It is yours for the asking, for free, today.

This gram is part of a 400 ounce gold bar; which is the only kind of bullion that professional dealers and international banks will buy and sell. It is at least 99.5% pure gold.

And it’s never left the care of professional bullion vault operators…not since the day it was first cast, assayed, and delivered by armored truck through the streets of Switzerland.

This means your free gram of pure gold is guaranteed to be top-quality. So you can forget about wide “dealing spreads” between the buying and selling price. It will trade on the international gold market almost bang on the ‘spot’ price you see quoted on the internet and in your newspaper.

Find out more, and to claim your free gold click here.

No, you can’t fly out to Zurich tonight and collect your free gram of gold tomorrow. It has to remain within that 400 ounce bar to keep its integrity and value.

And that bar – worth more than $613,000 at today’s price – has to stay in the bullion vault.

You see, the quality of a gold bar must be guaranteed if it’s going to trade on the international gold market. Wall Street banks, London bullion traders and Tokyo investment funds only deal in top-quality warranted gold.

And now you can join them.

BullionVault enables you to trade the purest gold at the tiniest spreads…with no delivery charges, minimal insurance fees, and storage costs to make your local bank blush.

Your free gram of pure gold — just like the seven tonnes of gold BullionVault now stores on behalf of people from 62 different countries worldwide — is held in the form of 400-ounce “good delivery” bars. It will retain full resale value on the professional market.

And most importantly, your free gram will belong to you outright if you choose to fund your account and add to this gold, just as it would if you bought it and kept it at home.

This is the crucial difference between BullionVault and holding “unallocated” gold with a bank, or dealing in exchange-traded gold shares through a stockbroker.

When a bank sells you unallocated gold, you become the bank’s creditor. It owes you the gold in other words, and you do not own the asset you’ve bought. The gold is only available to you if the bank remains solvent.

And if it doesn’t…?

Your BullionVault gold, on the other hand, will never be used, lent or sold by the vault where it’s stored. Nor is it merely “backed” by gold like a trust-based certificate.

Legally and in all eventualities, even a run on the banks…the collapse of the Dollar, Sterling or Euro…a stock-market meltdown…or a crash in the $700 trillion global derivatives market…your gold will be yours.

You can find out more at BullionVault now.

BullionVault offers you an easy, cheap and safe way of buying, owning, storing, and selling gold. Because it marries two technological breakthroughs that had both passed the precious metals market by entirely.

The first innovation is the Depository Trust Company’s model for making financial trading simple, safe and efficient. Just like CREST — the UK’s central stock depository in London — it keeps shares and government bonds in safe-keeping, immobilising them in a physical location.

Only ownership needs to change hands between buyer and seller, making for much faster and cheaper settlement. And at BullionVault — whose founder and director, Paul Tustain, developed I.T. systems to handle CREST dealing for Europe’s very biggest investment banks — this means all trades are settled instantly with gold that’s already safe inside the vault.

That cuts your risk of counter-party default down to zero.

The second innovation is modelled on Betfair, the internet-based gambling system based in the UK which matches orders from private buyers and sellers directly across the internet. This cuts out the middleman entirely at BullionVault, reducing your costs once again and giving you direct access to the dealing spread.

To test-drive this ground-breaking service for yourself today, starting with a free gram of Swiss gold, go to BullionVault now.

No middlemen, no delivery costs, and no risk of losing your gold if crisis hits the banking world. You can buy or sell whatever quantity of gold you like, starting from just one gram today.

Your gold investment will be stored and insured by ViaMat, the privately-owned Swiss storage company in your choice of New York, London or Zurich.

So if you don’t trust the government to leave your investments entirely in your hands, the option of storing gold deep underground in Switzerland may be of interest!

If you’ve not heard of ViaMat, don’t be surprised. This professionally-recognized bullion transporter and vault operator likes to remain quiet and discreet, just like its wealthiest clients.

But be clear on this point — ViaMat is not a bank. Instead, and for the last 62 years, it has simply stored valuable goods without getting involved in unallocated arrangements and other financial wizardry.

Keeping your gold in ViaMat’s high-security vaults makes the actuarial risk of loss so small that it costs only 0.12% per year to store your gold with insurance included. That’s less than a third what you’ll pay to store gold in a bank through an exchange-traded gold fund.

And thanks to BullionVault‘s instant online trading and settlement system, you can take profits or add to your position the very moment gold makes the move you’ve been waiting for.

