It’s late summer in 2011, and the price of gold today is up $55 per ounce from its price yesterday, an all-too-familiar pattern that has been hitting the financial news in recent weeks. Each day that goes by seems to bring a new all-time high for the price of gold. However, to talk about the price of gold today, first we must look at the price of gold from a historical perspective. And to do this, it is necessary to understand the basic premise of the gold market itself. Gold prices constantly readjust themselves relative to how many United States dollars or British pounds sterling–known as flat currency–it takes to purchase an ounce of gold.

Gold prices did not fluctuate much from the time the gold standard was set by Sir Isaac Newton in 1717 until the Great Depression in the 1930s, when the price of gold suddenly doubled. The United States federal government responded by making it illegal for the private individual to buy gold, except in the form of jewelry, and by setting and fixing the official price of gold at $35 per ounce. This regulation of the price of gold kept the economy stable for awhile, but as flat currency began to be supported less and less by gold, the era of the official gold standard was drawing to a close. More…

When considering buying gold, there are many forms of gold to look into.  Beyond jewelry, there is bullion verse numismatic and bars verse coins.  All come in many different forms, in many different sizes and all will hold different values as well as different selling potential.

Bullion simply means gold that has a fixed value based on gold content alone.  For instance purchasing a 10 ounce bullion bar, with .995 fine purity is sold for a certain fixed value that only increases through supply and demand.  Numismatic is for gold that is a collectible, typically coins. More…

The Vienna Philharmonic coin series are usually known only by their stunning pure gold version, which are 999.9 fine (24 karats) and are often purchased by avid collectors and coin investors when considering the current gold price and looking for a reliable investment. However, as of February of 2008, the Vienna Philharmonic coins are now produced in silver.

The actual design of the silver Vienna Philharmonic coins is the same as the gold Vienna Philharmonic coins, but their face value is listed as 1.50 euro. These silver coins, much like the gold versions, are minted by the 800 year old reputable Austrian Mint, which is known worldwide for its history, beautifully minted coins, and quality. The coins were instantly popular in 2008, and they continue to be collected by collectors and purchased by investors looking for valuable, beautiful coins. More…

The 2011 American Eagle gold coin is now available and ready for delivery! Not only do these coins shimmer with the most exquisite beauty that gold coinage offers, but also you can rest assured with these coins as part of your investment portfolio, that you have made a sensible decision to purchase them. Even beyond the immediate thrill of owning gold coinage, the tactile pleasure of running them through your fingers, you can count on your coins as a safe investment that will continue to appreciate in value as time goes on.

These coins, re-issued in 1986, re-vivify the gorgeous design by artist August Saint-Gaudens, originally produce for $20 coins under the Roosevelt administration in the early part of the 20th century. More…

Unless you have been away from the different media of the world for most of 2011, you will be aware of the battle for millions of dollars of gold coins between the American government and the family of a suspected coin thief. In the end, it would seem that the government won the right to keep the gold Eagles that were discovered in a bank vault a few years earlier, but the story does serve to demonstrate the dramatic value possible in a rare coin.

Naturally, not every rare coin is going to come with such impressive value, but there are many examples of people discovering a single coin worth tens of thousands – and more! Many people will head to coin shows in order to see if they can find some valuable assets for investment in this way, and it is also the way many find a good coin dealer to help them with their pre-existing rare coin collections. More…