Why buy gold coins?

Buy gold coins in all weights

The standard unit of weight for gold coins is expressed in troy ounces. One troy ounce is equal to 31.1 grams. Many mints also produce smaller coins in weights such as one tenth (1/10), one quarter (1/4), and half a troy ounce. If you  have a larger budget to work with and are looking to buy something really special, then it’s also possible to choose larger coins in a weights up to a kilo and over.

The characteristics of gold coins

Unlike gold bars, most gold coins are recognised as legal tender in the country of origin. On the coin you will therefore find the country of issue, year of issue, purity, weight and in many cases also a nominal value. It is worth noting that given the current gold prices, the nominal value is not at all in proportion to the intrinsic value of the gold. For example, when you buy Gold Vienna Philharmonic coins, you will notice a face value of only 100 Euros, while the value of the gold can easily amount to fifteen times as much. It goes without saying that these coins will never be used to pay for groceries.

Overview of gold coin weights

As mentioned above, gold coins are minted in units of troy ounce (Oz). Use the following overview to see the weight conversion in grams for the most widely available gold coins:

- 1/25 Oz gold coin – contains 1.24 grams of gold
- 1/20 Oz gold coin – contains 1.55 grams of gold
- 1/10 Oz gold coin – contains 3.11 grams of gold
- 1/4 Oz gold coin – contains 7.77 grams of gold
- 1/2 Oz gold coin – contains 15.55 grams of gold
- 1 Oz gold coin – contains 31.1 grams of gold
- 2 Oz gold coin – contains 62.2 grams of gold

Buy gold coins with a unique design

A number of gold coins are presented as a series and are minted with a new design every year, making them especially popular with collectors. In some cases, these coins are part of a limited series, such as The Queen's Beasts gold coins by The Royal Mint, which consists of ten coins with a unique design. Another coin series that has been a bestseller worldwide for many years now, is The Perth Mint's Lunar Series. The coins in this series are issued over a period of twelve years with each coin celebrating a specific animal from the Chinese zodiac.

Purity of gold coins

In most cases, gold coins are minted in 24-carat gold, you can recognise this by the indication 999 or 999.9 or even 999.99. However, some investment coins are also produced in a lower gold content, such as when you buy Krugerrands from South Africa, which are minted in 22 carat (91.67% pure) gold. To ensure you are buying an authentic coin, it is important that you only purchase your gold from a reliable precious metal trading company, this way you can be sure that the origin and gold content of your coin is always correct.

Uncirculated versus Proof

When buying gold coins, you can choose not only for a specific series, weight and year of mintage, but also decide on the quality of the coin you wish to buy. For investment-grade coins, this often comes down to the following two options: UNC (uncirculated) or Proof quality. The difference between the two lies in production technique and limited production numbers. When ordering in our webshop, you can view the quality of your chosen coin under product specifications.

Gold UNC coins
The vast majority of precious metal coins fall under the UNC category. This abbreviation denotes that these are uncirculated coins, which means that they originate directly from the mint. Good to know: if a coin is offered as circulated, it is a used coin that may have visible scratches or dents. In the case of UNC coins, you may discover a few very small production-related imperfections, but the coin should still appear in pristine and untouched condition.

Gold Proof coins
Gold proof coins guarantee excellent and exceptional condition. These coins are produced using a specialist minting process. The coin stamp is polished while the deeper parts of the stamp remain rough, which preserves the relief and creates a nice contrast between the shiny and matte parts of the design. In addition, these coins are handled with the greatest care during production and presented in a protective coin capsule. This special and intensive technique coupled with a limited production numbers makes proof coins very valuable and therefore also very popular among collectors.

How to protect your gold coins

As is the case when you buy gold bars, gold coins are fragile. This is because precious metal in its purest form is very soft and therefore prone to scratches and dents. If you want to be assured of the best protection for your gold coins, then it’s important that you store them correctly. When buying gold coins at Goudpensioen, you will receive each one in a coin cover, coin capsule, or in a tube for protection. Mints deliver coins individually (in a capsule) or per tube, which, depending on the type of coin, is usually filled with around ten coins. These all offer good protection against scratches, dust and moisture. You can also buy these products in our webshop under gold coin accessories. Also, be mindful not to keep your coins in direct sunlight and touch coins as little as possible with your bare hands.

Buy gold coins online

Goudpensioen offers you the possibility of buying gold coins 24 hours a day online in our webshop. View all gold coins in our assortment and choose the product that best suits your needs. Your order will be handled with the greatest care and we’ll do all we can to make sure you receive your gold coins as quickly as possible. Products will be shipped  securely to your address or can be picked up in person at our store.