If you’re considering purchasing gold coins for either your personal collection or as a financial investment, there are a few important questions to address. Researching all the advantages before making a purchase will help you better understand the gold coin market. Continue reading to discover some of the more popular gold bullion coins that are available and what a tangible asset they can be.
How to Buy Gold Coins
If you’re ready to buy gold to start your portfolio, you’ll need to know how to buy gold coins and where to find golden coins for sale. While browsing online, you can often filter your search by new gold coins for sale, country of origin, and gold content.
Once you secure your investment, find a way to keep your gold coins safe. Options include purchasing a safe for your home, using your bank’s safe deposit box, or using a storage firm.
The Best Gold Coins for Sale
There are many different types of gold coins for sale in the United States, Australia, Canada, and many other countries. Each will have its own distinguishing features and symbols. Some will have more numismatic (collector’s) value than others and may cost more to purchase. A bullion coin is simply a gold coin made almost exclusively from that precious metal. This purity offers a perfect addition to your investment portfolio.
Any of the following would be valuable additions to a gold coin collection.
American Gold Coins
The United States of America has several types of gold coins available for purchase. The U.S. Mint is the only mint authorized to produce American gold coins. U.S. gold coins can be used as legal tender in America.
Two examples of the American gold coin are the American Gold Eagle and the American Gold Buffalo.
- The American Gold Eagle is the country’s official gold bullion coin. It debuted in 1986 and contains 22-karat gold for proof, burnished, and bullion coins. Each coin features Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s Lady Liberty from 1907 on the front and a bald eagle family on the reverse.
- The American Gold Buffalo coin was based on the original Buffalo nickel design. On the front is a Native American tribal member, and the reverse is an American bison. It is a 24-karat gold from the U.S. Mint.
Australian Gold Coins
Both the Perth Mint of Western Australia and the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra are authorized to produce gold coins. The Gold Kangaroo is Australia’s most popular gold coin. A new image is produced annually by the Perth Mint. It has a $100 face value and can be bought in 1-ounce, half-ounce, quarter-ounce, and tenth-ounce denominations.
Along with a new image of a kangaroo being produced every year, the Perth Mint has used several obverse designs over the years. These include the following:
- 1986-1997: Raphael Maklouf’s design of Queen Elizabeth II.
- 1998- 2018: Ian Rank-Broadley’s image of Queen Elizabeth II.
- 2019-2023: Jody Clark’s rendition of Queen Elizabeth II
- 2024-Present: Dan Thorne’s design of King Charles III. This marks the first time that someone other than Queen Elizabeth II has been featured.
Two examples of Australian gold coins are the Bird of Paradise and the Lunar Series.
- The 2018 Bird of Paradise is an Australian gold coin that features a duwuduwu bird.
- The Lunar Series II is produced by the Perth Mint and can be purchased in amounts of up to 10 ounces of gold. It offers a new design annually with an animal from the zodiac or Chinese lunar calendar.
Austrian Gold Coins
In 1989, the Austrian Mint issued its gold bullion coin program. The 1-ounce Philharmonic gold coin has a purity of 0.999 percent and is backed by the Republic of Austria. The face features the Musikverein pipe organ and has engravings of the purity, face value, year of issue, and weight. The reverse features eight musical instruments such as a cello, French horn, bassoon, and violins. It can be purchased in 1-ounce, quarter-ounce, half-ounce, one-tenth-ounce, and one-twenty-fifth-ounce options. Until 2001, the Philharmonic gold coin was the world’s top-selling coin and is the widest coin that is currently made.
British Gold Coins
The Royal Mint of England produced the Gold Britannia in 1987, and it’s currently one of the most well-known gold coins on the market. Britain has an entire collection called the Queen’s Beast Series minted of 99.99% gold, which features coins such as:
- 2016 Lion of England
- 2017 Red Dragon of Wales
- 2018 Unicorn of Scotland
- 2019 Yale of Beaufort
- 2019 Falcon of the Plantagenets
- Upcoming coins include the White Greyhound of Richmond, the White Horse of Hanover, and the White Lion of Mortimer
British Gold Britannias, similar to Australian Gold Coins, use the reigning British monarch’s image on the obverse of this series.
- 1987-1997: Coins with this issue date feature the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II designed by Raphael Maklouf.
- 1998-2015: Coins with this issue date showcase the Ian Rank-Broadley depiction of Her Majesty.
- 2016-2023: Coins with this issue date display the Jody Clark depiction of Queen Elizabeth II.
- 2023-Present: With the unfortunate passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the effigy of King Charles III is now shown on these coins. Martin Jennings created this design.
Canadian Gold Coins
The sovereign mint of Canada is the Royal Canadian Mint. It issues both bullion and numismatic gold coins. The Royal Canadian Mint commonly uses 0.9999 pure gold in nearly all of its gold coinage. Their advanced security measures ensure the security of their gold coins.
Two examples of Canadian gold coins include the Call of the Wild Coin and Gold Maple Leaf.
- The Canadian Call of the Wild Coin offers a new design annually. Each new coin features a wild species from Canada, and the reverse features lines reflecting the animal’s calls.
- The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf has a face value of $50, and from 1982 on it has had a purity of 0.9999. Each Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coin features Queen Elizabeth II’s effigy, while the reverse side has a sugar maple leaf.
Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins also recently just started using the effigy of King Charles III on the obverse for the first time in the series. Previous versions have seen the following obverse designs:
- 1979-1989: Coins with this issuing year display the Queen at the age of 39.
- 1990-2003: Coins with this issuing year showcase Her Majesty at the age of 64.
- 2004-2023: Coins with this issuing year feature Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 79.
- 2024: Coins with this issuing year showcase King Charles III.
South African Gold Coins
The Gold Krugerrand is one of the most widely known gold coins in the world. It first arrived from the South African Mint in 1967 and was the first bullion coin that was offered for private investment. The front of the Krugerrand features the effigy of Paul Kruger, which was refined in 1984. The reverse features the official symbol of South Africa, the Springbok antelope.
It has a purity of 0.9167 (22-karat) and is manufactured from a gold copper alloy. This combination makes it more durable than pure gold coins. The Gold Krugerrand can be bought in 1-ounce, half-ounce, quarter-ounce, and one-tenth-ounce denominations.
Buying Gold Coins at BullionMax
For any questions relating to Gold Coins, contact the BullionMax customer service team today. We can be reached via email, through our online chat feature, or by calling us at 800-729-3202.
