How to Buy Gold Bullion Coins
December 19, 2008
One of the first things you need to know about buying gold is what do you specifically have in mind. Do you want a 1 Gram Troy Ounce 999.9/1000 24 Karats Pure Gold Bar or The St. Gaudens $20 Double Eagle gold coin? Each of these is different to particular types of investors and collectors. Get familiar with the details and specifications of gold.
Once you have done some research on the different types of gold to buy you will find that the most common form of gold bullion are the one troy ounce gold coins. The most frequently sought after coins are the American Eagle, the American Buffalo, the Canadian Maple Leaf, the South African Kruggerand, the Australian Philharmonic, the Mexican Pesos, and the Chinese Panda.
Gold coins are graded as with any item of value is graded. Whether it is diamonds, real estate, or automobiles. Gold coins have the Very Fine (VF), the Extra Fine (XF), and the Almost Uncirculated (AU). These coins have slight wear, but to the untrained eye they don't appear to have any wear at all. They usually are in beautiful condition. The real rare, high Mint State (MS) are for collectors only, not for people looking for wealth preservation. So be sure to know if you are a gold coin collector or investor. You could pay a hefty premium for these grades of coins.
Gold Coin Collecting Supplies: Keeping Your Collection Pristine
December 12, 2008
Your gold coin collection is one of your favorite things to display and show off, not to mention an investment. Because of the pride factor and the investment factor, it’s important to keep your collection in perfect condition. That’s part of collecting valuable objects. If you are a new gold coin collector and unsure about what you need to keep your collection in top-notch shape, here are the supplies you’ll need:
• Gold coin cleaner – Now before you go out and purchase something that calls itself coin cleaner, remember gold can very easily be damaged. Abrasives, harsh chemical and lots of rubbing will damage your gold coins. If you must, clean them in warm soapy water and pat dry with a gentle cloth – that’s your gold coin cleaner.
• Latex gloves – your body oils can damage gold coins. It’s best not to touch them without gloves
• Airtight display containers or cases – Airtight containers will protect your gold coins from outside pollutants and come in ring frames, boxes and albums.
• Coin envelopes and cardboard or Mylar holders, if you are not using air tight containers. Make sure they are acid-free.
Gold Eagle Coin Collecting Guide
December 4, 2008
Avid collectors of anything, whether it’s gold coins or antique dishes need a collecting guide. Why is this important? Well, for several reasons. Maybe the most important reason is so that the collector won’t make purchases of “collectables” only to find out later that that collectable wasn’t really a great investment. Now, with gold coins, the investment is probably always pretty good because gold is so high in value. But you can make wiser choices even among gold coins.
If you are a collector of the Gold Eagle coin, for example, you want to know what to look for. It’s important to know what years are most valuable, which production runs are the most highly prized. Is proof more valuable than uncirculated or the other way around? Gold coin collecting enthusiasts will benefit from having a good guide so that they know what to look for with each coin, not just the Gold Eagle gold coin. A gold coin collecting guide will also help you in terms of knowing what price range you should expect to find your coins in.
Another benefit of a good guide is that it will give you information on how best to take care of your valuable gold coins – how to store them, clean them and so on.
