Each year all of the gold mines in the whole world combined are able to scrape up about 2,500 metric tonnes of the yellow metal from the Earth. The best estimates today have indicated that the entire world buys 4,000 to 5,000 metric tonnes of gold per year. Since the demand for gold exceeds the gold supply by 60% to 100% annually this creates a shortage situation.

The number one reason to invest in gold at this point in time is to get in on an opportunity that is already in progress. Selling the gold at a higher price point to eliminate the shortage of precious gold, allowing supply and demand to balance.

The more you investigate this yellow metal you will discover the benefits to investing in gold in today’s market. Now is the time to start collecting these assets. You definitely do not have to be an expert on coins. It is very easy to learn the basics when it comes to coin collecting and before you know it you will be on your way to investing.

Audra Fera

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In these gloomy economic times, more folk are looking at gold as a safer asset class than stocks and mutual funds. Investing a portion of a balanced portfolio in silver and gold could act as a hedge against inflation. Precious metals are normally not as susceptible to the same gyrations as the bond and stock markets. Typically, gold is not correlated to the stockmarket or the bondmarket. A portfolio of gold coins might add stability and value to your portfolio.

One of the best ways for small investors to invest in gold is with gold coins. Gold coins are more often than not worth more compared to gold bullion bars. This is {because gold coins are more expensive to make than gold bullion bars. One benefit of gold bullion coins over gold bars is gold coins tend to build more coin collecting value over time. The reason for this is most gold coins are struck with the year on it. The older the gold coin more often than not the more coin collecting value it will build up, if it is maintained in a good condition.

Here’s a few of the most trendy gold bullion coins

American Gold Eagles

The American Eagle gold bullion coin was first produced by the United States Mint in 1986 being authorized by 1985’s Gold Bullion Coin Act. They are guaranteed by the United States government to contain the stated amount of gold in troy ounces. Legally the gold in these coins must come from sources in the U.S. It is backed by the U.S. Mint, and authorized by Congress for content and weight. It is available in 1/10 troy ounce, quarter troy ounce, 1/2 troy ounce and 1 troy ounce denominations.

The reverse side features a female eagle and chicks in a nest, and above them the male holding an olive branch. The other design features Lady Liberty bearing a torch in her right hand and an olive branch in her left, and in the left background, the Capitol building.

The United States Mint also mints a proof version for numismatists. Most American Eagle gold bullion coins are manufactured at the West Point Mint in New York state and bear a W mark under the date of issue. As with all other gold coin, their actual market prices varies from day to day based on the latest spot price of gold.

Buy Krugerrands

The Krugerrand was the world’s first gold bullion coin, being minted in 1967. The gold South African Krugerrand was named after the last president of the old South African Republic, Paul Kruger. The gold South African Krugerrand coin was also the first gold coin that contains precisely one ounce (33.93 grams) of 22 carat gold. South African Krugerrand coins don’t have any monetary value on them. Krugerrand prices are based upon the current value of one troy ounceof gold.

The Krugerrand’s name from a combination of the last President of the old South African republic, Paul Kruger’s surname, and the Rand, which is South Africa’s currency. The obverse of the Krugerrand has a portrait of Kruger. The other side has a springbok, a kind of gazelle. Springboks are South Africa’s national animal.

Buy Gold Maple Leaf

Canada’s Gold Maple Leaf coin was first minted in 1979 by the R.C.M. (Royal Canadian Mint). It is one of the purest gold bullion coins in the world, with a gold content of 24k, Some singular releases contain gold mined entirely in Canada with virtually no base metals at all. From 1988 on, Maple Leaf coins have also been created in .9995 fine platinum, and .9999 fine silver. In 2005 a .9995 fine palladium Maple Leaf 1 troy ounce coin was introduced.

It is available in one twentieth troy ounce, a tenth troy oz, a quarter troy ounce, a half ounce, and 1 troy ounce denominations. It is guaranteed by the R.C.M. to contain the stated amount (in troy ounces) of 99.999% pure 24k gold. The coins have legal tender status in Canada, with face values of C$1, C$5, C$10, C$20 and C$50. These are much lower than their market value, and are symbolic. All denominations are the same in design, except for the markings on the obverse and reverse sides that specify the weight and face value of the coin.

