3 Gold Coins Worth Investing In
Purchasing a gold coin with your hard earned savings could prove to be a worthwhile investment as the years go by. Coins are easy to store and clean, and it is likely that they will increase in value over time.
If you’re thinking about buying a gold coin but you’re new to the process, these 3 coins are well worth the investment.
Sovereign
Many choose to invest in sovereigns because they are traded internationally, and is still one of the most popular semi-numismatic coins in the world. The modern sovereign was first issued in Britain in 1817, but the first version of the coin was presented to King Henry VII back in 1489. Sovereigns continued to be produced in England right up until 1917, when, because of the First World War, Britain abandoned the gold standard. They are however still in production to this day. Sovereigns were produced as follows:
London: 1817–1917, 1925, 1957 onwards
Melbourne: 1872–1931
Sydney: 1855–1926
Perth: 1899–1931
Bombay: 1918 only
Ottawa: 1908–1919
Pretoria: 1923–1932
You can choose either to purchase a full sovereign (22 Karat, 91.667% gold, 8.333% copper) weighing 7.98 grams or a half sovereign (one half of the gold content of the full sovereign). To find out more about gold sovereigns, take a look at our previous blog post.
Krugerrand
The gold Krugerrand derives its name from the Paul Kruger, the former South African president, and the country’s official currency, the Rand. First issued by the South African mint in 1967, it was originally intended to be used as currency. But its quality as a gold coin makes it one of the world’s most prized bullions, and has been issued annually since it was first created. In fact by 1980, the Krugerrand accounted for 90% of the global coin market. The Krugerrand’s gold content is 91.67% (22 Karat), with 8.33% made up of copper alloy, much like the British Soveriegn. Famous for its durability, purity and consistent weight, the Krugerrand has paved the way for such bullions as the American Gold Eagle and Canadian Maple Leaf.
Krugerrand’s are issued in a range of sizes: 1 troy ounce, ½ troy ounce, ¼ troy ounce, and 1/10 troy ounce.
£5 Gold Coins
The gold £5 coin often follows a similar design to gold sovereigns, as they usually feature Benedetto Pistrucci’s St. George image on the reverse of the coin. First produced for George III in 1820, it was not issued for circulation as it was a proof pattern coin. In 1887, a £5 coin commemorating Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee was put into circulation.
There are now 2 types of five pound coin in circulation: the original St. George and Dragon design, and the commemorative gold crown, which changed its value to £5 in 1990, presumably to match inflation.
At Cuttings we buy and sell all three of these gold coins, among many others, and If you’d like some more information about coin investment, our experts would love to answer any questions you may have.