Gold coins
Gold Bullion Coins: A Guide to the Major Modern Issues
An overview of the main gold bullion coins, from the Krugerrand to the Panda, with purity, sizes, premiums and face value explained.
An overview of the main gold bullion coins, from the Krugerrand to the Panda, with purity, sizes, premiums and face value explained.
The US $20 Double Eagle explained: Liberty Head and Saint-Gaudens types, specifications, the 1933 gold recall, and bullion versus numismatic value.
A guide to the US Mint's American Eagle bullion coins in gold, silver, platinum and palladium: dates, specifications, designs and distribution.
The Royal Canadian Mint's Gold Maple Leaf: its 1979 launch, the move to .9999 purity, sizes, face value, security features and how it compares.
A guide to British gold coins: the guinea, the modern sovereign since 1817, the half sovereign and the gold Britannia, with specifications and tax notes.
Why one troy ounce is the standard silver coin size, how the main 1 oz coins compare, and how tubes, monster boxes and premiums work.
Silver rounds explained: privately minted one-ounce pieces with lower premiums than coins, their resale and counterfeit risks, and how to verify them.
A guide to Canadian silver coins: the .9999 Silver Maple Leaf, its security features, older circulating silver coinage and other Royal Canadian Mint issues.
An overview of the main silver bullion coins, from the American Silver Eagle to the Maple Leaf, Britannia, Philharmonic, Libertad, Kookaburra and Panda.
The Royal Canadian Mint's 1 oz Palladium Maple Leaf: specifications, issue history, comparison with gold and silver Maples, and resale.
An overview of palladium and platinum bullion coins, from the Palladium Maple Leaf and Palladium Eagle to the Platinum Eagle and Britannia.
How to buy silver coins: choosing between coins, rounds, bars and junk silver, understanding premiums and taxes, avoiding fakes, storage and resale.
What the gold spot price means, how the LBMA Gold Price and COMEX futures work, and how to turn spot into the metal value of a coin.
How to choose gold coins, compare premiums and dealers, spot fakes, store coins safely and keep the records you need when you sell.
How the price of a Krugerrand is set: gold spot price, premiums, buy and sell spreads, dates, proofs, condition and taxes, with a simple estimate method.
Bullion Coins is a reference guide to the coins people buy for their precious metal content. It explains what each coin contains, who issues it, how its price is formed and what to check before buying or selling. The aim is simple: give clear, accurate information so readers can compare coins on equal terms.
A bullion coin is a coin valued mainly for the weight and purity of the metal it contains. It is usually struck by a government mint, carries a nominal face value, and states its weight and fineness on the coin itself. Its market price follows the price of the metal, plus a premium that covers minting, distribution and the dealer’s margin.
A numismatic coin is different. Its value depends on rarity, age, condition and collector demand, and can be many times its metal value. Some coins sit between the two: historic gold coins such as the French 20 francs or the British sovereign are old enough to have history, yet common enough to trade mostly on their gold content.
| Coin | Mint or country | Metal | Fineness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Krugerrand | South Africa | Gold | .9167 |
| American Gold Eagle | United States Mint | Gold | .9167 |
| Gold Maple Leaf | Royal Canadian Mint | Gold | .9999 |
| Vienna Philharmonic | Austrian Mint | Gold | .9999 |
| Sovereign | United Kingdom | Gold | .9167 |
| American Silver Eagle | United States Mint | Silver | .999 |
| Silver Maple Leaf | Royal Canadian Mint | Silver | .9999 |
| American Platinum Eagle | United States Mint | Platinum | .9995 |
| Palladium Maple Leaf | Royal Canadian Mint | Palladium | .9995 |
| American Palladium Eagle | United States Mint | Palladium | .9995 |
Coins of .9167 fineness are 22-carat gold, alloyed for durability; their gross weight is higher so that the fine gold content reaches the stated amount, such as one troy ounce.
Every bullion coin price starts with the spot price of its metal, a wholesale reference quoted per troy ounce (31.1035 grams). Multiply the coin’s fine metal content by spot and you get its metal value. The price a dealer asks is that metal value plus a premium; the price a dealer pays back is usually close to or slightly below metal value for common coins.
Premiums depend on the coin, its size, the quantity bought and market conditions. Small coins cost more per gram than large ones, and silver and PGM coins carry higher premiums in percentage terms than gold. The gap between a dealer’s selling and buyback prices, the spread, is the true cost of owning a coin and later selling it.
If you are new to the subject, these pages are a good place to start:
You can also browse by theme: gold coins, silver coins, platinum and palladium and buying guides.
Bullion Coins is an independent editorial website. It sells nothing: no coins, no bars, no storage and no investment products. It has no link with any mint, dealer or refiner, nor with any previous user of this domain name. The articles describe coins and markets in general terms and are not personal financial advice; tax rules and market conditions vary, so check the situation where you live before making any decision. More about the site is available on the about page.
Specifications, history, prices and practical buying advice for the world's main bullion coins
Gold coins