Gold coins are of particular interest to coin collectors for three reasons. The first reason is because of gold's long history as the primary monetary unit of exchange, and the significance of historical events in which gold and gold coins played a major role. The second reason is the aesthetic and artistic appeal of minted gold coins. The third reason is gold's role in our modern economy as a highly functional and financially liquid store of monetary value. In fact, US gold coins are still minted and sold by the U.S. Government.

The initial minting of golden coins was done in the middle of the Sixth Century. They were the main currency from then to the late Twentieth Century. The Great Depression, which took place throughout the globe in the early 1930s caused nations to change over to monies that were worth little more than the materials that went into them, like paper and inexpensive metals. The United States stopped putting out U.S. gold coins sometime during this period.

People are drawn to making jewelry out of gold because of its distinctive hue, its shine, and the ease of shaping it into different forms. The identical features render US gold coins and those of other nations attractive as collectibles. The tales that underlie the designs imprinted on the coins offer us a glimpse at our past, and the designs themselves have intrinsic worth as pieces of art.

Coins collected for their monetary value are gold bullion coins. Bullion coins contain ninety to one hundred percent precious metal by weight. A small, one ounce coin can be worth several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on the metal, and the current spot price of the metal. As such, these coins are a dense store of financial value. Investors consider gold a hedge against the inflation of currency without any inherent value, such as paper money.

Besides a hedge against inflation, many investors store part of their net worth in metals such as gold to hedge against another Great Depression. These investors argue that modern currencies of no intrinsic value would also lose their value as a unit of exchange. In this line of reasoning, gold coins would gain in value as a unit of exchange as people fled banks and many classes of investments for a safer haven in which to store their wealth. Over thousands of year, unlike paper currency and stocks and bonds, gold has never once lost its value as a unit of exchange.

It doesn't matter why you are interested. There are numerous books and websites that have information you can learn about numismatics and gold bullion. Both online and in the "real world," there are unscrupulous dealers. However, there are lots of dealers with great reputations where you can buy gold bullion or buy gold coins without fear.

Learn more about US gold coins at the net's premiere site covering everything related to U.S. gold coins, US-Gold-Coins.org. Whether you're seeking to buy gold bullion or buy gold coins, everything you need is here including current spot gold price prices, gold related videos, and of course, our US Gold Coins Blog!