Looking to get gold coins

[asimpowers]

I was hoping to buy some gold coins and interested in the Vienna Philharmonics because of its high gold content. Does anyone have any suggestions with regard to what is a good gold coin to purchase? :confused:

[IrishGold]

What is your reason for buying gold?
If it is for a store of value, get the most gold possible for the dollars spent.
If it is for use in a (the) coming collapse of the financial systems of the world, get coins that are most recognizeable in your location. If you are in Canada - get Maple Leafs, if in the USA - get Eagles.

[gpond]

I like Krugerrands because the premiums are very low. They are recognized the world over. They seem to be out of favor these days - thus the low premium. However, as gold heats up they will continue to be in demand as will all bullion coins. My thinking is that I am not speculating in the premium but rather in the metal. My 2 cents worth.

[IrishGold]

I like Krugerrands because the premiums are very low. They are recognized the world over. They seem to be out of favor these days - thus the low premium. However, as gold heats up they will continue to be in demand as will all bullion coins. My thinking is that I am not speculating in the premium but rather in the metal. My 2 cents worth.
Is the premium lower because the gold content is less?

All gold coins are alloyed with other metals (copper, zinc & etc.) to make them harder and therefore more wear resistant. Each different coin is a different alloy and they contain different amounts of gold. I have not bought anything except Eagles and Maples, so I don't know the answer to this question.

Does anybody know of a website that gives the gold content of each of the different coins, either as a weight or a percentage?

[gpond]

Here is a link with specs on the Krugerrand. I don't have a link to Gold Eagle content. However both contain one troy ounce of fine gold. Both are 22K with a gold fineness of .917. The Krugerrand contains copper as the "filler" whereas the Gold Eagle contains less copper but more of some other kind of "filler". The Krugerrands then are more copper colored compared with the Eagles which are more yellow/gold looking. In terms of gold content they are identical.

http://www.taxfreegold.co.uk/krugerrandinfo.html

[gpond]

Here are some specs on the gold eagles:

http://www.austincoins.com/gold-eagles.htm

I have not dealt with any of the dealers whose links I have posted. I do not endorse them, just sharing info.

[IrishGold]

I've kind of answered the above question. Tulving has Brilliant Uncirculated pre-2003 coins listed and each show a 1 ounce, 24kt at .999 for everything except the Krugerrands, the Coronas and the Pesos. The Coronas are shown as .9802 ounce, the Pesos are shown as 1.2057 ounce. The Krugerrands only show 1 ounce of weight but no kt or %
I guess I was wrong about the alloying on all the others, at .999 I don't think there is not enough room for any other material to do any good.

[IrishGold]

Well, looks like we have a difference here between Tulving and Austin?

[gpond]

Well, looks like we have a difference here between Tulving and Austin?Austin gave the information. Tulving omitted the information.

[gpond]

Here is a decent head-to-head comparison page.
http://www.onlygold.com/TutorialPages/Coin_SpecsFulScreenVersion.htm

[IrishGold]

Okay, here is what I found out from comparing the information given by Austin on the different coins.
All gold coins have 1 troy ounce of .999 pure gold in them. All but the Kugarands and the Eagles weigh 1 troy ounce. The Kugarands and the Eagles weigh more, at 1.909 ounces and they contain .9166 fine gold. Because they weigh more to begin with, they still contain 1 troy ounce of .999 gold.

[gpond]

Okay, here is what I found out from comparing the information given by Austin on the different coins.
All gold coins have 1 troy ounce of .999 pure gold in them. All but the Kugarands and the Eagles weigh 1 troy ounce. The Kugarands and the Eagles weigh more, at 1.909 ounces and they contain .9166 fine gold. Because they weigh more to begin with, they still contain 1 troy ounce of .999 gold.I agree! For anyone looking to buy some gold bullion coins for personal possession, I would not lose any sleep worrying about which one to buy. I like US Eagles, Krugs, and Maples. It's all good!

[gpond]

.999 fine coins like the beautiful Canadian Maple Leaf have their advantages and disadvantages.

Advantage: They are pure gold and truly beautiful.

Disadvantage: Because they are .999 fine they are extremely soft and therefore scratch and ding very easily. Sometimes a buyer of these coins can be sensitive about the dings/scratches and may refuse to buy those that are not in very good shape. Eagles/Krugs don't ding as easily.

