i am looking to pick up a 1/2 oz or 1 oz coin for a regular purchase each year, i have not decided yet, but my question is which one to go for? i was leaning towards the golden eagle, but i thought maybe the maple leaf for the .999. which would you pick and why? i am leaning against the buffalo as i not certain i want make it a 1 oz purchase or not. thank you.
Sky,have you thought about buying a fractional like the 1/10 Maple Leaf or the 1/10 Krugerrand? The 1/10 Krugerrand is 22 Carat (.917) fine gold,which is the same fineness of gold in a British 1/2 Sovereign. Aidan.
You might want to look into Australian bullion coins also. I think they have some outstanding designs in both gold & silver, and I believe they are a fineness of .995
I have been wanting to start doing this too... Gold coins and Bullion are Beautiful!!!! Not to long ago, I held two 10 OZ bars of Gold... Not only was the color amazing, but it was pretty cool how heavy they were for how small they were... As far as collecting a yearly gold coin, I think I would want a 1oz coin as it seems like you pay to much of a premium on the smaller size coins... Also, its a little easier to figure what its worth by looking at the POG and the coins weight... Lastly, I think I'm too cheap as I have a hard time plunking down 650-700+ Bucks on a single coin... I'm just not that Elite yet.. If I was to try that, I'd think of how many other coins, Proof Sets or Mint Sets I could buy... I know its not about quantity, but quality, but still... Mine would either be Buffalos, Maples or Kruggs...
It depends on what you hope to accomplish here. Are you just buying for pure bullion value? Or do you want some coin collectibility? If you're going for pure bullion, go with the Krugerrands. They sell for a few bucks over spot. And of course the full ounce will have the lowest premium. If you want more of a modern coin than pure bullion, I'd say to go with the Gold Eagle. I'd opt for the AGE vs the Maple Leaf personally. There are also plenty of other options for accumulating gold. Personally, I like the older European gold coins (by older I mean 1800's and 1900's). You can get many of these for a small premium over spot. I also would suggest getting some silver too. I've heard it recommended that you get 50 ounces of silver to every ounce of gold. I'd recommend taking a peek over at APMEX (.com) and look at their gold offering. They've got about the best prices I've seen, although you'll have to pay by check or money order to get the best pricing.
Well here's what I did for my first purchase of Gold this year: Check my avatar photo. It's a 2007 quarter ounce Gold Eagle slabbed and graded MS-69 by PCGS. First strike baloney and all. But it truly is a sight to behold. At the end of 2006 I picked up a 1881 $5 gold piece NGC MS-62. That should hold me for a while but I'm seriously looking at the $10 Indian Princess, 1907 to 1933. It was designed by St. Gaudens and is a beautiful coin too. Those are a bit expensive especially in MS-63 or better.
thanks for all the replies. i have thought about the 1/10 oz coins as well, but i suppose i would have the same question as to which to go for. as for my goal, it is more or less just to pick up some gold without much of a concern regarding the "coin" aspect of it. that said, i am trying to just go for a yearly release that i can still appreciate for its appearance above and beyond the value of the metal. i like the look of the eagle, but i was just curious how any possible resale value 30 or 40 or more years down the road would be affected due to the pureness of the gold? i have read many people suggest the maple leaf and more recently the buffalo due to this fact. as for silver, i have been collecting that for a few years mainly with the same foucs in mind. i realize one is paying a premium for the smaller coins and i would be better served going about this in a different manner from an "investment" point of view, but i am not really looking at it as an invesment per se, but kind of a fun way to put some money away and enjoy it as well. instead of checking accounts on a computer screen. as for going for a 1 oz coin or more, i am just looking for some fun with a minor concern on the investment side as i am trying to put every cent i can into my 401, iras and other vehicles so that i might have something 50 years from now. i am sure i will need every cent by then. thanks again for past and any future input. i may just go towards the 1/2 oz eagle, or perhaps two 1/4 oz coins. i am sure it will take me forever to decide.
Well I can add a few comments to stall off your decision further! First, you can never go wrong with an American coin. If you check out the resale values and investigate the demand for the maple leaf; you may come to the conclusion I have. That is; even though it is purer and is a very attractive piece, is it really as liquid? You may find that the resale dollar amount is no better than an AGE and you may find there is less demand for non-US Gold. That said, I will say I broke that rule with my first purchase ( a Krugerrand). The South African Krugerrand was one of the first bullion coins and it is widely recognized. It can be purchased a little cheaper. My next purchases were one tenth ounce AGEs, a quarter ounce AGE and two proof tenth ounce AGEs. It was after those purchases that I bought a FAKE 1925D 2.5 dollar gold Indian. The jewler scumbag took it back and refunded my money, no questions asked. But from that point onward I bought only graded and slabbed coins. I got a nice one tenth ounce AGE graded MS-69 by NGC for $75.00 Now that's a rather inexpensive way to start off. When resale time comes, I'm sure it will sell no problem. I can reccommend a good seller on ebay by the name of Goldstar. She only does 2 auctions a week and only for raw 2006 one tenth ounce gold eagles. I got a couple for around $70 each. And here's more food for thought: I once read that if someone wants to start off buying old US gold coins, begin with a slabbed AU-58. You don't pay outlandish prices and you still get an old US Gold coin. You don't get picky with the minute differences in overgrading/undergrading. Of course I broke that rule by picking up a 1881 $5 NGC MS-62 right off the bat. So in my opinion I would stick to slabbed and graded US Gold. I always check several price guides and the current spot price prior to any purchase.
Howdy, Wow, I still think the $10 Indian is one of the prettiest coins ever made. In my case, I've mostly been a silver guy - the annual roll of silver eagles, some 10 oz bars, rolls of prospectors. I've also got the BU set of eagles and all the ASE proofs. I'm completing the Mapleleaf set and have almost completed the ASE set for my 2 grandkids (3 & 1). Been giving eagles away at christmas to the nieces and nephews for years. As for gold, have a roll of 1 oz eagles and a couple of the proof buffalos but so far that's about it. I don't see myself having the income to really collect gold coins, but do think I need to have some more bullion. I'm looking at fractional sizes, but haven't really decided between eagles and buffs. good luck, rono
just to update, i ended up going with the 1/10 oz from the past 3 years. i figured it would be a start for me and easy enough to go with each year. now, will i branch out more.....
Modern gold "bullion" coins are somewhat overlooked by many collectors. They can be purchased for small premiums to bullion value and there is a wide variety of coins to collect from all over the world. Someday, some of these coins may carry numismatic premiums, so by buying them you can get the best of both worlds.
