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The current bullion market is saturated with plenty of good options for investors to choose from. For investors who value purity, the Canadian Maple, Australian Nugget, Gold Buffalo, or British Britannia are all struck in 0.9999 purity and are among the purest forms of bullion sold today. For investors who love intricate details cast onto their gold, PAMP Suisse offers one of the most beautifully decorated gold bars for sale in the current retail market. If you want to buy gold from a specific country, chances are you can find a variety of bars or coins mined from any country. But this wasn't always the case. From humble beginnings with only one South African coin to a boycott that changed the trajectory of future bullion offerings, read below and learn about the history behind some of the most popular collectible bullion series today!
Known as the original gold bullion coin, Krugerrands were first introduced in 1967 by the South African government to promote South African gold and enable individuals to own it. Krugerrands were the most owned form of gold bullion in the 1980s making up almost 90% of gold coin sales. This was partially due to a law signed in 1933 by President Franklin Roosevelt, which prohibited the ownership of gold in the United States. Owners of private gold were required to take the gold to the bank and exchange it for $20.67 per ounce, which was gold’s worth at the time. However, even though gold was illegal to own, there were no sanctions against owning and collecting foreign coins, and American investors took advantage of this loophole to buy and collect gold Krugerrand coins as a form of investment. The demand for gold amongst the general populace led to the Krugerrand’s skyrocketing popularity since it was the only gold bullion coin available for retail at the time. Despite their popularity, international sanctions during the 1970s and 80s against apartheid South Africa obstructed any future the coins would have. Internationally, countries adopted economic sanctions as a way to pressure the South African government to end apartheid and the United States banned any imports of Krugerrand coins in 1985. The popularity of Krugerrands would drastically decline after the boycott, even after the ban was lifted. Many investors did not realize the ban on Krugerrands was lifted after apartheid was abandoned by South Africa in 1994. At that point, the presence of other mints releasing newer and purer forms of gold bullion investments took the spotlight away from the Krugerrands, increasing competition in the bullion market for years to come.
Taking advantage of the boycott of South African bullion and the increasing demand for individual gold coins, the Royal Canadian Mint set out to create a strong competitor in the global bullion market. The Canadian Maple Leaf was introduced in 1979, as an alternative gold bullion brand to appeal to more socially conscious gold buyers. When investors were boycotting Krugerrands coins because of their connection to apartheid South Africa, the Royal Canadian Mint began producing their own line of gold coins to satisfy the influx of demand for gold coins. The gold coins produced are legal tender in Canada under the Currency Act and have a face value of 50 Canadian Dollars, however, the value of the bullion far surpasses its value as legal tender. When the Canadian Maple Leaf coins were first introduced back in 1979, they had a purity of 0.999. The purity was subsequently bumped up to 0.9999 in 1983, making these coins one of the purest gold bullion collections globally. Being the second wave of bullion coins to be created, the Canadian Maple Leaves are one of the most popular and recognized bullion brands internationally.
Three years after the introduction of the Canadian Maple Leaf, the People’s Republic of China introduced the Gold Panda series in 1982. Like the Canadian Maple Leaf, the Gold Panda series also set out to do something unique with gold bullion. At the time of creation, Gold Pandas were the only bullion series to change the design on the reverse of the coin every year, a tactic that was unprecedented at the time. Due to their success, the Gold Pandas coins are now one of the only bullion coins alongside the Australian Kangaroos to change the design on the reverse of the coin every year. Although the design changes every year the reverse will always feature a panda, a group of pandas or panda cubs. This is with the exception of the release of the 2001 and 2002 Gold Pandas coins. The coins minted between these two years had identical designs on the reverse due to a freeze announced in 2001. Even though the design of the reverse changes annually, the obverse of the coin always depicts the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Early Gold Pandas were minted in response to demand and were subjected to unlimited mintage until orders were fulfilled. All subsequent pandas after 2000 were subject to a maximum mintage.
