A new guide has been published to help buyers make an informed decision while planning to purchase different types of Gold Coins.

Michael MacDonald reveals that as per data collected by Yahoo! Finance, investments in ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) are growing in popularity, but have some real downsides as compared to owning physical silver and gold. MacDonald further reveals that it was aspects such as these that prompted his organization to publish this report on their website so that people can be informed about the advantages of buying gold coins as against paper stocks of gold. The report also reveals that although there are some minor inconveniences in making a purchase in physical silver or gold when compared with ETFs, these minor obstacles are hugely outweighed by the many benefits offered by physical gold. MacDonald in his report also mentions that the primary advantage of purchasing different types of gold coins at present is their low price. Elaborating on this he said, “Gold coins and other forms of gold are at a four-year low. As I outline in my report, this means that now is an ideal time to buy gold coins”. Furthermore, he said that he along with other dealers of precious metal feel that gold prices will see an upward surge of as much as 200% in the coming two years.

It is because of predictions such as these that most people are turning their attention towards employing their hard earned money in gold coins. One such bullion gold coin, which as per experienced gold traders, may prove its worth is the Vienna Philharmonic coin minted in Austria.

Vienna Philharmonic: Types of Gold Coins Minted in Austria

Designed by Thomas Pesendorfer, the Vienna Philharmonic coins are made up of 24 karat pure gold (having fineness of 999.9).
Design: The name of the coin is derived from an image on its reverse side, which includes musical instruments representing the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra along with the text “Wiener Philharmoniker”. The obverse side reflects the great organ placed in the Golden Hall of Musikverein (Viennese Music Association).

The Vienna Philharmonic coins are issued each year in four different sizes, weights as well as face value. These are:

•    Face Value of €100,000: These gold coins were produced at a weight of 31.103 kg. Each coin has a diameter of 370 mm with a thickness of 20mm. In 2004, 15 such coins were minted and just one such piece was produced in 2005.

•    Face Value of € 100: These gold pieces weigh 31.103 gram, having a diameter of 37 mm with a thickness of 2 mm. They were first minted in 2002, when 164,105 such pieces were minted. Subsequently, 179,881 pieces were produced in 2003, 176,319 pieces in 2004, 158,564 in 2005 and 82,174 in 2006.

•    Face Value of € 50: These gold coins weigh 15.552 grams. They are 28 mm in diameter with a thickness of 1.6 mm. In 2002, 40,922 pieces were minted; 26,848 pieces were minted in 2003; 24,269 in 2004; 21,049 in 2005 and 20,085 in 2006.

•    Face Value of €25: These gold pieces weigh 7.776 grams with a diameter and thickness of 22 mm and 1.2 mm respectively. In 2002, 40,807 coins were minted, following which, 34,019 pieces were minted in 2003; 32,449 in 2004; 32,817 in 2005 and 29,609 in 2006.

•    Face Value of €10: These coins have a thickness of 1.2 mm and a diameter of 16 mm and weigh 3.121 grams. In 2002, 75,789 pieces were minted, followed by 59,654 pieces in 2003; 67,994 in 2004; 62,071 in 2005 and 39,892 in 2006.

The Vienna Philharmonic gold bullion coins were issued for preservation of wealth. However they mostly wind up as a collector’s items due to their beauty. Their popularity can also be understood from the fact that they were named in 1992, 1995 as well as 1996 by the World Gold Council as the worlds bestselling gold coins.