The R.C.M. manufactured a Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin with a face value of C$1,000,000 on 3 May 2007. At the time the actual gold content was worth over $2 million. It weighs 100 kilograms, is 50 cm in diameter, 3 cm thick, with a purity of 99.999%|With a purity of .99999. it is 3 cm thick, 50 cm in diameter}. It was a promotional showpiece to advertise the R.C.M.’s new line of .99999 pure 1 troy oz gold Maple Leaf bullion coins.

Buy Australian Gold Nugget

Sometimes nicknamed Gold Kangaroos, the Australian Gold Nugget is a gold coin minted by the Perth Mint. These coins have been manufactured in a variety of denominations of 24 carat gold. They are legal tender in Australia and are among a a small number of legal tender gold coins to alter their design each year, along with Chinese Gold Pandas. This, and their limited yearly production may help to inflate their numismatic value with the passage of time.

The Gold Nugget was introduced in 1986 by the Western Australian government owned corporation, the Gold Corpration. From 1986 to 1989, the reverse of these gold coins pictured a number of Australian gold nuggets. With the 1989 proof edition, the design was altered to show kangaroos, the globally recognized national animal of Australia.

In 1991, 2 ounce, 10 ounce, and 1 kilo sizes were introduced. They were introduced with the intention of keeping premiums low using economies of scale, and are among the biggest gold bullion coins ever minted. The face values on these large coins were lowered to keep them proportionate to the 1 troy ounce coin. The reverse of the coins does not alter every 12 months like the lower denominations; the kangaroo design is utilized every year.

Chinese Gold Pandas

The Chinese Gold Panda bullion coin is produced by the official mint of China, and was first manufactured in 1982. It comes in a twentieth of an ounce, 1/10 of a troy ounce, 1/4 of an ounce, 1/2 of an ounce, 1 troy ounce, 5 troy ounce and twelve troy ounce denominations. Panda America is an official distributor in the United States of America, and in China, the official distributor for gold Panda bullion coins is the China Gold Coin Corporation (C.G.C.C.).

The obverse side of the Chinese Gold Panda coin has Chinese letters on top saying Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo (People’s Republic of China). Under that is a picture of the Temple of Heaven, and at the bottom, the year of issue. For commemorative releases, the topic will be evident here too. The reverse side features portraits of pandas, which have been altered every year with the exception of 2001 to 2002.

Another advantage to investing in gold bullion coins is its ease to sell. Gold bullion coins are one of the easiest assets to liquidate. The reason why gold bullion coins are easy to sell is gold coins and gold bars usually have a standard weight and purity impressed on it. If an investor is not familiar with a coin, they can tell how much gold and what purity they are buying. Investing in gold bullion coins has its benefits; some of the advantages are difficult to find in other assets. This is what makes gold bullion coins among the best assets available.

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Gold has risen in price substantially over the last few years. This is nothing compared to the rise the smart money is predicting will come to pass over the next couple of years. Don’t miss the boat. Get in now before it’s too late, and buy gold bullion coins now through The Precious Metal Shop

Nearly every country in the world has produced or is still producing gold coins. At one time most of these coins were in fact employed in the course of daily life for currency. Today these gold coins are widely being produced particularly intended for coin collectors or investors in gold. If you aspire to invest in gold plus would like something striking to put on show or have as a hobby; there is nothing better than a gold coin collection.

You can have a collection of present gold coins or alternatively accumulate old gold coins or a combination of both. Gold coins come in diverse sizes and weight; as a consequence anybody can invest on a budget. A number of internet sites or gold coin dealers can make up a selection of gold coins from diverse countries and will be able to post them to you. These packs can range from about £500 to about £3,000. The amount of coins you get will depend on quite a few things such as: the gold price; size and weight of the included coins; and how rare they are together with their fineness.

Sovereigns are produced at certain weights; in this case a full sovereign weighs 7.98g. Their carat value is 22 carat or 916.6 fineness.

2010 Gold Proof Sovereign

A large number of countries have started to make a gold bullion coin to rival the South African Krugerrand gold coins. Countries also issue commemorative gold coins to celebrate the observance of an event or an event itself. Often, these commemorative gold coins come in presentation sets, plus in some cases may well be made in limited numbers, consequently no more than a specific amount will be minted. This process increases their rarity worth together with the collectability of the gold coins.

One other advantage to collecting gold coins can be the fact that in nearly all countries it can be a tax-free method of investing your money since currently most places do not place any tax on gold coins as they can still be utilised as legal tender. However, somebody would be mad to use a gold sovereign to purchase an item for a pound because it is worth many times that in gold scrap value.

