Totally agree with you on the "marketing" bs aspect of coins, I own/buy bullion only, like rounds and such. Not much of course, I am a waiter for a living after all. But I also agree that perfectly minted coins is a great investment if you can afford to speculate on numistic value. I can't, and also I'm not disciplined enough to keep them in good condition long term, and I've even LOST the 1/10th gold Panda I bought awhile back at spot, just own one iece of gold, haha!
Ultimately tho, gold and silver are like baseball cards and comic books - they are worth what you can get for them, from someone who wants them badly enough. All else is specualtion and marketing. I like and recommend silver for bartering in emergency situations especially tho.