Being a professional wholesale gold dealer and investor for over 50 years, I have found it's easy for a well informed gold buyer to quickly learn how to buy gold and get a good deal when adding gold to your portfolio. Buying gold investments for your precious metals portfolio is as easy as 1-2-3.

Step #1 - Where to Buy Gold

The best gold dealer is a major market wholesaler with a minimum of ten years experience in the rare and investment coins business, with a proven track record of building profitable precious metal portfolios and an excellent industry reputation in numismatics and/or investment strategies.

Seven criteria for selecting your Dealer:

1. A member of the Professional Numismatic Association
   • A private members-only association of reputable numismatic dealers that must be voted in by the membership to join. They must be well known and respected by the numismatic industry to even be considered for membership. I am proud to be on the Board of Directors of the Professional Numismatic Association.
2. A minimum of ten years as a major market maker posting buy/sell prices for gold coins.
3. An informative website --- ideally with an investment guide section on buying and selling precious metals including things like portfolio building tips, how to buy gold, how to find a reputable gold or bullion dealer, investment strategies, etc.
4. No commissioned Salesman
   1. Important fact: If you're dealing with an account executive, their commission is added to your sales price!!!
5. The gold dealer must be willing to disclose the profit margin and buy/sell pricing.
6. The ability to ship your gold order within 48 hours from receipt of good funds.
7. It is important that you receive your gold coins and bullion products immediately and don't allow the dealer to store them for you. This provides you, the coin buyer / gold investor, with better flexibility when you wish to sell your gold coins, bullion, or other precious metal investments.
8. Knowledgeable and Available --- offer you current precious metal market spot prices on demand; complete and full disclosure; the ability to quickly and easily answer your questions about investing in gold, buying gold bullion, etc. by phone or email; and free gold investment and portfolio building consultations and investing strategies.

Choosing the right gold dealer requires investing your time BEFORE investing your money. Spend the time and give due diligence to checking out the gold dealer. Knowing the dealer is credible, knowledgeable, fair, and honest are of the utmost importance before you invest a single penny of your money in buying gold bullion, precious metals, or investment coins.

Step #2 - Buy the Right Gold Coins

Based on your timeframe, are bullion gold coins or investment gold coins the right fit?

Short term investors (Less than 3 years) : Bullion Gold Coins

The best and most popular gold bullion coins are:

1. Canadian 1oz Gold Maple Leaf coins
2. United States 1oz Gold Eagle coins
3. United States 1oz Gold Buffalo coins

These three gold coins are the most actively traded gold bullion coins in the World and therefore have the best buy/sell spreads (lowest profit margin for gold dealers) of any gold bullion investment.

Long term investments (3 years and longer): Investment Gold Coins

The highest recommended gold coins for long term investing, all with an excellent history of appreciation are:

1. $20 Gold Saint Gaudens – Graded MS63 to MS66 by PCGS or NGC
   1. Coins are graded on a scale from 0-70 with 70 being perfect condition. We recommend Gold Saint Gauden coins between 63-66 because these coins have the largest and most activate market with collectors and investors compared to all other grades.
   2. Also PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) and NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation) are independent third party coin grading companies that grade over 90% of all investment coins today. They are both highly respected in the numismatic community and both guarantee that the graded coins in their holders are true for that grade or your money back.
2. French 20 Franc Gold Rooster – Pre-1933
   1. The importance of coins dated prior to 1933 is that they are classified as a “collectable” by the IRS. Being that they are classified as a "collectable" gives them many TAX ADVANTAGES!

Step #3 - Know the Right Price to Pay

If your dealer doesn't disclose his/her profit margin and buy/sell spreads, find another gold dealer immediately!

Bullion Coins
Wholesale market makers should have a 2% buy/sell spread on a minimum sale of 10oz gold bullion coins.

Example: if the current Spot Price of Gold is at $1,000 an ounce, we would buy gold bullion products for $1,035 an ounce (the extra $35 is for the cost of production of the coins) and sell those bullion investments for just $20 more (totaling $1,055 per ounce). Stuppler only makes 1% when we buy and 1% when we sell. Our goal is to maximize your investor profits and increase the value of your precious metals portfolio and investment packages!

Investment Gold Coins
Wholesale market makers selling premium quality gold coins such as the $20 Saints Gaudens Double Eagle and the French Rooster, require a 10% profit due to the fact that rare investment coins are no longer made, have a high investor demand, and must be prescreened to insure mint condition, premium quality coins.

Here are two examples based on a Gold Spot price of $1,250 ounce:

Example #1
A fair buying price for an Uncirculated French 20 Franc Rooster (which has a gold content of just under 2/10th of an ounce of gold) is $268.38 with a selling price of $245.04. A minor 5% to 15% premium, based on the gold content of a coin and the current gold spot price.

Example #2
The price of a graded $20 Gold Saint Gaudens Double Eagle coin can range from $1700 to $3,100 based on the certified grade. These coins have a gold content of one full ounce of gold and are in strong demand from both precious metal investors and coin collectors alike. Plus, they are classified as a “collectable” by the IRS and because of that classification, they have TAX BENEFITS! Call or e-mail me to discuss the special tax advantages of investing in gold and rare coins at 888-454-0444 or info@stuppler.com

In our 50+ years as professional coin dealers, and having spent the past 15 years handling consumer protection issues for the American Numismatic Association (the largest coin organization in the United States) and California Coin and Bullion Merchant Association, We have learned a thing or two. One of the most crucial facts we have learned about buying silver is this… If a new investor or silver buyer knew the right questions to ask BEFORE making their initial silver purchase, approximately 90% of potential future problems would never materialize! Please email or call us with your questions, or for more information on how to buy silver or build a precious metals investment portfolio. We look forward to speaking with you.