World Coins Collecting

Italy Umberto I 20 lira gold coin Minted 1880 - 1897 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .1867 troy ounce Umberto I, also known as Humbert I, was King of Italy from 1878 until his death in 1900. He was son to Victor Emmanuel II, who united Italy under a single kingdom during the 'Risorgimento' movement of the 19th century. Umberto I was the only modern King of Italy to die by assassination, killed by the Italo-American anarchist Gaetano Bresci. In history, Umberto I was referred to as "The Good" although he was wildly unpopular throughout his rule with left-wing circles. His assassination was said to be retribution for his praise of General Fiorenzo Bava-Beccaris' restoration of order during an uprising in the city of Milan. In this uprising, Bava-Beccaris used a cannon against demonstrators protesting the rising cost of bread. Two assassination attempts on Umberto I immediately followed, with the third attempt ultimately claiming the King's life in 1900.

Tunisia 20 franc gold coin Minted 1903 - 1906 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .1867 troy ounce Tunisia, located on the southern shore of the Mediterranean Sea just south and southwest of the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, was settled in the 12th century B.C., the center of the Carthaginian Empire. Following the destruction of Carthage, it passed under control of the Roman Empire until passing in turn to Arab control in 648, enduring to the Turkish invasion in 1570. Economic bankruptcy opened the door to the establishment of a French protectorate in 1881, leading eventually to autonomy and national independence in 1956.

Switzerland Helvetia 20 franc gold coin Minted 1897 - 1930 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .1867 troy ounce Owing to its central geographic location among the great powers of Europe, Switzerland has been a commercial and banking center for centuries. It is famous for its role in the gold market where "the gnomes of Zurich" are said to hold much sway. The "gnomes" made their first splash in the gold market when they convinced South Africa that Swiss bankers would be a better market for its gold than the London variety. Russian gold business quickly followed the South African lead. Noted gold authority Timothy Green once said that, "Gold is as much a part of Switzerland as the Alps and skiing." The Swiss 20 Franc Helvetia is referred to informally as the "Vreneli" derived from "Verena" which is Switzerland's equivalent to the Unites States' Lady Liberty. Modeled by Francoise Engli, this female visage appears on the obverse of...

Liberty Design $20 gold piece Gross Weight: 33.346 grams Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .9675 troy ounce Graded and authenticated by either the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) or Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) United States $20 gold pieces in various grades can be purchased at our online store anytime day or night. For volume discounts on larger orders and/or to pay by check or wire for cash discounts, we invite your telephone call during our regular business hours. The graded $20 gold piece market works well for those looking to increase the risk-reward factor in their gold holdings. It is not a replacement for gold ownership, but a further diversification within one's overall portfolio. We recommend a three to five year minimum holding period for these items. Please contact one of our account representatives to discuss whether this strategy is right for you.

Gold British Sovereign coins (Indian Mint) Minted 1918 Fineness: .917 Actual Gold Content: .2354 troy ounce

Belgium Leopold II 20 franc gold coin Minted 1867 - 1882 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .1867 troy ounce Belgium 20 Francs Gold Coin (Leopold) Leopold II ruled Belgium from 1869 until his death in 1909. Leopold believed that establishing overseas colonies was the key to a country's success, and he worked tirelessly to acquire colonial territory on the behalf of Belgium. Receiving little support from the Belgian government or the Belgian people, Leopold formed a private holding company to pursue his colonial interests. In 1879, Leopold hired the famous explorer Henry Morton Stanley to establish a colony in the Congo region of Africa. At the Berlin Conference in 1885, representatives from the United States and European countries recognized Leopold as sovereign of the Congo Free State, an area roughly 75 times the size of Belgium. History does not look kindly on Leopold's actions from this point forward, as the King exploited horribly both the people and the land in the C...

Austria 100 schilling Minted 1926 - 1934 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .6806 troy ounce

Collectible U.S. Gold Coins and Silver Dollars For the first time since the early 1990s, USAGOLD / Centennial Precious Metals is again recommending client purchases of the gold and silver numismatic coins shown above (and listed below). Unlike gold bullion and pre-1933 European gold coins which are purchased primarily as portfolio insurance items, these collectible items are purchased and held in anticipation of capital gains. They serve as a complement to your gold holdings and should not be considered a proxy for the ownership of either gold bullion or pre-1933 European gold coins. Please contact your USAGOLD representative for details and consultation (8am to 6pm, US Mountain Time).