The live gold-market order board is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That gives you the chance to trade gold long after the London stock market closes, and even before Asia opens the next morning!

The crucial thing is that your gold will have stayed inside that specially approved bullion vault. So its resale value will be right up there with the “spot” price you see quoted in the newspapers and on the internet.

To find out more, and claim your complimentary gram of Zurich gold, just go to BullionVault now.

When you buy gold through BullionVault, you do NOT buy a financial security, like a share or a warrant. You’re buying the metal itself. It’s your property; it belongs to you.

But to keep your costs low, and to make sure you can sell your gold straight back onto the international bullion market…where the spread between ‘buy’ and ‘sell’ prices runs almost to zero…you simply take legal delivery via a custodian — ViaMat International, the leading secure vault operator in Switzerland — without taking possession at home.

You see, your gold is part of a Good Delivery bar. Weighing 12.4kg, these bars have a minimum assayed purity of 99.5%. BullionVault buys these guaranteed, market deliverable gold bars, and store them at ViaMat on your behalf.

“Of course, we accept the sensitivity of what we are doing,” says Paul Tustain. “Which is why we publish our daily audit. This means you can safely check your holding within the vault — from any internet computer anywhere in the world — and prove it to the actual physical bars evidenced by the ViaMat bar list that’s issued to us.”

This is so simple, but so important. When you open an account with BullionVault, you are given your own unique ‘nickname’. It’s only known to you, of course. No one else will know that you’re storing a portion of your wealth offshore.

Every day, BullionVault then publishes a full list of every single ‘nickname’ holding gold through its unique system. This list is published on a public internet page. And the sum value of the list (with your nickname on it, remember) adds up exactly to the value of the bar list issued by ViaMat.

In short, this means that you can see in a transparent yet discreet way what your holding in the system is, every day.

To open your account — and to start trading your complimentary gram of Zurich gold now — click through to BullionVault today.

“Love the service and the site,” says one British user of BullionVault. “Actually, your whole business model is a good one and like many excellent ideas is simple and just leaves me wondering why it hasn’t been done before.”

“If there is an easier route to purchasing bullion I have not found it.”
TH

“I have yet to find a more convenient way to own investment-grade gold bullion…Excellent customer service, total security and peace of mind.”
Garry Knott, sovereignlife.com

“I think you have the best online service bar none. It seems to me the customer is guaranteed to obtain the closest to the spot price of gold via your service”
JT

“Everything has been of excellent quality: service, information, explanatory steps (Help file) etc…Thanks a lot to you and your team.”
EFR

“Just a quick message to say I absolutely love BullionVault. Your website provides one smart, efficient service…I can’t see how it could be improved on!”
TJ

“I am new to gold ownership and had been looking to add some to my investment portfolio for some time…I came across your web-site and it was exactly what I was looking for – an easy method of buying, selling or just holding gold without any hassle, and at very reasonable commissions. The order board is very simple to use, even for a novice like myself.”
JS

“Your company is just what I was looking for, great site with excellent information and a very intuitive navigation system.”
JDC

“FIVE STARS…The website scores highly for being easy to read and well-designed. It is clearly laid out for even an inexperienced user and the home page has links to detailed but simple instructions and FAQs…”
thegoodwebguide.com

“It’s an absolutely incredibly good service/website, from everything to presentation, ease of use and security it’s very clear and a pleasure to use.”
BR

Just what is it that’s got all these people so excited? To find out more — and claim your complimentary gram of Zurich gold now — go to BullionVault now.

PLEASE NOTE: We will receive a small referral commission for any accounts opened through this email. But the tiny dealing fees and storage charge you will pay would be no smaller without it.

And this ground-breaking service really does give you unique access to live gold market prices, cutting out the middleman and slashing the costs of investing in gold “dramatically” as the Financial Times recently noted.

To find out for yourself, go to http://www.bullionvault.com/#GOLDUPON now.

The main reason to buy gold is that bar unimaginable catastrophes – gold will increase in value. Not only that but at this time of horrendously low interest rates on savings accounts with banks and building societies, gold is almost certainly better than money in the bank.

Yes, the price of gold has its ups and downs – on a daily basis! – but the overall trend during the past 10 years has been ever upward. To such an extent that gold prices per gram are almost 500% higher than they were 10 years ago. There was a period in the early 1980’s when there was an incredible, but short-lived, gold boom, but prices now are substantially higher than they were even then.

