For the benefit of novice, and experienced gold investors, the ascending order of gold bullion prices follows as such: 24-karat Bullion bars, 22-karat bullion coins, 24-karat bullion coins, 22-karat proof coins, and 24-karat, ultra-high proof coins.

Both novices, and experienced precious metals investors alike, are hereby reminded that both 22, and 24-karat bullion coins each contain a full troy-ounce of pure gold, but that the 24-karat purity of coins like American Buffalos, or Canadian Maple Leafs, carry higher premiums that 22-karat American Eagles, or South African Krugerrands. Since bullion is completely devoid of numismatic value, its’ prices generally hover slightly above the current gold spot price, which represents the cost of one troy-ounce of pure gold.

Any investor, who is considering using gold bullion prices to start a gold-backed IRA, should know that American Eagles are the only 22-karat bullion that is government-approved for such usage, along with 24-karat bullion bars and coins. (Rare coins are also disallowed for precious metal IRAs).

Premiums for proof coins escalates a bit, as they require a special minting process, which produces a nearly impossible-looking effect, where the coin’s designs seem to float just above a mirror-like background, or “field”. 24-karat ultra-high proofs are even more stunning, and thus command even slightly higher premiums.

Investors are encouraged to complete their research, and then to contact one of our friendly specialists, who offer institutional discounts on these, and many other items to household investors like you.

Shawn Cunningham

Novice precious metals investors are initially drawn to bullion prices, because their relative affordability (compared to rare coin prices) still allows for a great amount of wealth to be stored in a small, safe place. Since bullion has no numismatic value, which distinguishes itself with rare coins, its’ prices generally tend to hover a little bit above the current gold spot price, which is the cost of one troy ounce of pure gold.

The cat is out of the bag for anyone who’s been paying attention about the gold market. Demand for gold is at an unprecedented high, with bullion prices climbing hand in hand with the spot price, and bullish projections are living up to their hype. Projections and hype are two things that could cloud an investors’ judgment, so they are advised to instead monitor economic trends, and leave the “spitballing and conjecture” to the so-called economic experts, who were touting miraculous economic recovery only three short weeks ago.

As mentioned, investors should concentrate on how to maximize their gains from repeated record-high bullion prices. Many bullion buyers are adapting their investment philosophies to harmonize with an otherwise hostile economic environment, by converting the majority of their wealth into rare coins, for long-term economic stability in the face of our upcoming economic hardship. The numismatic value that rare coins possess generally tends to appreciate over time, so investors are purchasing rare coins like Double Eagles, which are $20 Lady Liberty and $20 Saint Gaudens, 22-karat rare coins. Investors can avoid paying outlandish retail prices for their Double Eagle and bullion coins by contacting one of our friendly specialists, who offer institutional discounts to household investors like you.

Shawn Cunningham

Bullion investments are a comfortable fit for most novice investors, since bullion prices usually hover just above the current spot price of a precious metal, and are thus easy to track. The spot price of a precious metal is the cost of one Troy ounce of the respective metal, which for the purpose of this weblog, are gold and silver. Gold and silver bullion prices are vastly dissimilar, since gold backs the value of all printed currency in existence, while being vastly more globally scarce than silver. Silver bullion prices are exponentially more affordable than gold’s, as silver’s value isn’t directly related to printed currency, and silver has industrial and technological uses besides being one of the four major precious metals.

Bullion possesses no numismatic value, like rare coins have, which is why bullion coin is vastly more affordable than rare coin. Because of this, bullion has historically been used for potential short-term profit ventures. Since the advent of precious metal-backed IRA’s however, bullion also has long-term investment benefits as a U.S. government approved, precious metal-backed IRA contribution. Since 2001, IRA’s with so-called “traditional” investments in stock and bonds have literally lost over three trillion dollars. It’s no small wonder why multitudes of investors have since converted their retirement savings into precious metal-backed IRA’s, with U.S. government approved contributions like the following;

BULLION BARS

Reputable brand names for 24-Karat bullion bars include Engelhard, Credit Suisse, PAMP Suisse, and Johnson Matthey, for purity and worldwide liquidity

BULLION COINS

(22-Karat) – American Eagles
(24-Karat) – American Buffalos, Austrian Philharmonics, Canadian Maple Leafs, Australian Koalas, Kangaroos, and Lunar coins, as well as Chinese Pandas. Investors are encouraged to contact one of our friendly specialists, who offer institutional discounts on bullion bars and coins.

Shawn Cunningham

The short-term benefits of bullion investing are widely known, as bullion prices generally tend to hover slightly above the current precious metal spot price, which fluctuates hourly according to demand for the precious metal bullion. Bullion comes in the form of bars, and coins, and both types are ideal vehicles for short-term gains, as well as for physical possession. Experienced investors generally recommend physical possession for at least some of a bullion investment, as one-ounce, and ten-ounce bars are easily and discretely carried or stored, and lend immeasurable peace of mind to household investors. Incidentally, the utter simplicity of bullion bars usually means lower bullion prices than bullion coin. Reputable brand names for bullion bars include Johnson Matthey, Credit Suisse, and PAMP Suisse.

Bullion coin actually has long-term and short-term benefits, as investors can use bullion coins for precious metal-backed IRA’s. More and more investors today are concerned about protecting the value of their hard-earned retirement dollars, and the U.S. government approves the following bullion coins for IRA storage:

22-KARAT COINS – American Eagles, which are actually near replicas of the storied $20 Saint Gaudens, 22-Karat gold coins, minted from 1907 to 1933. They are available in denominations of one-ounce, ½-ounce, ¼-ounce, and 1/10-ounces, to fit a greater range of budgets. American Eagles also are available in proofs.

24-KARAT COINS – American Buffalos, Canadian Maple Leafs, Australian Koalas, Kangaroos, and Lunar coins, as well as Chinese Pandas. These coins are also incremented into smaller denominations, and make superb collector’s items.

Naturally, 24-Karat coins carry higher bullion prices than 22-Karat coins. Investors are encouraged to complete their research, and then to contact one of our friendly investment specialists, who offer large-volume discounts on bullion bars and coins.

Shawn Cunningham