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.

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.