The golden Krugerrand originates from South Africa and was the world's first gold investment coin. The coin contains a small amount of copper, which gives it added durability and a reddish hue. The Krugerrand has a gold fineness of 91.67% (22 carat) and weighs 33.93 grams, precisely equivalent to 1 troy ounce of pure gold. In contrast, the golden Maple Leaf from Canada is minted in 99.99% pure gold and also weighs exactly 1 troy ounce.
 
In other countries as well, gold investment coins are issued. Examples include the Austrian Gold Philharmonic and the Australian Gold Kangaroo. These coins are also globally recognized and tradable.
 
Gold investment coins feature unique designs. Minting authorities are required to indicate the face value on the coin for it to be considered legal tender. Without this indication, the gold object cannot be traded as a coin and would be subject to VAT. Gold coins are traded at prices slightly above the gold price itself due to premiums that are a few percentage points higher than the current gold rate.
 

Pre-owned Gold Coins

When purchasing gold coins, depending on availability, you have the choice between coins from the current year and coins from previous years (pre-owned coins). Coins from the current year are purchased by The Silver Mountain through official distributors of the mints. This is often more expensive due to production costs and insured transportation costs to the Netherlands.
 
Pre-owned coins are bought from private individuals by us. While the weight and purity of these coins are identical, their cost is lower. The Silver Mountain passes on this benefit, which is why coins from previous years are cheaper than newly minted coins.
 
In addition to well-known investment coins, there are also many coins in circulation that were once used as legal tender. Because pure gold is quite fragile, coins that served as legal tender are often minted in a lower gold fineness, typically around 90% gold. An example is the Dutch Gold Ten Guilder coin, in circulation since 1818. In Europe, the 20 Franc coins are also popular, used as legal tender in Switzerland, France, and Belgium. 

To make an informed decision, you can consult our Buying Guide. Based on the most current data, our Buying Guide calculates which product or products are available at the lowest price per gram. It also provides insight into the difference between the purchase price and selling price.
 
As a rule of thumb, 1 troy ounce gold coins are often attractive to individual buyers, while gold bars weighing 50 grams and 100 grams become more advantageous at larger amounts. Smaller gold bars and gold coins tend to have higher acquisition costs.