How to Buy Gold

I am only going to talk about actual physical gold here: gold bullion or bars, gold coins and gold jewellery. This is by far the easiest way for the small investor to stash some money away in gold.

My top 2 places to buy gold in the UK, may surprise you!

My number 1 choice of where to buy gold is eBay. You may have to hunt to find the bargains but it is still possible to find pieces of gold jewellery selling on eBay for less than their scrap gold value. It is also probably the cheapest place to buy gold coins such as Sovereigns, half Sovereigns and Krugerrands.

You may think you are taking a risk by buying on eBay but in reality there is very little risk involved. If you pay for an item via PayPal you will get your money back if you do not receive the goods or if they are not as described. To be extra secure use your credit card via PayPal then you have reduced the risk to zero.

For example at the moment (July 2011) a standard full gold sovereign from the 20th century (this does not include proof issues) will cost you £220-£240 whereas a brand new one from the Royal Mint costs £269 for a 2010 issue and £285 for 2011. The scrap value of the actual 22ct gold content of the sovereign coin (7.98g) is around £218. A gold coin bought on eBay is unlikely to be in mint condition but this makes little difference to the resale value of modern coins. It is only when you look at Victorian or older gold coins that condition is a vital element of value as they tend to be priced well above scrap.

Of course, there are a lot of people willing to buy scrap gold and gold jewellery on eBay right now but there are still ways for you to pick up pieces at bargain prices. It is pointless for the smaller buyer to look at job lots of scrap gold which are advertised as such – you will get outbid by the more experienced buyers. Instead look for single gold rings from inexperienced sellers that are badly described. Often rings that are worn, bent, have personal names, initials or engraving or are just plain ugly, sell for low prices – sometimes less than scrap value.

You can also frequently pick up bargains if you bid on rings containing stones – the gold buyers usually stay away from these and if you can find an unattractive engagement ring from the 1970s you are more than likely on to a winner. Just make sure you have a cheap but good hallmarks book and a Jewelers Loupe so that you can check the gold hallmarks when your purchases arrive.

My second choice of where to buy gold in the UK is even more likely to shock you – Argos!

Argos buys gold jewellery in huge quantities and frequently have special offers where they sell unpopular pieces at way below the normal retail price. It is possible to buy items of discounted gold jewellery from Argos at only slightly above the scrap value of the gold.

When to Sell Gold

The answer to this question is only when you absolutely have to or when you have planned to. As I have said before, gold is better than money in the bank and the longer you can hold onto it they more valuable it is likely to become.

Having said that buying gold is a fantastic way to save for something. It is easy to buy and even easier to sell. Just imagine what a great investment a gold sovereign coin bought for a baby every year on their birthdays and at Christmas would be? They wouldn’t have to worry about a student loan when it came time for them to go to University or it could even fund a car purchase or a deposit on a flat.

Maybe you want to save for your retirement or to take that dream cruise in a few years time. Just buy a 9ct gold chain from Argos or eBay then every month buy a gold ring and hang it on the chain. In a short time you will have a valuable nest egg.

Invest in Gold with Gold Bullion, Gold Bars or Gold Coins

You may find it a more attractive prospect to invest in gold by buying gold bullion or bars or gold coins. Ordinary gold jewellery in the UK is commonly 9 carat gold, but gold coins and bars will usually be a much higher quality – 22 carat or pure gold 24 carat. These are therefore far more valuable per gram.

Again, you can pay a premium price for premium quality or you can go for the cheaper option from eBay.

Buying gold as an investment or a savings plan is as safe as (or even safer than) houses.

1oz Gold Krugerrand for Sale on Amazon

Since last year about this time when the price of gold was about GBP 24.29 per gram this year this has increased to GBP 28.32 per gram in March to GBP 28.84 per gram on 13^th April. As you can see gold is still continuing to rise at a very good level and over GBP 4.50 per gram higher this year than last year.