United States of Mexico 20 pesos gold coins Minted 1917 - 1921; 1959 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: 0.4823 troy ounce (15 grams) In 1910 Mexico celebrated the Centennial of the beginning of its War of Independence with Spain. To commemorate the event, a giant column was erected in the middle of Mexico City with a statue of "El Angel de la Independencia", "The Angel of Independence", sitting atop. This 6.7-meter statue, constructed of Bronze and Gold, represents the "Winged Victory", a Greek symbol for the goddess Nike (Victory). In her right hand the Angel holds a luarel crown, symbolizing Victory, while in her left she holds a broken chain, symbolizing Freedom. First minted in 1921, the 50 Pesos gold coin honors the Centennial of the successful end of Mexico's War of Independence. "El Angel" is pictured on the coin opposite the national coat of arms. The Mexican coat of arms depicts the Mexican golden eagle devouring a snake while per...

Germany 20 mark gold coin (Kaiser Friedrich) Minted 1888 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .2304 troy ounce The Friederich III 'Longbeard' 20 mark gold coin is difficult to obtain in any state of preservation and an exceptional opportunity in the brilliant uncirculated grade. This is the first time in our more than a decade of handling pre-1933 European gold coins that we have had the privilege of offering the legendary 'Longbeard' to our clientele. It was minted one year only - in 1888 - and the mintage of 5.364 million is very small when compared to the Wilhelm II issue of roughly 115 million. As the nearby portrait illustrates, Friederich III, German Emperor, was an imposing figure with his full beard and military regalia. He came to maturity under a strict Prussian father who taught him the military art. 'Fritz,' as he is known to historians, distinguished himself on the battlefield in the Franco-Prussian War, though, his revulsion for conflict belied the...

Empire of Brazil 20,000 reis gold coin Minted 1851 - 1889 Fineness: .917 Actual Gold Content: .5286 troy ounce Dom Pedro II (Peter II) was born in Rio De Janeiro on December 2, 1825. Upon the abdication of his father in 1831, he ascended the throne at the age of six. He was officially crowned emperor of Brazil ten years later upon reaching adulthood. Peter II gave Brazil 49 years of domestic peace, prosperity and progress, ending his rule in 1889. During his reign "Union and Industry", the first paved road, was built; the first steam-engine started running; the postal stamp was instituted; the submarine wire was installed and the telephone was inaugurated. On that note, an interesting bit of trivia is that Peter II is believed to have been the first Brazilian to speak on a telephone. The obverses of the Brazilian 10,000 Reis face value and 20,000 Reis face value coins feature the image of Peter II with the Latin legend "PETRUS II.D.G.C.IMP. ET PERP.BRAS.DEF" meaning...

Argentina 5 peso Argentino gold coin Minted 1881 - 1896 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .2334 troy ounce Around the early 1900's both Americans and Europeans alike used the phrase "rich as an Argentine" to describe an individual of substantial wealth -- in 1914, only Great Britain was more urbanized, and by 1929 only Great Britain had more cars per capita. Argentina was considered to be one of the ten wealthiest nations in the world in terms of per capita income. Not more than 20 years later, a series of poorly executed policies -- nationalization of industries, expansion of state services and substantial overseas borrowing -- as well as a period of bad leadership began to ruin the economic prosperity of the country. Unable to finance its spending, the government of Argentina opted to attempt inflating its way out of its obligations. This caused an astronomical inflation factor of 2.1 billion times original prices between 1976 and 1991. To give an example, a single o...

gold bullion bars Gold bar sizes: VARIABLE Popular Gold Refineries: PAMP, Credit Suisse, Johnson Matthey, Metalor etc. (1 oz. PAMP Fortuna gold bar shown above left) Fineness: VARIABLE (.995 to .9999 is common) Gold bars are produced in a wide variety of sizes, shape, and fineness, most of them destined for one-way transit to manufacturing end-users who intend to refabricate the gold into other forms such as industrial/electronic plating or decorative applications. Most gold bars are not intended for use as investment products (i.e., recirculated on the secondary public market) primarily because their authentic weight and purity both fall into question owing to the ease of tamperability once the bars have traveled outside of the original commercial chain of custody. However, one very notable exception to the use of gold bars for investment and financial purposes is with regard to the large (350-430 oz.) London Good Delivery bars that are maintained with a reliable chain of custody with...

Austria 100 corona -- restrikes, gold bullion coins Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: 0.9803 troy ounce Minted face value: 100 corona Originally minted as circulation coinage from 1909 to 1914, coins of this design, dated 1915, were restruck as bullion items.

