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Gold coins are of special interest to coin collectors for three primary reasons. First, gold has a long history as the main monetary unit of exchange, and the importance of historical events in which gold or gold coins had a big role. Second, minted gold coins have both aesthetic and artistic appeal. Third, gold has a role in today's economy as a very functional, financially liquid store of monetary value. Indeed, US gold coins are still being minted and sold by the American government.

Gold coins were minted beginning around 560 BC. They were the primary form of money from then until the early twentieth century. Then, in 1933, the global Great Depression caused a change by the world governments to currencies that had almost no intrinsic value beyond their production costs, like paper currencies and minted coins that were made from much less valuable materials. The American government stopped circulating US gold coins around that time.

Features of gold such as its unique color, luster, and excellent malleability, make it a very appealing for use making jewelry. These same properties also make US gold coins as well as gold coins from other parts of the world aesthetically pleasing to collectors. There are also stories behind the designs of the coins that are a great part of world history, on top of their value artistically.

Gold bullion coins are gold coins that are collected for monetary value. From 90 to almost 100% gold by weight, these bullion coins have a very high gold percentage. Since the value of gold in our economy fluctuates in the area of hundreds of dollars per ounce, these gold coins represent a dense store of financial value. Like some other metals such as silver, gold is thought by investors to represent a hedge against inflation of currency that is intrinsically worthless.

Besides precious metals being used as a hedge against inflation, many investors also store some of the net worth in them to hedge against the possibility of another major economic recession. Those who do this argue that today's modern currencies hold no real value, and would quickly lose their value in exchange. Using this logic, gold coins would actually increase in value as an exchange unit as people began abandoning banks and other more traditional investment vehicles for a safer place to maintain their money. Gold has also maintained its value as a unit of exchange over thousands of years, unlike paper currencies and stocks and bonds that have not.

Regardless of why you are interested in currency made from gold, you can find the greatest amount of information on the internet or in volumes which deal with the subject of coin collecting. While there are loads of dishonest vendors both on the Net and offline, you can locate lots of trustworthy dealerships where you can choose to buy gold bullion and buy gold coins.