The Scrap gold prices have also continued to rise in line with the actual gold price and for 9 carat scrap gold the current price is £10.49 per gram, 14 carat scrap gold is £16.36 per gram, 18 carat scrap gold is £20.98 and 22 carat scrap gold is £25.63 per gram. This is a good increase from this time last year and if you then compare this to the prices which gold is selling for on eBay this month so far:

The krugerrand is probably the most famous of all the gold bullion coins and will normally come in 1 ounce coins. Historically the Krugerrand has made good money on eBay. As an example last year a 1984 Krugerrand sold for £454 and a 2008 one sold for £560 and two Krugerrands in mint condition dated 1979 and 1988 sold for £799.99 and £755. This year here are the results from some Krugerrand sales on eBay:

A One ounce 1979 Krugerrand sold for £920.01 on 13 Apr 2011. A one ounce 1975 Krugerrand sold for £900 also on the 13 apr 2011. Looking at the results on eBay a One ounce Krugerrand will now sell between £900 and just under the £1,000 for a good example which is a significant increase in the price of Krugerrands from last year.

Another gold coin which is a firm favourite is the Gold Sovereign the full sovereign weighs about 8g and is 22 carat gold these coins are always popular on eBay and a George V was selling for about £180 to £200 last year Victorian sovereigns are more costly depending on condition. This year full Sovereigns are now selling for about £220 to £230 and Victorian ones going for  over £260. This is a big increase in a year with about £60 more being paid for Victorian sovereigns.

Last year the half Sovereign was selling for about £85 to £90 with exceptional uncirculated coins such as a 1910 half gold sovereign selling for £111. This year the half sovereigns are selling for about £110 with good examples and rarer years selling for about £140 and upwards, again this is well up on this time last year and the prices still seem to be not just holding but vastly increasing each year.

Scrap gold is also a very popular commodity on eBay and generally goes for a better price than most places where you can exchange gold for cash. There are lots of these cash for gold firms and shops appearing on the television, internet; even the high street is starting to be full of shops all wanting gold for cash. The increase in the scrap gold price has something to do with this but you will be hard pushed to get as much for your gold from these places as selling it on eBay. Looking at recent results 7 pairs 9ct gold earrings 8gms sold for £85.52 which is about £10.50 per gram and 31.9gms of scrap 9ct gold for £323.23 which again is over £10 per gram which is better than any other place I have seen offering to buy scrap gold.

Gold watches come in a variety of different designs you can have a nice gold wristwatch or if you want the true antique then a gold pocket watch collection should suit you.

You would think that most gold antique pocket watches are all the same but there is a vast array of different designs and makes of gold pocket watch. Some of the pocket watches have a plain cover and others can be highly decorated or engraved. Gold pocket watches also come in different sizes as well as designs, you can have highly ornate faces with enamel and jewels or just a simple metal faced pocket watch. If you decide that gold pocket watches are right for starting to collect then there are various places where you can find them.

There are lots of places where you can pick up your gold pocket watches cheaper than just going to a watch shop and paying top prices. You can buy gold pocket watches on the internet from sites such as eBay but you will have to take note of the description on the condition and details of the watch. You can ask the seller for extra pictures or questions on details of the watch and if you pay via PayPal then you can always get your money back if you are not satisfied.

Other good locations to get a cheap gold pocket watch is by going to your local auction or maybe a specialist watch auction where you should be able to pick one up for a fraction of the price that you could expect to pay in a watch shop.

Antique shops or fairs are normally a good place to find pocket watches and you maybe able to do a deal with the owner for a reduced price. Gold pocket watches will command much more money than a silver pocket watch however gold watches are normally made with much better quality parts than you will find on a silver watch.

There are lots of sites on the internet or books which you can obtain to give you details on the best watches to buy. As with most antiques there is better quality and makes of watches which will cost more money than the more standard gold pocket watch.

There will be certain designs which will be more collectible than others, it may depend on who owned the watch before, and if it was someone famous like the captain of the Titanic then it would be worth a fortune. It maybe a special design such as a limited or special edition which will make it rarer than similar watches. It might just be the design of the watch such as the engraving or maybe it could have precious stones. Enamel watches are very popular there are so many things which can raise the price.

In the end condition is king as damaged watches will not be worth as much as ones in good condition.

The average price of 9 carat scrap gold for the month is £9.95 per gram.  The 14 carat scrap average is £15.53 per gram, the 18 carat scrap average is £19.91 per gram and the 22 carat scrap average is £24.31 per gram.

Let’s take a look at the prices that gold bullion, gold coins and gold scrap was sold for on eBay this month:

Krugerrands

The South African Krugerrand is a 1 ounce gold bullion coin.

On the 27^th November, a 1974 Krugerrand sold for £890 after receiving 3 bids.

Also on 27^th November a set of three Krugerrands sold for £2,600 after receiving 6 bids, making the price just under £867 each.

