With world markets falling everyday, more and more people are turning to gold as a safer investment class than real estate and mutual funds. Investing a percentage of a well balanced investment portfolio in platinum and gold may act as a hedge against inflation. Precious metals are normally not as susceptible to the same gyrations as the bond and stockmarkets. Normally, gold is not correlated to the stockmarket. A portfolio of gold coins may well add stability and value to your portfolio.

For small investors, one of the best ways to buy gold is with gold coins. Gold bullion coins are usually worth more compared to gold bars. This is {because gold coins are more expensive to manufacture than gold bullion bars. A advantage of gold bullion coins over gold bars is gold bullion coins tend to accumulate more numismatic value with the passage of time. The reason for this is most gold bullion coins are produced with the date of production on it. The older the gold coin by and large the more coin collecting value it will build up, if it is kept in good condition.

Here's a few of the most trendy gold bullion coins

Gold American Eagles

The American Gold Eagle coin was first released by the U.S. Mint in 1986 having been authorized under 1985's Gold Bullion Coin Act. They are guaranteed by the American government to contain the stated amount of actual gold in troy ounces. By law the gold in these coins must come from sources in the United States. It is backed by the U.S. Mint, and authorized by the United States Congress for weight and content. It can be bought in 1/10 troy ounce, 1/4 troy ounce, half ounce and 1 ounce denominations.

The reverse design features a female eagle and her hatchlings in a nest, and above them a male carrying an olive branch. The obverse design features Lady Liberty holding an olive branch in her left hand and a torch in her right, and in the background, the Capitol building.

The United States Mint also mints a proof version for coin collectors. Most American Eagle gold coins are produced at the West Point Mint in New York state and show a W mark underneath the year of issue. As with other gold bullion coin, their actual market value will vary daily depending on the current market value of gold.

South African Gold Krugerrands

The gold South African Krugerrand coin was the first bullion coin to contain exactly one ounce of pure gold. In fact, the Krugerrand has constantly been one of the most popular bullion coins available.

The gold Krugerrand's name from a combination of the last President of the old South African republic, Paul Kruger's surname, and the Rand, which is South Africa's official currency. The obverse of the South African Krugerrand features an impression of Kruger. The other side has a springbok, a type of gazelle. Springboks are the national animal of South Africa.

Canadian Gold Maple Leafs

The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin was first minted in 1979 by the R.C.M. (Royal Canadian Mint). It is one of the purest gold coins in the world, with a gold content of 24k, Some special issues contain gold sourced totally in Canada with virtually no base metals at all. From 1988 onwards, Maple Leaf coins have also been produced in .9995 fine platinum, and .9999 fine silver. In 2005 a .9995 fine palladium Maple Leaf 1 ounce coin was produced.

It comes in a twentieth troy oz, 1/10 troy ounce, a quarter troy oz, a half ounce, and 1 troy ounce denominations. It is guaranteed by the Royal Canadian Mint to contain the declared amount (in troy ounces) of 99.999% pure 24k gold. The coins are legal tender in Canada, with face values of C$50, C$20, C$10, C$5 and C$1. These values are much lower than their spot value, and are symbolic. All denominations are the same in design, except for the engravings on the obverse and reverse sides that indicate the face value and weight of the bullion coin.

The Royal Canadian Mint manufactured a Gold Maple Leaf coin with a face value of C$1,000,000 on May 3 2007. At the time the real gold content was worth over $2 million. It weighs 100 kilograms, is 3 cm thick, 50 cm in diameter, with a purity of 99.999%|With a purity of 99.999%. it is 3 cm thick, 50 cm in diameter}. It was conceived as a promotional centerpiece to advertise the R.C.M.'s new line of .99999 pure 1 oz Maple Leaf gold bullion coins.

Australian Gold Nuggets

Sometimes known as Gold Kangaroos, the Australian Gold Nugget is a gold bullion coin produced by the Perth Mint. These coins have been produced in a series of denominations of 24k gold. They are legal tender in Australia and are one of a few legal tender gold bullion coins to alter their design on an annual basis, along with Chinese Gold Pandas. This, along with their restricted annual production may well help to inflate their numismatic value over time.

The Gold Nugget series was first produced in 1986 by the Gold Firm, owned by the government of Western Australia. Up to 1989, the reverse of these gold bullion coins pictured various Australian gold nuggets. With the 1989 proof edition, the design was altered to show kangaroos, a more well recognized symbol of Australia.

2 troy ounce, ten ounce and 1 kilogram sizes were first produced in 1991. These were created with the intention of using economies of scale to keep premiums low, and are some of the biggest gold bullion coins ever manufactured. In 1992, the face values of these large bullion coins were lowered to keep them in proportion to the 1 ounce bullion coin. The reverse of the bullion coins does not change annually like the lesser denominations; the same kangaroo design is utilized every time.

Chinese Gold Pandas

The Chinese Gold Panda bullion coin is struck by the official mint of the People's Republic of China, and was first introduced back in 1982. It is available in 1/20 of an ounce, one tenth of an ounce, 1/4 of a troy ounce, 1/2 of an ounce, 1 troy ounce, five ounce and 12 ounce denominations. Panda America distributes the coins in the United States, and in China, gold Panda bullion coins are distributed by the C.G.C.C. (China Gold Coin Corporation).

The obverse side of the Gold Panda bullion coin has Chinese characters on top reading Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo (People's Republic of China). Below that is a picture of the Temple of Heaven, and at the bottom, the year of issue. For commemorative issues, the topic will be marked here too. The other side shows portraits of pandas, which have altered annually with the exception of 2001 to 2002.

One last advantage to accumulating gold coins is its ease to liquidate. Gold coins are one of the easiest assets to liquidate. The reason why gold bullion coins are easy to liquidate is gold coins and gold bars usually have a standard purity and weight impressed on it. If an investor is not familiar with a coin, they can tell how much gold and what purity they are buying. Buying gold bullion coins has its benefits; some of these benefits are impossible to find in alternative investments. These reasons are what makes gold coins one of the best investments out there.