Still, I own some of all three of these coins. Mix and match. Enjoy.

[asimpowers]

.999 fine coins like the beautiful Canadian Maple Leaf have their advantages and disadvantages.

Advantage: They are pure gold and truly beautiful.

Disadvantage: Because they are .999 fine they are extremely soft and therefore scratch and ding very easily. Sometimes a buyer of these coins can be sensitive about the dings/scratches and may refuse to buy those that are not in very good shape. Eagles/Krugs don't ding as easily.

Still, I own some of all three of these coins. Mix and match. Enjoy.


Thanks for the info. My objective in the purchasing is to get a coin that is recognizable worldwide. With regard to taking care of them, I plan on being very careful. I want a coin that has a high gold content. I guess I will get a mix of Philharmonics, Eagles, Krugs, and Maples. Thanks!

[gpond]

The Kugarands and the Eagles weigh more, at 1.909 ounces...Hey IrishGold,
Earlier I said I agreed with you, but now I must correct this small detail. The weight of these coins is 1.0909 ounces, not the 1.909 ounces in your post. Me thinks you fat fingered it. I only point this out to clear it up for anyone new to buying gold coins.
BTW, I found out that the Eagles are spiked with silver as well as copper - as opposed to the Krugs which are spiked with copper only. So the Eagles, I think, are about 2% silver. That's not enough to get worked up over, though.

[IrishGold]

Hey IrishGold,
Earlier I said I agreed with you, but now I must correct this small detail. The weight of these coins is 1.0909 ounces, not the 1.909 ounces in your post. Me thinks you fat fingered it. I only point this out to clear it up for anyone new to buying gold coins.
BTW, I found out that the Eagles are spiked with silver as well as copper - as opposed to the Krugs which are spiked with copper only. So the Eagles, I think, are about 2% silver. That's not enough to get worked up over, though.
Yes, you sure are correct! on both counts, the weight and the fangers.http://goldismoney.info/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Thanks for catching that.http://goldismoney.info/forums/images/smilies/beer1.gif

[Libertarian_Guard]

Asimpowers

The Philharmonics have a dull finish on them. If you buy X amount of them, and the same amount of Maple leafs and lay them out next to each other, you will wish you had bought all Maple leafs instead. Gold is not ment to appear dull. IMHO someone goofed up when they made that coin. However beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder, so perhaps you should be holding one in each hand ( Maple & Philharmonic ) before you buy.

[Joejeweler]

Funny......i used to feel the same way, but now am beginning to gear myself into JUST getting the most gold possible with my available dollars. Currently i own (75) 1 ounce US Gold Eagles. These have the highest "premium" over either the Canadian Maple Leaf, and much higher than the out of favor South Africa "Krugerbuger" as i call them. (kinda "ugly").

......but i have yet to find a dealer willing to pay you back ANY part of that premium when the time comes to sell! Why is that? I know they can buy Eagles off the secondary market for less than the premium that the US mint charges.......but $5 UNDER spot when they'll pay you spot in their "pool" accounts. Kind of a rip if you ask me......

Recent quotes on Kitco show as follows on the buy/sell spreads with gold at around $380 spot gold:

( BUY / Sell)
1 Oz. Gold Eagle $374.80 / $401.74
1 Oz. Maple $374.80 / $399.84
1 Oz. Krugerrand $372.80 / $388.62

As you can see......the buy/sell spreads make the most sense to purchase those ugly Krugerrands to begin with, where in this example only a $15.82 spread between the two. The other higher premium gold coins have a much higher $26.94(Eagle) and $25.04 buy/sell spread.

It also surprises me that such a large company (Kitco) offers so little on the "buy" side when you sell back to them (about $5 under and even more for the Krugerrand). Even my local dealer only hits me with a buck under spot when i need some dough!

In any case......why pay the extra dough when no one wants to share the premium risk with you?

......anybody know a reputable dealer paying "spot" or better on Eagles?

joejeweler





What is your reason for buying gold?
If it is for a store of value, get the most gold possible for the dollars spent.
If it is for use in a (the) coming collapse of the financial systems of the world, get coins that are most recognizeable in your location. If you are in Canada - get Maple Leafs, if in the USA - get Eagles.

[lhslancers]

Try CNI at golddealer.com. That's California Numismatics. They have the best buy prices I have found on the net.