Kingdom of the Netherlands 10 guilders (Young Wilhelmina) Minted 1892 - 1897 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .1947 troy ounce Queen Wilhelmina ascended the throne after her father, King Willem III, died in 1890. She first displayed an incisive intelligence during a meeting with the powerful Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany prior to World War I. Wilhelm boasted to the young Wilhelmina that "my guards are seven feel tall and yours are only shoulder high to them." To this she replied politely: "Quite true, Your Majesty, your guards are seven feet tall, but when we open our dikes, the water is ten feet deep!" Also known for her business savvy, Wilhelmina amassed a fortune through various business dealings and investments that surpassed a billion dollars, making her the first female billionaire in history. She moved throughout her life in the highest circles of international finance. Her involvement in World War II was widely publicized as well, as she unabashedly called...

Denmark 20 kroner gold coin (Frederik VIII & Christian X) Minted 1908 - 1917 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .2592 troy ounce The Denmark 20 Kroner is among the most visually appealing and highly sought-after of the pre-1933 European gold coins. Issued from the 1500's, kroner is Danish for 'crown' -- a reference to its production at the king's mint. The gold 20 kroner coins became the fixed standard of value and primary monetary instrument in Denmark, Sweden and Norway under the Scandinavian Coin Union in 1875. It provided the region with fixed exchange rates and monetary stability until it was abandoned at the onset of World War I. The Coin Union was a reaction to the recurring monetary crisis caused by the undisciplined issuance of paper money. One such crisis led to the public burning of bank notes in 1728. Another in 1814 pushed the country toward inflationary financial collapse and public rioting.

Uruguay 5 peso gold coin Minted 1930 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .2501 troy ounce The Uruguayan five pesos coin has an interesting mintage history. Listed in The Standard Catalogue of World Gold Coins as the only coin of its design type and minted in 1930 only, the catalogue notes: "Only 14,415 were released. Remainder withheld." A hoard of roughly 80,000 coins (which comprised most of the remaining mintage) was released, rumor has it, by the Argentina Central Bank in 1998, and most of those coins were placed with private investors and collectors. Examination of this coin reveals the words Republica Oriental Del Uruguay (Oriental Republic of Uruguay). The designation "Oriental" in the official name of Uruguay refers to the country's location upon the eastern bank of the Uruguay River, which separates it from Argentina to the west. Comprised of a population exceeding 3.25 million largely derived from Spanish and Italian descent and occupying a landmass ...

Kingdom of the Netherlands 10 guilder gold coin (Queen Wilhelmina) Minted 1911 - 1917 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: .1947 troy ounce Queen Wilhelmina ascended the throne after her father, King Willem III, died in 1890. She first displayed an incisive intelligence during a meeting with the powerful Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany prior to World War I. Wilhelm boasted to the young Wilhelmina that "my guards are seven feel tall and yours are only shoulder high to them." To this she replied politely: "Quite true, Your Majesty, your guards are seven feet tall, but when we open our dikes, the water is ten feet deep!" Also known for her business savvy, Wilhelmina amassed a fortune through various business dealings and investments that surpassed a billion dollars, making her the first female billionaire in history. She moved throughout her life in the highest circles of international finance. Her involvement in World War II was widely publicized as well, as she unabashe...

Kingdom of the Netherlands -- Trade Ducat Minted 1817-1937 Fineness: .983 Actual Gold Content: .1106 troy ounce Minted in Holland beginning in the 17th century to fuel its extraordinary tenure as the world's foremost commercial trader, the Netherlands one ducat gold coin offers both strong visual appeal and a scarcity value that could command a healthy premium in the years to come. The first Netherlands trade ducat was issued in 1487 under Phillip the Fair and a coin very similar to the one depicted above has been minted more or less continuously from the early 1600s on. The net fine weight of 3.5 grams gold never changed to the modern era. The trade ducat is minted as a gold bullion coin even today. Only the Venetian ducat has enjoyed greater longevity. The obverse of the famed ducat coin depicts a knight holding a bundle of arrows signifying the unity of the six northern provinces under the 1579 Union of Utrecht -- a declaration of independence from Spain. The motto Concordia Re...

United States of Mexico 50 pesos gold coins Minted 1921 - 1931; 1944-47 Fineness: .900 Actual Gold Content: 1.2057 troy ounce (37.5 grams) In 1910 Mexico celebrated the Centennial of the beginning of its War of Independence with Spain. To commemorate the event, a giant column was erected in the middle of Mexico City with a statue of "El Angel de la Independencia", "The Angel of Independence", sitting atop. This 6.7-meter statue, constructed of Bronze and Gold, represents the "Winged Victory", a Greek symbol for the goddess Nike (Victory). In her right hand the Angel holds a luarel crown, symbolizing Victory, while in her left she holds a broken chain, symbolizing Freedom. First minted in 1921, the 50 Pesos gold coin honors the Centennial of the successful end of Mexico's War of Independence. "El Angel" is pictured on the coin opposite the national coat of arms. The Mexican coat of arms depicts the Mexican golden eagle devouring a snake while...