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Gold Bullion Coins : Thinking About Buying Some?
By plrprousers | November 25, 2009
In the current financial climate of weak currencies, inflation and general insecurity, many investors and ordinary families are turning to a reliable and time-tested form of wealth preservation – gold bullion coins. People are attracted by both being able to diversify how their savings are held, and also by being able to actually hold their wealth in their hands.
So, what exactly are gold bullion coins, where do you get them, and how much do they cost?
Once upon a time, gold coins were actually in circulation as currency, and most countries issued them. As an example, the USA used to use quarter eagles, half eagles, eagles and double eagles. These are now sought after by collectors, having last been issued in the 1930s. After a gap of thirty or forty years, countries began to issue gold coins again, but not for circulation, since gold had simply become too valuable.
When people talk about gold bullion coins, they mean the modern gold coins issued by governments in one ounce, or fractions of one ounce weights, which are not for general circulation, but for collecting or investment. They represent an accessible and relatively inexpensive way (when compared to the larger and heavier gold bullion bars) for ‘normal’ people to buy and own gold.
The modern form of gold bullion coins is largely the same, regardless of the country that they are bought from; however, they are given different names depending on the country. For example, in the USA they are called ‘American Gold Eagles’, in Canada they are called ‘Canadian Gold Maple Leafs’, and in China they are called ‘Gold Pandas’.
All these different gold bullion coins are issued in the same actual gold weights – one ounce, half an ounce, a quarter of an ounce, a tenth of an ounce. Sometimes the bullion coins are pure gold, sometimes they have a small percentage of silver or copper to make them harder wearing, but they always have an ‘actual gold weight’ of one ounce or a fraction of an ounce as stated on the coin.
The coins usually have the year of issue and the ‘value’ on them; for example, the one-ounce American Gold Eagle has a face value of . Of course, the gold in the coins is worth far more than the face value. The price of a coin would be the current spot price of gold, plus a ‘premium’ determined by the market or by the dealer. So, a one-ounce American Gold Eagle is worth more than 00 today.
Gold bullion coins have traditionally been bought from a dealer or a local coin store, but in recent years the Internet has opened up two new ways of purchasing them. One of the new ways is through online auction sites, and the other is through specialist online coin stores. These specialist online coin stores are the best way for most people to buy because you can view all types and weights of coins in one place, and can purchase them at prices which are generally lower than elsewhere.
To find out more about bullion gold coins, read about the types of coins available, and to check current prices, go to bullion-gold-coins.com and get the information you need to know before you buy.
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