Life, while the reverse showcases three important Irish symbols — the sacred Irish harp, the rising sun, and the ancient Newgrange tri-spirals, which date back over seven millennia.” The coins can be purchased through APMEX and Money Metals Exchange in the US, via Bullion By Post in the UK, and in Ireland through Merrion Gold and Goldbank.

“Tara Coins customers are people who have some money and want to protect themselves from various risks in the world, particularly inflation. Many Irish people, including Irish Americans and the Irish diaspora, like the fact that, for the first time, there are Irish gold and silver bullion coins that they can buy, rather than British, Australian, or American bullion coins.”

The response from the US has been particularly good so far, he says: “The gold and silver Trees of Life are being sold by APMEX, which is the largest gold and silver coin seller in America, and has started selling the coins on Walmart and Ebay. Along with Irish distributors like Goldbank & Merrion Gold, we also now have US distributors in Oklahoma, Idaho, and Virginia.” Tara Coins are also now distributed through sellers in the UK, Canada, Germany, France and the Isle of Man.

“People still see gold as a safe-haven asset in uncertain times, and it is interesting that Central Banks are now the largest buyers of physical gold. There is also a lot of bullion buying all over the world, but especially in China and Asia. In the US, Walmart and Costco are selling gold and silver coins for the first time in very large volumes, and have been surprised at the younger demographic of buyers. Reports reveal that younger people in their 20s and 30s are buying gold because they cannot afford to buy property and they see gold as a good way to store value and save — often for their first home.”
Mark believes that “the great reset” could greatly impact both our way of life and our standards of living. “Gold buyers often say that owning gold gives them peace of mind. They know that it is a tangible asset and cannot disappear — so gold bullion will remain one of the most liquid assets and will always have a value.”