If you have been doing research you probably know by now that there are a couple of different ways you can acquire physical gold. Now you are trying to determine which type to buy. This decision should depend on what you are trying to accomplish with the gold. So what are your goals? This should be the question you ask yourself. Only then can you approach the gold market for an answer.

There are two types of gold that you can acquire which will do different things for your portfolio. Bullion gold is used purely for speculation and as a hedge against inflation. 1 ounce of gold 100 years ago could buy roughly as many loaves of bread as 1 ounce of gold today. Therefore over the long-term gold keeps up with inflation. With gold now in the second phase of the bull market you can also speculate purely on the price of gold hoping that it will enter that third and final phase and explode in value.

You can also acquire rare gold coins, which by many standards is considered the best way to own gold. Rare gold coins from the U.S. were minted between 1795 and 1933. They are non-reportable, so the transactions are private and confidential. They are also considered to be non-confiscateable. Bullion has been confiscated in the past while numismatic or rare gold coins have been excluded. History has also shown that rare coins have outperformed bullion significantly in the past. This can be best measured over the last 38 years on PCGS’s index for mint state rare gold coins.

In my opinion the best gold coins to buy are $20 Liberties and $20 Saint Gaudens minted between 1877 and 1933. These coins are highly liquid and affordable to most portfolios and can add great privacy and protection for your assets. Liberties and Saints are easy to track and have a market in which coins are traded every day. These coins can be bought in very common dates like 1904 and 1924, or they can be bought in very rare dates like 1861 and 1933. Acquiring these coins in my opinion should be done between the grades of mint state 62 and mint state 66 as these are the most sought after, thus increasing the demand.