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What are the best gold coins to buy as investments? Precious metals are popular all over the world with both investors and collectors. Some are drawn to numismatics, rare, or proof coins, and others stick to bullion rounds and coins.
Whatever your preference, there are some coins that are consistently popular with both investors and collectors alike. In this article, we'll cover nine of the best gold coins to hold as an investment in 2022.
American Eagle Coins
American Eagle gold coins are among the most popular and widely recognized gold coins in the world. Manufactured by the U.S. Mint and backed by the trust and integrity of the U.S. government, the American Eagle gold coins are easy to buy and sell to investors and collectors all over the world.
Both the bullion American Eagle coins and the higher quality proof version of these coins are allowed for purchase inside U.S. self-directed IRA retirement accounts. This makes American Eagles a popular coin for long-term investors seeking the tax advantages of a gold IRA.
Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins
Introduced in 1979, the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coin was Canada's first coin minted solely for investment purposes. With a purity of .9999 or "four nines fine," the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is one of the purest gold coins ever manufactured.
The Royal Canadian Mint has even produced limited runs of the popular Gold Maple Leafs as pure as five nines fine (.99999). They're beautiful coins popular with investors due to their low premiums and eligibility for U.S. self-directed IRA accounts.
If you're looking for the best gold coins to buy as investments, you can't go wrong with the Canadian Maple Leafs. These coins are a great store of value due to the intrinsic value of gold.
Related: How to Rollover Your 401(k) into Physical Gold and Silver
American Buffalo Gold Coins
Another gold IRA-eligible coin, the American Buffalo is the first 24-karat gold coin produced by the U.S. Mint. With a four nines fine (.9999) purity guarantee backed by the U.S. Treasury, this is one of the best gold coins to buy and hold as an investment.
It's important to note that the "proof" version of the American Buffalo Gold coins are also sold by the U.S. Mint for numismatists and coin collectors. These higher quality versions of the American Buffalos are popular with collectors, but sell at a higher premium than the bullion coins. If you're buying gold coins as a way to invest in the underlying precious metal, you'll probably do best investing in bullion.
Related: Free Guide - How to Open a Retirement Account Backed By Physical Gold
South African Gold Kruggerand Coins
In 1967, the Republic of South Africa began minting the gold Kruggerand coins. Rand Refinery and the South African Mint manufactured the gold coin in order to market South African gold to the rest of the world. It was a success as the South African Gold Kruggerand coins rank as some of the top gold coins to buy as investments.
The "Kruggerand" name is a compound of Paul Kruger - the first (and only) President of the South African Republic, and "rand," the unit of currency in South Africa. The gold Kruggerand depicts an image of Paul Kruger's profile on the obverse of the coin, and the image of a pronking springbok (South Africa's national animal) on the reverse.
It's important to note that while widely popular, the South African Kruggerand gold coins are not eligible for gold IRA investments. You can buy and collect these coins in your personal collection, but cannot add them to your self-directed IRA. Doing so, could disqualify your gold IRA putting your account at risk of a heavy tax penalty.
Austrian Gold Philharmonic Coins
Introduced to the world in 1989, the Austrian Gold Philharmonic is the Austrian state's official gold coin. Produced to a 999.9 fineness level, it is considered a 24-karat 'pure' gold coin - meeting the I.R.S. requirements for inclusion in a gold IRA retirement account.
For most investors, beauty and rarity are of less importance than the gold content of the coin. The Austrian Mint has however, also manufactured 'proof' versions of the Gold Philharmonics in order to appeal to collectors.
Like other coins on this list, the proof versions sell at a higher premium than their bullion counterparts. Numismatists and gold coin collectors are willing to pay this additional overhead, but for investment purposes, the bullion coins value better aligns with the spot price of the underlying gold content.
Related: Birch Gold Group Review - Is the Gold IRA Company Legit?
Gold British Britannias
The Royal Mint began producing the Gold British Britannias in 1987. The early version of these coins were 22-karat gold with a fineness of .917.
Beginning in 2013, the Royal Mint started producing the Britannias with a fineness of .9999. Another "four nines fine" coin, the gold Britannias make our list of best gold coins to buy as investment in 2022.
As a 24-karat bullion coin, Britannias meet the U.S. government's fineness qualifications for inclusion in a self-directed gold IRA. This flexibility as an investment either in your home collection or through a tax-deferred retirement account makes the gold British Britannias popular with gold investors in the United States.
Britannia 2022 1 oz Bullion Coin
Gold Mexican Libertad Coins
The Mexican Mint (also known as La Casa de Mondea de Mexico) is the oldest Mint in the Americas. Established in 1535, the Mexican Mint began producing their "three nines fine" (.999) Gold Mexican Libertad bullion coin in 1982. Today, the Mexican Mint proudly manufactures bullion, proof, and reverse proof versions of the popular coin for investors and collectors all over the world.
The bullion version of the Mexican Libertad coin is also IRA-eligible for U.S. investors.
Note: If you're considering opening a precious metals IRA, understand that the IRS considers most rare, numismatic, or proof coins as collectibles which are not allowed in retirement accounts. Make sure to check all gold IRA tax rules and consulting with a trusted gold IRA provider before opening your account. Click here for our list of top gold IRA companies.
Gold Australian Kangaroos
For more than three decades, investors have trusted their investment money with the Gold Australian Kangaroo coins. The Perth Mint's world-renowned bullion coin first introduced in 1986 is manufactured as 99.99% pure gold, making the Kangaroos popular not just with collectors, but for investors worldwide. The bullion coin's purity also meets U.S. requirements for eligibility in your precious metals IRA.
In 2011, The Perth Mint broke the world record by creating a one tonne version of the gold Kangaroo bullion coin. This record-breaking coin is valued today at more than $53 million.
Gold Chinese Pandas
The Official Mint of the People's Republic of China first launched the gold Chinese Panda bullion coins in 1982. The coins are .999 fine gold and attract interest from investors internationally.
The obverse image on the coin depicts the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest in the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. The reverse of the coin is always a panda (hence the name of the coin), but the design and image of the panda has varied throughout the years.
Like most of the coins that made our list today, the gold Chinese Pandas are allowed in precious metals IRAs, and in-demand with investors across the globe. If you're looking for a unique bullion coin to add to your collection, you may consider purchasing some Chinese Pandas.
Best Gold Coin Investments
Of course, there are a number of major mints around the world that strike beautiful gold and silver bullion products that may fit well in your investment portfolio. These are just a small handful of what I believe to be the more popular coins that should serve you well as long-term investments.
There are a few more I thought about adding to this list, but ultimately narrowed it down to nine gold bullion coins. Did I leave any out that you think are the best gold coins to buy as investments? If so, please leave them in the facebook comments below!
