™
Learn
Knowledge Center
Resources for buying and owning physical precious metals. The pages below cover foundational concepts, product selection, and ownership considerations — written for both first-time buyers and returning customers.
New to Precious Metals?
Start with Introduction to Precious Metals, which provides an overview of the four primary metals and the reasons investors purchase them.
Foundations
Products
Bullion vs. numismatic coins
Two distinct markets: investment-grade bullion priced by metal content, and numismatic coins valued for rarity and condition.
Read guideCoins, bars, and rounds
Physical formats compared, with their typical premiums, recognizability, and use cases.
Read guideCoin grading explained
Professional grading services, the Sheldon Scale, and when grading actually adds value to a purchase.
Read guideOwning Precious Metals
Authenticity and sourcing
Purity standards, assay marks, recognized mints and refiners, and how authenticity is established in the bullion market.
Read guideStoring physical precious metals
Home storage, safe deposit boxes, and professional storage options, plus handling and preservation guidance.
Read guideTax treatment in Canada and the United States
GST/HST rules in Canada and US state-level sales tax variability.
Read guideArticles
When is the best time to buy gold?
There is no perfect day to buy gold. What moves the price, why seasonal patterns are weak, and how Canadians can spread purchases over time.
Read guidePrecious metals ranked by value
Gold, platinum, palladium and silver compared by price per ounce, rarity and use, and why the order changes. With live prices in Canadian dollars.
Read guideThe story behind Johnson Matthey bars
Johnson Matthey refined gold and silver for nearly 200 years, including in Ontario. The history of the name and why its bars are still sought after today.
Read guideGold sovereigns: the history of Britain's best-known gold coin
From Henry VII's 1489 sovereign to today's coin: weight and purity, the branch mints of Australia, Canada, India and South Africa, and the rarest dates.
Read guideAre Olympic gold medals real gold?
Olympic gold medals are mostly silver with a gold coating. What the rules require, how medals are made, and Canada's own Olympic coins from 1976 and 1988.
Read guideThe rarest gold coins in the world
The 1933 Double Eagle, the Brasher Doubloon, the 1822 Half Eagle and other famous rarities: why so few survive, and Canada's own record-breaking coin.
Read guideThe Australian Kookaburra silver coin series
Australia's Kookaburra silver coin has had a new design every year since 1990. Sizes, purity, what changes from year to year and why collectors follow it.
Read guideThe Gold Maple Leaf: the story of Canada's bullion coin
Launched in 1979, the Gold Maple Leaf was one of the first pure gold bullion coins. Its history, purity, sizes and the security features on today's coins.
Read guideCanada's milestone gold coins: the $100 series and the 1967 $20
From the 1967 Centennial $20 to the $100 gold coins of 1976–1989: what each Royal Canadian Mint coin commemorates, its gold content and how to collect them.
Read guideHistoric gold coins: francs, ducats, coronas, marks and pesos
Before paper money, gold coins were everyday currency. The story of the 20 francs, the Austrian ducat and corona, the German mark and Mexico's 50 pesos.
Read guideIs gold GST/HST-free in Canada?
Investment gold of 99.5% purity or more is sold without GST/HST in Canada. Which coins and bars qualify, which don't, and why 22-karat coins are taxed.
Read guideGold coins vs. gold bars: which should you buy?
Gold coins or gold bars? How the premium, GST/HST, resale, size and storage compare, and which format fits which kind of buyer in Canada.
Read guideWhat is the best gold coin to buy in Canada?
Gold Maple Leaf, Krugerrand, Eagle, Kangaroo, Philharmonic or Britannia? How the main 1 oz gold coins compare on purity, GST/HST and resale in Canada.
Read guideHow to store gold at home
Keeping gold and silver at home: original packaging, handling, where to keep it, insurance, records and discretion. Practical tips for Canadian buyers.
Read guide
