Gold coins value

[gold newbie]

Is it better to invest in gold coins or in gold bars. It seems that most coins sell for a premium over the price of the gold in them because they are a coin. I assume that this is because there are a limited number and they are more collectible. Is this premium worth the price because more people value you them? In other words, will their price theoretically go up even more than the price of gold because they are a coin in limited supply?

[Dsquared513]

You are unlikely to make a profit off of the premium buying any newer gold coins, if you paid a 5% premium on top of spot price when you bought it, then you'll probably get 5% over spot when you sell it. Older and more collectable coins can be a different story, but if you don't know a lot about them then you are taking the risk that they aren't as rare or in as good a condition as you think. If you want to buy gold, then buy whatever you like. My personal philosophy is to not have too much money tied up in premiums and instead try to get as much weight as I can for my money since I believe spot price has a much higher probability of increasing than premiums do. Just be aware of the risk, even though gold has dropped a lot in price it is still overpriced and could continue to go down, although the federal reserves tapering of QE could send it back up. If you are looking at gold as an investment then you might be better off buying GLD etf's, purchasing physical bullion and bars immediately loses you 3-15% in premiums you pay which you may or may not get back, on top of sales tax if applicable wherever you live. I own physical gold and silver and consider them more of a hobby or collection that retains its value better than most others, or like forced savings since I won't dip into my precious metals for spending money like I might do to my savings account which is easy to access and transfer online. An investment is something you put your money into with the hope that it will be more profitable in the future and give you a return on your investment, but precious metals do not produce anything, they dont have a price to earnings ratio, all they do is sit there and fluctuate up and down in price. If you've got the stones to speculate on something so volatile then more power to you.

[Mouse]

if you want physical gold/silver it is all going to be personal preference..

I had a similar question a few years back on another forum about silver.. bars or coins..

and the answer I got was.. if i needed to sell them.. what would be easier to sell? coins or bars? some people cant afford bars and maybe only afford to buy coins. coins may be easier to sell in an emergency situation. especially gold, gold coins are expensive as it is..now think of the price of bars..

also.. say you kept your collection in your house and say something happened where you needed to get out fast.. what would be easier to grab and get out with?

doesnt mean you still cant get both!

those were the responses I got when I had a question and it helped me get started.
hope this helps