[G-khan]

Pick up some Silver also it tends to outperform Gold in a bull market 3 to 5 times and it is dirt cheap... Here is a little reading on Silver...

http://news.goldseek.com/SilverInvestor/1066927296.php


Warm welcome to GIM...

One other thing is I recommend to all to take the time to read the articles in the Federal Reserve forum...

You can listen to one on the link below just click on MP3 or if you have realplayer installed you can click on that. Do it as you surf the net ...........

http://www.goldismoney.info/forums/showthread.php?t=4219

[IrishGold]

lhslancers, welcome to GIM.
You may want to look at this site for your next purchase. http://www.tulving.com/goldbull.html
Their prices include shipping, and at this moment match that of golddealer.com where you still have to pay shipping on orders under $1000.

[sunny]

I was hoping to buy some gold coins and interested in the Vienna Philharmonics because of its high gold content. Does anyone have any suggestions with regard to what is a good gold coin to purchase?
:confused:


Hi,
I just came across your post. I am a precious metals broker. If I can be of assistance please e me back privately:

akasunny2002@yahoo.com

thanks,
dawn aka sunny[COLOR=RoyalBlue][FONT=Comic Sans MS]

[IrishGold]

Hi Dawn aka sunny:
Why have we not heard more from you on this site?
I would think, as a PM Broker, you would have a lot of intel (information) that would be of interest to all of us here.
http://goldismoney.info/forums/images/smilies/rose.gif

[Goldhedge]

Hi all, I have a couple MS64 eagles that are blocked. I was told that because some of them have what is known as a "European Patina" (I think that is what they called it) that they wouldn't bring as high a price...something about the expense of having to open and clean and then reblock.

The patina just looks as if they are a little dirty. Anyone else have this "problem"

Goldhedge :note:

[gpond]

I've never seen this problem. However, I do know this. As a general rule, NEVER clean a numismatic coin. It kills their value. It is a no-no, in my understanding.

[FoundingFathers]

Don't forget about Don Stott. His prices are always competitive - and we get to support his newsletters.

http://www.coloradogold.com

I've bought from CNI and Colorado Gold and have been pleased.

[Bullionaire]

Hello Asimpowers and others...thought I would chip in...hope you do not mind...Stick with any recognized one ouncers.....Eagles, Maples, Pandas,Philarmonics..K-Rands....stay away from odd stuff..sovereigns, french roosters, swiss helvetias,austrian coronas, mex gold pesos,russian roubles...etc they are fine if you are a collector...

Each has own advantages....the philarmonic , though not popular, has a 2000 shilling face value which I find interesting (about $200.00 face last I checked,year or two ago) that gives a floor value greater than eagle or maple leaf ($50.00)....it is 24 Kt

American pre 1908 circulated 10 and 20 gold have fairly low premiums and you have the gold and numismatic play...

K rands lost there popularity in 1985 when Reagan banned importation due to South African apartheid policy ( I had a hundred in stock and overnite they lost 12.00 in premium value...UGH politics) I would buddy up with a local dealer and on a cash basis see what he has surplus of..
Most are in it for fast turn.....much as a broker...

[Bullionaire]

I found it interesting the Gold Eagle program started in 1985-86 after K-rands were banned.....nothing wrong with K-rands today though, there are zillions in the system...they have been produced since 1966-1967 I believe, they are recognized everywhere....

[HistoryStudent]

...

Each has own advantages....the philarmonic , though not popular, has a 2000 shilling face value which I find interesting (about $200.00 face last I checked,year or two ago) that gives a floor value greater than eagle or maple leaf ($50.00)....it is 24 Kt

...

I often wonder if we have a huge rise in the gold price accompanied by a huge loss in real estate valuations if one could make a legal offer, of say, 150 Gold American Eagles at legal tender price of $50 on the coin for a whole home. 150 X $50 = $7,500 (seven thousand five hundred) which would really keep the taxes down, right? Perhaps the coin might be worth a lot more than right now, also.

Just having fun. After all I did not put the legal tender price on the gold coin - they did ..... ;>)

[HistoryStudent]

I found it interesting the Gold Eagle program started in 1985-86 after K-rands were banned.....nothing wrong with K-rands today though, there are zillions in the system...they have been produced since 1966-1967 I believe, they are recognized everywhere....

Yeah, my friend, and they quit making them ALREADY for this year. Hmmmmmmmmmm...why do you suppose, perhaps they are out, nah, not the honest government, right?