Almost every country worldwide will have made or still produces gold coins. In the past many of these valuable gold coins were actually used during everyday lives as cash. Now they are more likely to be produced especially for collectors of coins or investors. When you choose to make gold part of your portfolio and you would love a collection that is eye-catching for display purposes or enjoy as a fascinating pastime; what could be better than collecting gold coins.

You might like to construct your collection based on new coins or else collect older coins or a mixture of both types. Gold coins are made in assorted values and weights; this means that everybody will be able to collect even on a strict budget. Certain online websites or coin sellers will compile an assortment of coins originating from various countries and will then send this selection to you. The price of these packages could vary between £500 & £3,000. Within them, the number of gold coins you receive will be dependent upon a number of factors for example, the current value of gold; size and weight of the gold coins; how rare they are and also their carat value.

American eagle gold coins are made in certain weights; in this instance the ‘one ounce’ gold coin weighs 34.050g. The gold content is 0.917 which equates to a tiny fraction over 22 carats.

Many places have started to produce their own bullion gold coins to compete with the original Krugerrand bullion coin. Some countries also make special coins to record the anniversary of a specific occurrence or a specific occurrence itself. Commonly, these special coins are produced as presentation boxes, and not surprisingly may be a limited issue, thus just a selected number are issued. This action adds to the scarcity assessment and also the desirability of these coins.

One more positive advantage to building a collection of these coins is that in a large number of places this is a tax free means for investment because nowadays a lot of countries don’t put tax on these coins whilst they could continue to be made use of as money. However in fact, somebody would have to be unhinged to spend any sovereign in order to get an item costing £1 since they are worth almost £150 at today’s gold scrap value.

If you get going investing in American eagles, you will need to pay more for coins in extra fine condition. More often than not, coins for sale are graded for condition and the value of your American eagle gold coins varies dependent on what grade the coins are. Your coins will eventually need to be graded for condition by a professional particularly if you decide to sell. It is possible to buy uncirculated issues of just about any contemporary coins and although you are bound to pay out on top for this quality of coin, they should be pristine and could be a valuable investment.

The American eagle is a 22ct gold coin which as detailed above comes in four sizes. The front of each coin depicts a graceful striding Liberty design which was inspired by the original design of the $20 Double-Eagle gold coins minted from 1907-1933. The reverse of the gold coin depicts a nest of American eagles, which is a symbolic sign of American family values and traditions.

Gold coins are a popular way to save and even though more gold is still being mined the price remains high for this rare and precious metal. If you gathered all the gold ever mined in the world you would fit into a block of gold which measures 20 yards on each side, so the value of coins made from gold will always remain high and increase as the demand for gold increases the so the value of gold coins will increase.

The only version of the American gold eagle available from the US mint is the proof version of the coin, if you require a normal gold eagle then you will have to go to a coin dealer or buy from the internet.

If you would like a 24ct American gold coin then you want a Buffalo, these coins first became available in 2006 and were only available in a one ounce size, so were one of the more expensive gold coins to collect. The US mint indicated it might start producing fractional sizes of the gold coin and in 2008 the normal fractional sizes of half, quarter and tenth ounce gold coins became available. The design of the Buffalo has on one side James Earie Fraser’s design of an Indian head and on the other side is an American bison or buffalo hence the name for the coin.

The gold coin was introduced to compete with other countries 24ct gold coins as the eagle is only 22ct and the sale of 24ct gold coins makes up for about 60 per cent of all gold sales in a year. In 2008 the US treasury announced a temporary halt to producing 24ct gold buffalo coins as it could not keep up with demand of people investing in gold coins during the current economic climate which had an effect on the gold price and so affected the value of the coins.

If you want to collect rare gold coins such as the pre 1933 gold coins produced in America then you will probably have to purchase the coins from a coin dealer. The price of these gold coins will depend on the quality of the coin and how rare it is, the value of the coins differ greatly and this is due to the availability of the coins ie more were produced in some years than others and the quality of the coin ie the condition of the coin, the better condition then the value of the coins increases.

As well as buying the gold coins from coin dealers or the US mint you can also purchase the gold coins from sellers on the internet, such as eBay. If you do purchase coins over the internet you will have to take care not to buy forgeries or replica coins. The best way is to check on the seller’s feedback and if it’s all ok then it should be safe to buy from them.