The bullion coins of the world have a twofold purpose: to serve as a store of value and act as a sort of country-specific memorabilia. Many people buy bullion coins as an investment because they are made of precious metal. Yet, because each country produces unique iterations – some of which change yearly – they are almost like hyper-valuable trading cards. This makes the world of bullion coins very colorful indeed.
Collectors and investors alike have their favorite coins. Countries release different types of coins, sometimes in gold, silver, platinum, and even palladium. For this post, we’ll take a look at some popular gold bullion coins from around the world.
The Gold Nugget: Coming in a wide range of weights (1/20 ozt, 1/10 ozt, 1/4 ozt, 1/2 ozt, 1 ozt, 2 ozt, 10 ozt, 1 kg) and a new design every year, the Australian Gold nugget is one of the most versatile bullion coins. It was first produced in 1986 and featured pictures of famous gold nuggets discovered in Australia. Later on, the coin featured different species of kangaroo instead – which are more associated with Australia. As result, the coins are sometimes called “gold kangaroos.” This coin is 99.99% pure gold.
The Gold Panda: Since 1982, China’s famous bullion coin has featured a new panda portrait on its reverse side every year. The obverse (front or “heads”) side depicts the temple of heaven. Collectors were once in an uproar over the coin in 2002 when China decided to stop introducing a new panda design every year. As such, the 2002 coins looked exactly like the 2001 coins. However, China responded to the public outcry and switched back to using new yearly designs in 2003. Gold Pandas are available in 1/20 ozt, 1/10 ozt, 1/4 ozt, 1/2 ozt, and 1 ozt weights and contain 99.9% pure gold.
The Krugerrand: The South African Krugerrand is one of the oldest and most popular bullion coins for investors. First issued in 1967, it accounted for 90% of the gold coin market by 1980. The coin gets its name from former President Paul Kruger and the rand – the unit of currency in South Africa. The Krugerrand’s composition is 91.67% pure gold. The rest is copper, with makes the coin more resistant to wear (the Krugerrand was originally intended to circulate as normal currency). It weighs 1.09 troy ounces and contains exactly 1 ozt. of gold.
Although their intrinsic value is linked to millesimal fineness and weight, bullion tend be worth slightly more in the coin market because of production costs and collectability. Since Manhattan Gold & Silver is a precious metal refiner, our payout for bullion coins is based solely on its metal content. Using the information provided above and the London Fix, you can determine what your nuggets, pandas, and Krugerrands are worth.
