Collectable gold and silver coins

Gold bullion coins are increasingly being turned to by both investors and ordinary families as way of preserving their money in these financially turbulent times. They feel better if some of their savings are in the form of gold, rather than cash, bonds or other paper promises. They also want to actually have their wealth in their hand – really in their possession.

So, what exactly are gold bullion coins, where do you get them, and how much do they cost?

A century ago, gold coins were used as standard currency in many countries, and were in general circulation. 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 gold coins ceased to be circulated in the 30s, there was then a gap of a few decades before they were again re-issued. However, as gold had by that time become so valuable, the coins that made up the re-issuing were not entered into circulation as a standard form of currency.

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 are intended to be an easy and relatively inexpensive way for citizens to own gold (inexpensive compared with larger and heavier gold bullion bars).

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 $50. 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 $1000 today.

So, where do you get these gold bullion coins? While you can still go to a dealer or a local coin store, the Internet has made a huge difference to the general availability of these coins, since you can view a huge selection of them anytime on online auction sites. In addition, many online-only coin stores exist which offer bullion coins of all types and weights at very fair prices.

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.