As a response to the popularity of the Krugerrand coins, President Ronald Reagan requested the United States Treasury start developing a series of coins that could replace and compete with the Krugerrand. A few years later in 1986, the American Eagle coin was introduced to the world. As one of the two official gold bullion coins from the United States, the gold forming these coins must be sourced from the United States. The American Eagle coins, unlike the Gold Pandas and Canadian Maple Leaf, are not 24k gold. American Eagles are 22k gold coins alloyed with silver or copper to increase the durability of these coins and prevent wear and tear. The United States did launch their version of a pure gold bullion coin in response to the growing demand for pure gold coins like the popular Canadian Maple Leaf. In 2006, 20 years after the first release of the American Eagles, the United States introduced the American Buffalos the first 24k gold coin struck by the US Mint. When it was first released, the coin came in both proof and bullion versions.
Introduced in 1986, the Australian Nugget is minted by the Perth Mint. The Perth Mint used to be known as the Gold Corporation, a company wholly owned by the government of Western Australia. Like the Gold Pandas, it is one of the only other gold bullion series to change the design of the reverse annually. The Australian Nugget derived its name from its initial designs from 1986 to 1989 when the reverse of the coins depicted various famous Australian gold nuggets. For example, the reverse of the 1987 Gold Nugget featured the Welcome Stranger, the largest gold nugget ever to be found in Australia. The design on the reverse changed from 1989 onwards, to feature kangaroos, Australia’s national animal. The coins are sometimes affectionately referred to as the Gold Kangaroos because of the various Kangaroo designs featured on the reverse.
First minted by the Royal Mint in 1987, Britannia coins are now one of the most iconic bullion series in the world. Designed and issued by the Royal Mint to provide a British alternative to popular investment bullion already dominating the markets such as the Canadian Maple Leaf or the American Gold Eagle coins, the Britannia coins offer unparalleled security to ensure you don't buy counterfeit gold. The first Britannia coins introduced in 1987 were struck in 22k. The coin contained exactly one troy ounce of pure gold but was alloyed with copper for stability. The Royal Mint upgraded the alloying metal to silver instead of copper in 1990, but the coin was still considered 22k gold. In 2013, the purity of gold Britannia coins was upgraded even further and increased from 22k to 24k elevating the coins to compete with other popular pure bullion sets like the Canadian Maple Leaf.
The current bullion market is saturated with plenty of good options for investors to choose from. For investors who value purity, the Canadian Maple, Australian Nugget, Gold Buffalo, or British Britannia are all struck in 0.9999 purity and are among the purest forms of bullion sold today. For investors who love intricate details cast onto their gold, PAMP Suisse offers one of the most beautifully decorated gold bars for sale in the current retail market. If you want to buy gold from a specific country, chances are you can find a variety of bars or coins mined from any country. But this wasn't always the case. From humble beginnings with only one South African coin to a boycott that changed the trajectory of future bullion offerings, read below and learn about the history behind some of the most popular collectible bullion series today!
Known as the original gold bullion coin, Krugerrands were first introduced in 1967 by the South African government to promote South African gold and enable individuals to own it. Krugerrands were the most owned form of gold bullion in the 1980s making up almost 90% of gold coin sales. This was partially due to a law signed in 1933 by President Franklin Roosevelt, which prohibited the ownership of gold in the United States. Owners of private gold were required to take the gold to the bank and exchange it for $20.67 per ounce, which was gold’s worth at the time. However, even though gold was illegal to own, there were no sanctions against owning and collecting foreign coins, and American investors took advantage of this loophole to buy and collect gold Krugerrand coins as a form of investment. The demand for gold amongst the general populace led to the Krugerrand’s skyrocketing popularity since it was the only gold bullion coin available for retail at the time. Despite their popularity, international sanctions during the 1970s and 80s against apartheid South Africa obstructed any future the coins would have. Internationally, countries adopted economic sanctions as a way to pressure the South African government to end apartheid and the United States banned any imports of Krugerrand coins in 1985. The popularity of Krugerrands would drastically decline after the boycott, even after the ban was lifted. Many investors did not realize the ban on Krugerrands was lifted after apartheid was abandoned by South Africa in 1994. At that point, the presence of other mints releasing newer and purer forms of gold bullion investments took the spotlight away from the Krugerrands, increasing competition in the bullion market for years to come.
