Fractional Gold CoinsWhat Are Fractional Gold Coins?Fractional gold coins are coins that contain less than one Troy ounce of gold - usually around one-half ounce of gold or less. For purposes of this article, I will concentrate on those coins containing between approximately one-half ounce and one-tenth of an ounce of gold. The gold coins I have listed below are far from a complete list of fractional
gold coins - there are several others. However, the ones listed are the more popular and better recognized
coins which is important. It doesn't do you
much good to invest in little known/little recognized gold coins that have no demand. Dealers are aware that
"one-off" gold coins are hard to sell and are reluctant to buy them or give you a fair price for them. So
(gold) buyer beware.You can use this information...
To purchase more affordable gold
coins - with spot gold at around $1600 per ounce, it is less
expensive for you to purchase fractional bullion coins (see my comment on fractional gold coin premiums
below). For purchasing gold coins as gifts - if you have thought of giving your grandchildren or children a special gift or keepsake to remember you by, some of these coins would make a wonderful and growing-in-value gift. To help you identify coins you may have - if you have one or more gold coins that have been in the family or handed down to you, this information may help you identify their gold content and value relative to the current spot gold price. Keep in mind that the premium for fractional gold coins (based on the spot gold price) can be quite high so it pays to shop around. As a rule, "the smaller the coin, the larger the premium" so buy the larger gold coins if you can. Let's get started... Fractional Gold Coins (Pure Gold)These fractional gold bullion coins are pure gold: Australian Gold Nugget, Austrian Philharmonic, Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, Chinese Gold Panda and Mexican Libertad "Angel". All come in half-ounce, quarter-ounce and tenth-ounce sizes and have the same gold content, gold purity, Troy weight and number of grams. Those numbers are...Half-ounce .5000 gold content, 9999 purity, .5000 Troy ounces, 15.5517 grams Quarter-ounce .2500 gold content, .9999 purity, .2500 Troy ounces, 7.7758 grams Tenth-ounce .1000 gold content, .9999 purity, .1000 Troy ounces, 3.1103 grams They make beautiful gifts. Just keep in mind that gold is a soft metal and these coins must be protected/handled with care as they can be scratched, nicked or show signs of wear quickly. Fractional Gold Coins (Not Pure Gold)The following fractional gold bullion coins are an alloy of pure gold and one or more other metals (such as copper): Gold American Eagles, British Brittanias and South African Krugerrands. They all share the same fine gold content and purity, gross coin weight in Troy ounces, net gold weight in Troy ounces and gold weight in grams (metric) which are...Half-ounce .5000 gold content, .9167 purity, .5454 Gross Wt., .5000 Net Wt., 15.5517 grams Quarter-ounce .2500 gold content, .9167 purity, .2727 Gross Wt., .2500 Net Wt., 7.7758 grams Tenth-ounce .1000 gold content, .9167 purity, .1090 Gross Wt., .1000 Net Wt., 3.1103 grams Mexican gold pesos are another popular series of gold bullion coins... Mexican Gold PesosTwenty Pesos .4823 gold content, .9000 purity, .5358 Gross Wt., .4823 Net Wt., 15.0012 gramsTen Pesos .2411 gold content, .9000 purity, .2678 Gross Wt., .2411 Net Wt., 7.4990 grams Five Pesos .1206 gold content, .9000 purity, .1340 Gross Wt., .1206 Net Wt., 3.7510 grams Semi-Numismatic Gold CoinsUnlike gold bullion coins which are mainly valued for their gold content, semi-numismatic (and numismatic) coins are valued more for their rarity and condition. True numismatics are very expensive and not covered here. Semi-numismatic coins are less expensive and may be more within your means. Typical grades are XF, AU and uncirculated MS-60s, 61s and 62s.After each coin, I have listed the face value, fine gold content, gold purity of the coin, gross coin weight in Troy ounces, net gold weight in Troy ounces and gold weight in grams (metric). U. S. Liberty Head (1850-1907) & U. S. Indian Head (1907-1933) Gold CoinsEagle ($10) .4838 gold content, .9000 purity, .5375 Gross Wt., .4838 Net Wt., 15.0478 gramsHalf-Eagle ($5) .2419 gold content, .9000 purity, .2687 Gross Wt., .2419 Net Wt., 7.5239 grams Quarter Eagle($2.50) .1209 gold content, .9000 purity, .1343 Gross Wt., .1209 Net Wt., 3.7604 grams Other Popular Fractional Gold CoinsListed below are other fractional gold coins that are or have been popular in the past. I have listed them because: 1) you may pay a lower premium than any of those mentioned above; 2) you may have some in your possession and don't know exactly how much gold they contain. If you sell any of these coins to a dealer, knowing the gold content is key to calculating how fair a price you are offered based on the current spot gold price.Gold Coins with Fine Gold Content of .0933 Troy Ounces10 Francs/4 Florins (Austria), Ten Francs (France), Ten Drachma (Greece), Ten Lira (Italy), Ten Francs (Switzerland)Gold Coins with Fine Gold Content of .1867 Troy Ounces20 Francs/8 Florins (Austria), Twenty Franc "Rooster" (France), Twenty Drachma (Greece), Twenty Lira (Italy), Twenty Franc Vreneli (Switzerland), Twenty Franc Albert (Belgium)Gold Coins with Fine Gold Content of .1958 Troy Ounces20 Corona (Austria), 20 Corona (Hungary)Gold Coins with Fine Gold Content of .2354 Troy OuncesTwo Rand (South Africa), Libra (Peru), Sovereign (Great Britian), 5 Pesos (Columbia)The last group of fractional gold coins have their own individual fine gold content and are listed in descending order (by gold content in Troy ounces) along with issuing country(s)... 100 Pesos (Chile, .5886), Four-Ducat (Austria, .4427), Chervonet/10 Rubles (Russia, .2489), 20 Marks (Germany, .2304), 10 Guilders (Netherlands, .1947), 5 Rubles (Russia, .1244), 1/2 Sovereign (Great Britian, .1177), One Rand (South Africa, .1177), 10 Marks (Germany, .1152), One-Ducat (Austria, Hungary, Netherlands, .1106), 10 Corona (Austria, Hungary, .0979), 5 Guilders (Netherlands, .0974)
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