The Federal Trade Commission reports a rise in boiler rooms hawking gold coins or bars.

Don't buy gold from a cold caller over the phone.

The only real reason to own them is if you believe in a future meltdown of society, at which point paper money will be worthless and you’ll need small (gold) change to buy, say, ammo, freeze-dried food or a latte. You’ll pay a higher markup for such coins than for one-ounce coins. These coins come in fractions of an ounce, such has a half-ounce, a quarter-ounce and even one-twentieth of an ounce. So, for investment purposes, stick with regular coins. The premium you pay for proof coins may be inflated and may disappear, depending on the market. Proof editions are usually valued more highly than regular coins - by collectors. The dies used to make them are often finely polished and yield particularly pretty coins with mirror finishes. Proof coins are special editions struck for collectors and often mounted in a special case. In addition to the American Gold Eagle, the best-known coins typically bought and sold for their gold value alone are the Canadian Maple Leaf, the Australian Gold Nugget and the South African Krugerrand.

For example, Goldline and some other dealers push a French gold coin, the 20-franc “Rooster.” Weiner says Goldline charges 69% more than the melt value of the Rooster, which has no numismatic value. Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY) for the high markups it charges on such coins. Goldline International, a major dealer, has come under fire by U.S.

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