Gold coins compared by series

What a bullion coin is

Precious metal in bulk is called bullion: it is cast or struck into bars, wafers or coins. A bullion coin, as the Royal Canadian Mint defines it, is a coin an official agency strikes in undetermined numbers, for investors. It is legal tender, but its price follows the gold it contains, not its rarity or the amount written on it.

A gold coin usually bears a denomination: 50 Canadian dollars on the 1-ounce Maple Leaf, 100 pounds on the Britannia and 100 euros on the Vienna Philharmonic. The American Eagle is legal tender under US law. The Krugerrand is legal tender too, but it bears no denomination; what it is worth follows the gold price.

Weights and face value

The major series come in more than one weight. The Maple Leaf comes in 1/20, 1/10, 1/4, 1/2 and 1 ounce, the Vienna Philharmonic in 1/25, 1/10, 1/4, 1/2 and 1 ounce. The American Eagle and the Krugerrand come in 1, 1/2, 1/4 and 1/10 ounce; the Krugerrand added the smaller sizes in 1980. At its launch the Britannia already had 1/2, 1/4 and 1/10 ounce besides the ounce.

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