Should you invest in gold bars or coins?

When on the topic of investing in gold, bullion is usually what comes to mind. Unfortunately,  many people make the mistake of believing that all gold bullion comes as gold bars. As such, when people are advised to buy gold bullion, bar sales rise dramatically.

The truth is, gold bullion can come in many forms. One of the more popular is gold coins. There are a variety of gold coins available, such as American eagle gold bullion coins that were minted specifically for making gold collectible in a form that could represent and retain its value.

But the question is often asked "why are people more interested in coins than bars these days?"

The answer is, logistics. It's easy to measure and easy to transport.  In these tumultuous economic times, people are worried about what the future may have in store.  They want to be able to have something of value on hand, that can't disappear due to changes in the market.

Many people also feel that coins are easier to sell than bars. When you're buying gold as an investment, you want to be sure that you can get cash out of it quickly if and when your moment of need arises. Whether that moment is during your retirement or during a crisis makes little difference. The important thing, is that you'll be able to turn that gold into something of value when you need it.

Gold bullion selling is pretty simple. It can be done through brokerages, for a fee, online, and scrap gold can be sold through the mail (though this is far from the preferred method of selling gold).  There are also many local options when selling in smaller amounts, such as pawn shops, certain jewellers, and even some banks.

Gold coin investment opportunities are easy to find. Whether it's eBay or television commercials, there is no shortage of opportunities to buy gold coins. You can even buy gold coins on television shopping channels.

So does this mean that investing in gold bars is a bad idea?

Certainly not! Gold bullion bars are great as far as investments go, but it depends on why you're investing. Different people have different goals for their investments. Sometimes people like having the large nest egg in their vaults or tucked away in safety deposit boxes. It's a comfort for them to know that their collection of gold is always growing in value and that they can look forward to retiring comfortably.

These are people who aren't looking for fast action or instant liquidity in moments of need. They're investing for the long term and find gold to be a safe bet of rising values. Both today and down the road.

Regardless of your reason for investing, gold bullion, whether in coins or bars is a solid investment. To put it quite simply, it has stood the test of time.  In regards to investment, gold is the closest thing we have to a sure thing.

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