When you get started collecting full sovereigns you will also pay more for gold coins in fine condition. Typically, gold coins should be graded and the worth of the sovereign depends on what grade your gold coin is. Your gold coins will eventually have to be graded by a professional grader if you wish to get rid of your coins. You can more often than not acquire proof versions of nearly all contemporary gold coins and even though you will of course shell out more for these options, they will be faultless and could prove a valuable investment.

Overall in 2009 gold has risen by more than 50%. In November it achieved an all-time high of $1,150 per ounce. Gold is traditionally viewed by savers as the ultimate safe investment during precarious economic times.

It is also used as a hedge against the dollar.

In recent years, major stock markets have had some of the worst falls on record. As a consequence, it comes as no surprise that investment in precious metals has been booming. Plus of course, the nature of gold makes it simple to buy and sell.

The only problem with gold is that demand always outstrips supply. The general consensus amongst experts is that gold will continue to rise; reaching as much as $1,500 or even $2,000 an ounce over the next few years.

If you are interested in investing, there is a Carnival of Stock Market Investing run by Michael at Stock Market Investing Today. If you have never seen a blog carnival before I suggest you drop by and take a look.

The future is looking good for the gold prices to keep increasing as demand for gold from both commercial retailers and banks, keeps the gold price high, lots of people have turned to gold investment as the safest way to invest their cash and with the still uncertainty of the stability of banks , it seems gold is the way forward.

As with most things as demand for a substance outstrips supply then the price can only increase another good indication of this is the amount of adverts on the television from companies asking for you to scrap any gold you have. Normally these companies will not offer a decent price for your gold but due to the demand for gold then they are being forced to give customers a decent return at scrap value or just above the current scrap price for your gold.

Even if the gold price does drop in the next few months you can still be sure that eventually the price will increase, so for a long term investment opportunity I don’t think you can go wrong with investing in gold and one very good way would be to collect gold coins. This is not only going to be profitable but also interesting.

Once you decide to invest in gold coins you will have to decide which ones you would like to collect, there are lots to choose from on the market. To break them up you could decide on collecting a certain type of coin such as a British Sovereign/Britannia’s or South African Krugerrands which are probably the most famous gold coins but there are also American gold Eagles and Buffalos, Canadian Maples, Pandas from China, Philharmonikers from Austria, natural gold Nugget Kangaroo Wallaby Lunar calendar series which are all from Australia and Manx Angels and Cat Crowns just to name a few.

The value of coins will depend on the weight, condition, rarity and carat of the coin. Some people only collect uncirculated coins which normally sell for premium prices but if you are only interested in the gold weight, you will not want this type of coin as they are rare gold coins and so the price is higher.

Some rare coins are worth more because not many were produced in a particular year or they are very old. If you are just collecting the coins for gold weight then I would advise you to stay away from rare coins, but if while collecting gold coins you start enjoying them then it would be nice to have a few rare gold coins in your collection, this would also be a backup if in worse case the price of gold fell, then due to the coins in you collection being rare coins then the value of the coins would stay the same or even go up.

As gold coins come in various sizes, weights and quality then so the price will be dependent on a lot of these factors, the more rare coins will also increase the price and whatever you decide to collect the only thing in the end collecting gold coins will come down to your budget. Most of the best gold coins are 24 or 22 carat gold, these are the best ones to collect.

Coins like the British gold sovereign are 22 carat gold and weigh just short of 8 grams and can be bought new from the Royal mint for about £210, Half gold sovereign approx £125 and quarter gold sovereign about £67.50. The same gold sovereign you will pay £210 for if you decided to buy a Proof version of the same coin, date and weight will cost £294. So you can see there are all different things to take into account when deciding to collect.

There are lots of places to buy gold coins there are lots of sites which just sell gold coins, which is probably the safest place to buy coins. You can also buy the gold coins from eBay, but you have to be careful as there are fakes about and the best idea if you decide to buy from an eBay seller would be to check out their feedback to see if they are trusted sellers.

You can also go to and auction and buy gold coins, you will not normally pay as much for the gold coins as you would from the other two methods and at most auction houses you will pay just over the scrap value of the coin unless they are rare coins. If you buy from an auction house remember to add in the total price with commission and vat if applicable as this will increase the overall price of the gold coin.

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.