Gold Coins For Sale

Buying gold coins is an excellent way to get exposure to gold in your investment portfolio. Their timeless value is matched by their timeless beauty. Gold is also an indispensable part of diversifying your investments.

Whether you're interested in gold coins from a particular region of the world or from a particular time period, there is something for everybody.

Gold Coins Are Highly Liquid

One of the key benefits of buying gold coins over other forms of gold is their high liquidity. This simply means gold coins are very easy to sell at their full market value. In other words, the market price for gold coinage will be slightly above its melt value (i.e. the gold spot price).

In virtually all scenarios, it will be easier to find an eager buyer for a gold coin than any other form of bullion, such as gold bullion bars or other generic products. You'll get the best price when you sell gold coins.

What Are Gold Coins?

It may seem self-evident, but it's worth defining what is a gold coin. It's more than simply a product type to choose from when you shop online for gold.

First a foremost, coins are legal tender. They are given a face value and can technically be spent as money. (This was the norm under the gold standard prior to 1933. However, you would never want to do this today given how high the gold price is.)

As legal tender, gold coins can only be issued by a government. Coins are produced at government mints rather than private mints. Some examples include:

• United States Mint
• Royal Canadian Mint
• South African Mint
• Perth Mint (Australia)
• Royal Mint (U.K.)
• Casa de la Moneda de Mexico (Mexican Mint)
• Austrian Mint

Countries mint gold coins for investors (uncirculated coins) rather than circulating money. This also includes proof coins and commemorative coins that are intended for collectors. These same mints also produce silver bullion coins for the same purposes.

In the past, most gold coins like the British Gold Sovereign were between 90% and 92% pure. Thanks to advancements in minting technology, purity standards are much higher today. Many modern gold coins are now .9999 pure gold—meaning they are 99.99% pure gold.

The sizes of coins vary. The standard size is one ounce (1 troy oz). You may see gold coins as big as 2 oz or 5 oz; and as small as 1/10 oz or even 1 gram (such as the Canadian MapleGram coin).

Learn More About Gold Coins

Popular Gold Coin Series From Around the World

Another benefit of buying gold coins is that you have so many options to choose from. Here are some of the most prominent gold bullion coins on the market.

American Eagle Gold Coins

The American Gold Eagle was first released in 1986. It features a famous image of Lady Liberty circa 1907 on one side of the coin. A new reverse design of a bald eagle was introduced in 2021. Unlike many of its contemporaries, this coin is struck from .917 fine gold (91.7% pure), also known as 22 karats. Gold Eagles remain the best-selling gold coins in the world.

American Buffalo Gold Coins

The Gold Buffalo was first produced in 2006 and is a full 24 karats (.9999 fine gold). It pays homage to the beloved Buffalo nickel design that was used on five-cent coins from 1913 to 1938. Due to its popularity, the iconic image has even been used on privately minted silver rounds and silver bars, as well.

South African Gold Krugerrand Coins

Krugerrands were the first modern bullion coins of their kind, debuting in 1967. The design features a springbok antelope—a national symbol of South Africa—on one side and a portrait of Paul Kruger, the country's first president, on the opposite side. These well-known coins are often used as holiday gift ideas and family heirlooms.

Chinese Gold Panda Coins

The People's Republic of China issues the Gold Panda coin for domestic and international investors. In many cases, Gold Pandas achieved the status of rare coins during the 1980s and 1990s due to low mintage totals. Collectors love the series thanks to a new design of a panda or group of pandas used each year.

Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins

Gold Maples were another early entrant into the bullion coin market when they were first released in 1979. Fittingly, the design of the coin displays Canada's national symbol, the maple leaf. These Canadian gold coins are trusted and traded all over the world in recognition of their exceptionally high quality and anti-counterfeiting features.

Mexican Gold Libertad Coins

The flagship Mexican gold coins are the Libertad series. The design depicts the picturesque statue known as The Angel of Independence located in Mexico City. The same image appears on the silver coins from the Mexican Mint, as well. Like Chinese Pandas, Libertads are known for being minted in relatively low numbers each year.

British Gold Britannia Coins

The United Kingdom similarly celebrates its national heritage on its gold and silver coins. Chief among these British gold coins is the Britannia. Its design honors Britannia, the allegorical female personification of liberty for the British Isles. (Britannia is roughly analogous to Lady Liberty in the United States.) The obverse design depicts Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Australian Gold Kangaroo Coins

The Perth Mint in Western Australia is renowned all over the globe for its precious metal products. Many investors buy silver or buy gold bars from Perth, but the Gold Kangaroo is its most sought-after coin series. They were once known as Gold Nugget coins prior to 1990, when the design paid tribute to famous gold nuggets found in Australia.

Buying Gold Coins

The process of purchasing gold coins is fairly simple, whether you're shopping online or buying coins in person. You may have a favorite design or want to start a collection of gold coins from different parts of the world. Keep in mind that certified coins (i.e. coins that have been professionally graded based on their condition) will always cost more.

Be sure to check a gold dealer's available inventory before making a purchase. The particular coin on your wish list may not be in stock for a few weeks' time. However, be wary of offers for free shipping—the total price you pay may actually be higher despite the "discount" on shipping! Accepted payment methods typically include check, credit card, and bank wire (wire transfer).