Gold bullion coins come in all shapes and sizes. They are minted in countries all over the world and are worth different amounts. From the Chinese Gold Panda to the Austrian Gold Philharmonic, many of these coins have become collectors’ items in their own right; meaning they have a dual function and are not solely bought as a safe economic haven.
It is this side of gold bullion coins that can make them real antiques and real collectables. One of the most precious of all gold bullion coins is the 1933 American Double Eagle, as we will describe in this article.
A rare coin
The 1933 Double Eagle currently holds the record for the second highest price paid for a single gold bullion coin. One coin was purchased for $7.59 million.
There is a reason that it is so rare. Although 445, 500 coins were minted in 1933, none were ever officially circulated, and nearly all of them were melted down. This was due to the discontinuance of the domestic gold standard in 1933.
In the news
These gold bullion coins were actually recently in the news. A hoard of ‘double eagle’ gold dollars (not 1933, but normal double eagles) were returned to the family of a Jewish man who fled in the Nazis in World War II. The man fled to London, where his family buried the coins in his garden.
The family were subsequently killed in the Blitz, taking the details of the coin’s location to the grave. A man recently dug the coins up; the descendants of the coin’s owners were found and they were returned.
The 80 coins, minted between 1854 and 1913 fetched £80,000 at auction. A reward was given to the finder, with the remainder being used to restore the family’s gravestone at Enfield cemetery in North London.
For more information about how you can invest on gold bullion coins, contact UK Gold Bullion. UK Gold Bullion makes the whole process of buying gold easy. You can reach us by telephone on 01923 856 723 or e-mail sales@ukgoldbullion.co.uk.