Pandas were first introduced in 1982. This was another response to the popularity of The South African Krugerrands. The Chinese Mints have created a unique collectors item in the panda series by changing the design on the back side of the coin every year.

Panda's can be found in 1oz and fractional ounces.

panda 1/10th oz
panda 1/4 oz
panda 1/2 oz
panda 1 oz

The Panda's are generally more expensive due to the premiums that the Chinese Mints charge, yet still remain an attractive coin for serious collectors.

Investment-wise, you are paying a little more for your gold, and that is always a factor in making final investment decisions.

eBay buying tip - consider your sources carefully. Always buy from a reputable merchant that has high ratings.

In 2006 there was a large quantity of counterfeit SILVER pandas released in the ebay marketplace. These coins had one common characteristic - no denominations - where most panda coins have denominations.

Buying from a reputable source will generally guarantee a safe purchase.

Canadian Gold Maple Leaf

Here is the purist of the minted gold coins - with a rating of 99.99% purity. The Maple Leaf was introduced by Canada as a testament to their minting prowess.

It's not easy minting pure gold, and in fact, dealers have had a few complaints over the quality of some of the maple leafs. They tend to mark easily. However, this coin is still coveted in investment circles.

Denominations include

1/20th oz - face value $1
1/10th oz - face value $5
1/4 oz - face value $10
1/2 oz - face value $20
1 oz - face value $50

Just as all of the American Eagles are produced from US mined gold, so to is the Maple Leaf mined from Canadian gold.

The maple Leaf made it's first appearance in 1979 as a response to the Kruggerand, which were hard to come by during the apartheid era.

The Royal Canadian Mint has struck more than gold, they also have approx 500 sets of Platinum Maple Leafs in circulation.

Rare Coins For Sale.

Looking back in US history, we can trace all the way back to the year 1795 when the first gold coins were struck in the only US mint located in Philadelphia. The face values on the coins were $1 dollar and $50 dollars.

As settlers migrated west, gold was discovered in several areas, and of course additional US mints were born.

As most collectors know, all coins struck before 1933 have a special advantage as collectibles. Currently, the law requires gold dealers to report all gold sales ‘except’ the rare pre-1933 gold coins.