Taking advantage of the boycott of South African bullion and the increasing demand for individual gold coins, the Royal Canadian Mint set out to create a strong competitor in the global bullion market. The Canadian Maple Leaf was introduced in 1979, as an alternative gold bullion brand to appeal to more socially conscious gold buyers. When investors were boycotting Krugerrands coins because of their connection to apartheid South Africa, the Royal Canadian Mint began producing their own line of gold coins to satisfy the influx of demand for gold coins. The gold coins produced are legal tender in Canada under the Currency Act and have a face value of 50 Canadian Dollars, however, the value of the bullion far surpasses its value as legal tender. When the Canadian Maple Leaf coins were first introduced back in 1979, they had a purity of 0.999. The purity was subsequently bumped up to 0.9999 in 1983, making these coins one of the purest gold bullion collections globally. Being the second wave of bullion coins to be created, the Canadian Maple Leaves are one of the most popular and recognized bullion brands internationally.
Three years after the introduction of the Canadian Maple Leaf, the People’s Republic of China introduced the Gold Panda series in 1982. Like the Canadian Maple Leaf, the Gold Panda series also set out to do something unique with gold bullion. At the time of creation, Gold Pandas were the only bullion series to change the design on the reverse of the coin every year, a tactic that was unprecedented at the time. Due to their success, the Gold Pandas coins are now one of the only bullion coins alongside the Australian Kangaroos to change the design on the reverse of the coin every year. Although the design changes every year the reverse will always feature a panda, a group of pandas or panda cubs. This is with the exception of the release of the 2001 and 2002 Gold Pandas coins. The coins minted between these two years had identical designs on the reverse due to a freeze announced in 2001. Even though the design of the reverse changes annually, the obverse of the coin always depicts the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Early Gold Pandas were minted in response to demand and were subjected to unlimited mintage until orders were fulfilled. All subsequent pandas after 2000 were subject to a maximum mintage.
As a response to the popularity of the Krugerrand coins, President Ronald Reagan requested the United States Treasury start developing a series of coins that could replace and compete with the Krugerrand. A few years later in 1986, the American Eagle coin was introduced to the world. As one of the two official gold bullion coins from the United States, the gold forming these coins must be sourced from the United States. The American Eagle coins, unlike the Gold Pandas and Canadian Maple Leaf, are not 24k gold. American Eagles are 22k gold coins alloyed with silver or copper to increase the durability of these coins and prevent wear and tear. The United States did launch their version of a pure gold bullion coin in response to the growing demand for pure gold coins like the popular Canadian Maple Leaf. In 2006, 20 years after the first release of the American Eagles, the United States introduced the American Buffalos the first 24k gold coin struck by the US Mint. When it was first released, the coin came in both proof and bullion versions.
Introduced in 1986, the Australian Nugget is minted by the Perth Mint. The Perth Mint used to be known as the Gold Corporation, a company wholly owned by the government of Western Australia. Like the Gold Pandas, it is one of the only other gold bullion series to change the design of the reverse annually. The Australian Nugget derived its name from its initial designs from 1986 to 1989 when the reverse of the coins depicted various famous Australian gold nuggets. For example, the reverse of the 1987 Gold Nugget featured the Welcome Stranger, the largest gold nugget ever to be found in Australia. The design on the reverse changed from 1989 onwards, to feature kangaroos, Australia’s national animal. The coins are sometimes affectionately referred to as the Gold Kangaroos because of the various Kangaroo designs featured on the reverse.
First minted by the Royal Mint in 1987, Britannia coins are now one of the most iconic bullion series in the world. Designed and issued by the Royal Mint to provide a British alternative to popular investment bullion already dominating the markets such as the Canadian Maple Leaf or the American Gold Eagle coins, the Britannia coins offer unparalleled security to ensure you don't buy counterfeit gold. The first Britannia coins introduced in 1987 were struck in 22k. The coin contained exactly one troy ounce of pure gold but was alloyed with copper for stability. The Royal Mint upgraded the alloying metal to silver instead of copper in 1990, but the coin was still considered 22k gold. In 2013, the purity of gold Britannia coins was upgraded even further and increased from 22k to 24k elevating the coins to compete with other popular pure bullion sets like the Canadian Maple Leaf.
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