Gold bars and refined gold coins—collectively defined as gold bullion—come in various sizes, weights and types. As purchasing gold coins is as simple as a trip to your nearest coin shop, this article will focus exclusively on the considerations of buying gold bars.
Know why you’re buying gold bars While some individuals may buy gold in other forms (coins, nuggets, jewelry, etc.) for its intrinsic beauty, those who purchase gold bars generally do so solely for investment purposes, as a means of hedging against inflation, thereby preserving or enhancing an individual’s asset base. Like any investment, buying gold bars involves some risk, but you can minimize that risk by understanding the dos and don’ts.
Consider historical gold prices The price of gold has been steadily increasing for several years now. By the end of 2003, gold closed at $414.80 a troy ounce. As of this writing (end of the first quarter 2008), the spot price of gold was approximately $930 for a Troy ounce (approximately 1.1 ounce)—more than double the price 5 years ago. Given current prices, a 1-kg gold bar (about 2.2 lbs) costs about $30,000. If you’re going to buy gold bars, you should have an understanding of some of the volatility gold prices have seen over the years. In addition, as I’m sure you’ve probably seen in many financial disclaimers; past performance to does not guarantee future results.
Select for purity and weight The price of gold is determined by supply and demand, but two important factors go into the determination of individual gold bars: its purity and its weight. Purity: The majority of gold bars are stamped with the purity value of the bar, and that purity can vary depending on the mint; the average purity is 99.98%, but government-backed gold bars can be as high as 99.99% pure. Weight: Gold bars come in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from about 1 gram (.035274 ounces) up to 440 grams, which is just shy of 1 lb. In general, given your resources, you should buy the largest gold bar that you can afford, because the larger bars have proportionately less margin (mark-up) than the smaller bars, and you’ll come closer to the actual value of the gold.
Look for gold bar standards Typically, each gold bar has four marks which uniquely identify it: 1) refiner’s mark or the goldsmith’s “brand” name; 2) gross weight, stated (usually) in Troy ounces; 3) purity percentage; and 4) serial number of the bar. Make sure you identify these markings on the gold bars before buying them. This can be difficult if buying over the internet, so ensure you are working with a reputable company.
Choose a gold bar dealer From where or whom you buy your gold bar should be an important cons...
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