Monday, July 2, 2012

Obtaining Physical Gold-- The Essentials

By Mike Francis


There is bad economic news everywhere you turn nowadays. TV, radio, newspapers and journals are all filled with tales of inflation, unemployment and government deficits. Outlay stocks are not delivering the double-digit returns that they were 10 years ago when Wall Street was flying high. It is times like these when people look toward purchasing precious metals such as gold, silver and platinum.

The theory of purchasing precious metals is that if the government provided currency fails and comes to be worthless, gold, silver and other steels will certainly be accepted as forms of repayment for items and services. Since gold is still in demand and desirable, individuals are willing to accept is as repayment, particularly if paper-based money is worthless.

There are a couple of things you need to recognize prior to you obtain this kind of physical gold. A couple of the most very important considerations are had in this post.

Purity of Gold

When purchasing physical gold you need to know the purity of the gold along with the weight. Not all gold items are the same. A lot of are not 100 % pure gold because the steel is so malleable that it might not hold its shape over time.

An item will be marked as 24-Karat gold if it contains 99.9 % gold content. This is as close to "pure gold" as you can easily get.

18-Karat gold is 18 parts gold mixed with 6 parts of yet another metal (together they form an alloy). This equals 75 % gold.

14-Karat gold has 14 parts gold and 10 parts other steels. Therefore it is 58.3 % gold.

12-Karat gold is 12 parts gold mixed with 12 parts of yet another metal. The obviously implies that it is 50 % gold.

10-Karat gold has 10 parts gold and 14 parts some other metals. This makes it 41.7 % gold.

10 is the lowest number in the Karat score system in the United States. Anything including less gold than that can not be called "gold".

The Weight of the Gold

The weight of gold is determined in troy ounces. It is common for people to just use the term ounce when managing gold or silver. One Troy Ounce equals 31.1034768 grams.

It's also important to remember that when getting or offering a piece of gold that unless it is pure gold, the weight has to be adjusted for the some other steels mixed with the gold. A true expert will definitely have the capacity to approximate the actual gold material in a piece and base the value on merely the weight of the gold itself.

Gold Coins

Gold coins are one choice for buying gold bullion. There are numerous ranges from numerous different nations. Coins can easily differ a large amount in their purity so you need to really observe the description and search for markings that indicate the karat weight. Several coins will certainly be less than pure since the coins need to keep their design and markings.

Coins even have a value based upon their collectability. This is different than the value based simply on the gold content. Particular coins are more unusual than others and collectors are willing to pay a premium for them. This make investing in gold coins more complicated.

For the typical investor just aiming to get some gold, gold bullion bars is most likely the choice that makes the most sense.

Gold Bars

When buying gold bullion, it is typically in the form of bricks, bars or ingots. Factoring in the purity and the weight will definitely acquire the cost. This type of gold is virtually constantly "pure gold" so the weight it the true weight of the bar in a lot of scenarios. Once the quantity of pure gold is identified, the current spot rate of gold will be usage to reach a selling price. Because gold is a commodity and has a lot of market task, the price is regularly fluctuating. A reputable company will readjust their prices several times a day to reflect the true market price.

You also need to bear in mind that the seller should make a profit so there will be a premium added to the price. Some dealers add on a lot even more of a premium than others so it is worth it to go shopping around before acquiring.

As you can see, there are several things to consider when purchasing physical gold. One of the early decisions you will need to make is if you want to invest in gold coins or gold bars. Storage is an issue in either case. You want to be certain that your investment is stored in a safe and secure place. No matter which type of gold you choose, it is an exciting investment option.




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