In eBay shops a buy-it-now price of £925 was achieved for a Krugerrand in immaculate condition

.

Gold sovereign coins

Gold sovereign coins are always popular on eBay, and this month is no exception.  The full gold sovereign weighs a fraction under 8g of 22 carat gold.

The common George V full gold sovereign has been selling for around £210-220 this month, although a 1917 sovereign from the Melbourne Mint sold for £266 on 28^th November.

A high price was achieved for a rare 1817 George III sovereign in uncirculated condition, which went for £1,295 on 2^nd November.

The cheapest price paid for a full sovereign was £185 for a 1974 sovereign on 20^th November. The description and picture of this coin was so bad that the buyer had to take a risk with what they were getting.

Someone was lucky enough to pick up a real bargain with a 1906 half sovereign going for just £75. At that price you could buy one of the new quarter sovereigns.

Scrap Gold

Scrap gold is something else that continues to sell well on eBay with the prices achieved being close to what you would get by taking your scrap gold direct to a dealer.  On 28^th November 29.4g of 9 carat scrap gold sold for £310.85 which at just over £10.57 per gram is a little above market price.

Since trade began, almost every country will have made or is still producing some sort of gold coins. In the past a variety of these gold coins were in fact used during every day lives as everyday cash. But today these types of coins are made especially for collectors of coins or investors in gold. If you choose to make gold part of your portfolio and would love a collection that is attractive to show-off or enjoy as a fascinating pastime; nothing can beat building a gold coin collection.

You might like to construct your collection based on modern coins or alternatively hoard older coins or a mixture of both types. Gold coins are made in assorted values and weights, this means that everyone may collect even on a strict budget. Certain internet websites or coin dealers can make up a collection of gold coins originating from various countries and will then send this selection to you. The amount you will pay for these packages will range between £500-£3,000. Within them, the amount of gold coins you get will be dependent upon a number of factors for instance: The existing gold price; weight and size of the gold coins; how rare they are and also their carat value.

Britannia gold coins are produced in several different weights; in this case we are talking about the one ounce coin – precise weight 34.050g. These coins are 22 carat gold or 0.917 fineness. The one ounce gold Britannia has a face value of £100; however they are worth far more than that as today’s price for gold is almost £700 per ounce. You could expect to pay between seven and eight hundred pounds for one of these coins. If that is beyond your means, there are also half ounce, quarter ounce and one tenth ounce Britannias.

Many places currently produce their own bullion gold coin to compete with the first gold bullion coin – the South African Krugerrand. Some countries also make commemorative coins to record the observance of an event or a specific event itself. Commonly, these commemorative coins are issued as presentation packs, plus in some cases will likely be of a limited number, in order that no more than a certain amount are issued. This idea promotes their scarcity appraisal together with the desirability of these gold coins.

One more financial benefit to building a collection of these coins may be that in a large number of places this can be a free of taxes method for investment since today most countries don’t put tax on these coins whilst they could continue to be used as money. However in fact, any person would be unhinged to use a gold sovereign in order to purchase some bits and pieces costing a pound since they are worth up to £150 at today’s gold scrap value.

If you begin investing in Britannia gold coins you will need to pay more for coins in extra fine condition. Usually, coins for sale are graded and the value of your gold coins varies dependent on what grading the coins have. Your ungraded coins will ultimately need to be graded for condition by a professional grader anytime you decide to sell the gold coins. It is possible to usually obtain uncirculated issues of just about any still produced coins and although you will probably pay out a premium for this quality of coin, they should be in flawless condition and may be a most worthwhile buy.

4th December 2009
The best price I can find today for a 1oz gold Krugerrand is at elminvestments.co.uk where they are selling for £749.

Elsewhere online

£775 ukgoldbullion.co.uk
£796.04 thegoldbullion.co.uk
£849 coins4investment eBay shop
£850 buys it now on eBay

Chards and Taxfreegold appear to offer Krugerrands at lower prices, however their website prices are not always up to date and if you enquire you will find that you may not be able to buy at the prices advertised on their site.

Most websites and eBay sellers will also charge for postage – the average is around £8 for next day insured.

With gold prices reaching a new high again this week and further rises anticipated, investors are scrambling to buy gold coins, bullion, bars or whatever gold they can get their hands on.

Over a year ago in July 2008 the Daily Telegraph reported:

“Tens of thousands of investors have rushed to buy gold from bullion dealers over the past year, during which the gold price has broken through the $1,000 barrier on occasions.”

