Should I Buy Australian Gold Coins? Absolutely!
When beginning a coin collection, prospective collectors often wonder which coins are the best to start collecting. It’s a fair question given the plethora of government mints that are all willing and able to sell coins of all different metals, shapes, sizes, and denominations. However, for the beginning collector, I’d suggest trying some Australian gold coins - namely, the Australian Gold Nugget or the Koala.
First minted in 1986 by the Gold Corporation, a Western Australia government owned company, the Gold Nugget has a few unique features that make it a fantastic collector’s item. The first is that they come in a tremendous variety of sizes. You can buy this coin in eight different weights all the way from 1/20 troy oz. to 1 kg. of 24 carat gold. The beginning collector will likely choose the 1/20 oz. coin while an investor will likely go for the 1 oz. (or if you’re rich, you can never go wrong with one kilo - or 2.2 lbs - of gold!).
Secondly, the design on these Australian gold coins changes every year, ensuring that the coins you receive will, at some time, be unique collectors’ items. Thinking about it logically, you can’t get the 2007 design now from the Australian government, so the only way for one to get this, or other previous designs, is to go through private collectors. It’s also worth mentioning that there is a limited annual mintage. So once the amount of coins of that design are sold out, they can only be found from private collectors.
Indeed, it’s not hard to see why these Australian gold coins are well noted for being able to achieve a value greater than their weight in gold, so to speak. They have legal tender status in Australia and have designs that change annually. Plus, they also make great beginning coins because of their wide array of sizes. Indeed, for the beginning or advanced collector, we strongly recommend that you check out the Gold Nuggets by the Australian government.
See these beautiful coins at GovMint.com for Gold! Click here!
The Legacy of the Gold Krugerrand – It Set the Style and Standard
It could easily be said that no gold coin collection would be complete without a South African Krugerrand. Introduced in 1967 by the South African Mint as a way to market and publicize South African gold, the Krugerrand was the coin that gave all countries the idea to produce their own collectable gold coins. Indeed, it was the success of the gold Krugerrand that made the Canadian, Australian, British, and American mints elect to create their own gold coins.
So what made this coin so special? The gold Krugerrand was a first in many respects. It was the first coin to use exactly one troy ounce of gold, although it’s quality was only 22 karats so the coin itself is comprised of 1.0909 troy ounces of metal - 1 oz. of gold and 0.0909 of copper. The coin was also very unique in its status as legal tender. The vast majority of minted coins today have a face value in addition to the coin’s intrinsic bullion value, however, the Krugerrand did not. It’s legal tender value was the value of the bullion itself. So if one troy ounce is $1000, the coin would have been legally worth $1000.
The scarcity of the Krugerrand also certainly had something to do with its initial popularity. Until 1994, sanctions against South Africa for its apartheid policies made the Krugerrand an illegal import into most Western nations. Hence, the coin had a sort of elusive appeal to it since getting one’s hands on a few of these coins meant instant profits when sold. Considering the gold Krugerrand was only sold by the Mint at at 5% premium, this meant that coins that did show up in the Western world could easily be sold at a handsome profit.
As one can see, the Krugerrand was in a class of its own. It was the catalyst that inspired many governments to launch their own collectable coin minting programs and it was also the first to include the standard one troy ounce of gold. Indeed, the Krugerrand has a tremendous amount of history that makes it a living legend in the gold coin market.
Buy this beautiful gold Kruggerrand at GovMint.com for Gold! Click here!
Beginning Collecting? Try the Gold Maple Leaf
Filed under: Canadian Gold Coins, Gold Coins, Gold Maple Leaf
Those who are interested in collecting are often bewildered at the wide variety of coins that are available. Mints from many different countries offer collectable coins and other novelties. The problem for a beginning collector is finding a unique coin that starts the collection but is also guaranteed to increase in value. For starting a coin collection, we recommend beginning with the relatively cheap 1/25oz Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coin. Why? Because it’s cheap, looks amazing, and also has a decent amount of intrinsic value.
For someone starting a coin collection, it’s important to choose something that represents a solid value. The Gold Maple Leaf retails from the Canadian Mint at $99.95 Canadian and has 1/25oz of gold. Since gold is hovering around the $1000 mark, this means that the gold market value of the coin is currently around the $50 US mark (or about $60 CDN). Considering the fact that gold has more than doubled over the past 10 years, it’s certainly not implausible that the sheer value of this gold coin will be more than $100 in the next decade. Add on the fact that Canadian Mint coins are of excellent quality, only 15,000 are minted every year, and that they are regarded as some of the best coins in the world, and it’s easy to see why you will likely be able to sell the gold Maple Leaf at a profit in the future.
It’s very easy to see why this coin makes an excellent starter to any collection. From there, we recommend expanding by adding some of the more expensive gold coins. For those wishing to continue with the Canadian theme, we might suggest the new limited edition Vancouver 2010 coins. These beautifully colored gold coins are $499.95 and represent a one-time occasion, thus all but ensuring its continued value appreciation for decades to come.
Buy this exquisite gold maple Leaf at GovMint.com for Gold under $150! Click here!
Rare Gold Dutch Ducats
Ducats became a standard gold coin throughout Europe, especially after it was officially imperially sanctioned in 1566. The most common type of ducat were the old Dutch ducats which circulated almost as merchandise. These stunning Gold Dutch Ducats being offered are of 98.6% gold content and are 21mm in diameter. These coins date between 1757 and 1805 (date our choice) and are in Extremely Fine condition! The magnificently detailed, obverse side of the ducats depict a standing knight in full armor holding a sword in his right hand and a bundle of arrows in his left. The arrows signify the unity of the six northern provinces under the 1579 Union of Utrecht, a declaration of independence from Spain. Along the periphery, the Latin legend "CONCORDIA.RES PAR.CRES.HOL" expands to Concordia Res Parvae Crescunt Hollandiae, which translates as "Through unity little things grow - Holland" (Union is strength).
The reverse of the coins bear the legend, or motto, within an ornamental square tablet as “MONETA ORDINUM PROVINCIARUM FOEDERATARUM BELGII AD LEGEM IMPERII” which translates “Coin of the Provinces of the United Netherlands According To The Law of The Empire”. Since these coins were present in America through trading with the Dutch, it is possible that they were, at one time, in the possession of one of these notable gentlemen, such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Hancock. What a treasure a Gold Dutch Ducat would make in YOUR coin collection!! Add this coin to your collection here!
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