Danske Research Team reported yesterday

“Gold hit $1,226”

So the investors who were rushing to buy gold 18 months ago have seen their investments rise by over 22%. Not bad considering that typical investment accounts with banks are paying around 1.5%.

Another recent report from the Financial Times

In Ghana – “Investors’ scurry for safety has pushed the gold price to all-time highs above $1,100 an ounce, sending mining companies, small-scale artisans and illicit gold-diggers scrambling for drills and picks.”

On a sidenote, if you are in need of cash and you have any gold to sell this could be a good time to cash in.

Of course, the weakness of the dollar is also contributing to the soaring gold prices, but it doesn’t look as if the upward trend is going to stop anytime soon.

Gold Prices Last 10 Years

The market price quoted today on cooksongold.com for 1kg of gold is £23,521.

At the moment on eBay a 250g gold bullion bar sold for £6,100 and 1oz krugerrands are selling for around £740-£820 depending on age and condition.

Another site – bullionbypost.co.uk is selling gold bullion at slightly cheaper prices than you can get it for on eBay. A 1 ounce bullion bar costs £762; 100g is £2,421 and if you want something really weighty to put in a Christmas stocking a 1 kilogram bar is £23,948.

The interest in gold coin collecting, particularly rare gold coins and British coins is growing. Starting a gold coin collection for yourself or someone you love is a fantastic investment for a future where other traditional types of investment are fraught with uncertainties as to how they might perform.

British gold sovereign coins are recognised the world over and are one of the most desirable and collectable gold coins that has ever been produced. There are also half sovereigns and even now a miniature quarter sovereign for those that find the price of full sovereign coins outside of their budget.

When you are looking at buying gold sovereigns, old coins do command much higher prices generally. However, for a gift, a new or recent gold sovereign coin in a capsule or presentation case is a highly desirable alternative.

Gold Sovereign in Box

Full sovereign coins weigh just under 8g of 22 carat gold, but although the scrap price of gold is rising almost on a daily basis at present, the value of a gold coin will always be far above its scrap value. The most collectable type of gold sovereigns is the ‘proof’ which can command higher prices as a result.

Giving a gold sovereign as a gift can result in an interest in rare gold coins which can be an engrossing and extremely profitable hobby.

The South African gold Krugerrand was named after Paul Kruger the President of Transvaal (the old South Africa) from 1882 until 1900. His portrait remains on the face of all gold Krugerrand coins today. On the back is a springbok, a type of gazelle and a national symbol of South Africa.

First introduced in 1967, the Krugerrand was intended to facilitate the private ownership of gold. The weight of gold contained in the coin are written on it and the quality and country are stamped in both English and Afrikaans.

Each gold Krugerrand contains 1 troy ounce of gold, although the coin is slightly heavier than this as it is 22 Karat gold (pure gold is 24K). The remainder of the weight is copper, which has been added to the pure gold to make it stronger and more wear-resistant.

The Krugerrand was an immediate success with collectors and investors buying gold coins and in its first year 40,000 standard and 10,000 proof coins were struck. It is still the most popular gold coin for investment in the world today.

In the late 19th century, the discovery of gold in an area of South Africa, led to a gold rush and ultimately to the Boer war. At the end of which in 1902 the Transvaal as South Africa was then known reverted back to being part of the British Empire.

The Rand Refinery, where all the gold used for Krugerrand coins starts its journey, began in the early 20th century.  It is now the largest gold refinery in the world, producing not only the gold blanks for Krugerrands, but also gold bullion bars and supplying jewelers.

At a time when Americans were prevented from buying gold bullion, they were still legally able to own foreign coins. As Krugerrands are technically currency and also conveniently have their gold weight stamped on them, they were a means for American citizens to own gold legally. However, trade sanctions imposed against South Africa because of the Apartheid regime meant it was illegal to import Krugerrands until the 1990s.

Now anyone can buy and sell Krugerrand gold coins freely.

But, of course, the rising price of gold still made the ownership of full 1 ounce gold Krugerrands prohibitively expensive for many. So the South African mint introduced a 1/2 oz, a 1/4 oz and a 1/10th oz coin.

All gold coins are popular with investors and collectors alike.  Their appeal lies in their increasing value and the fact that they are easily bought and sold worldwide.  Following on from the success of the Krugerrand, Canada minted their first gold Maple Leaf coins in 1979 and America its American Eagle in 1986.