A friend finally bit the bullet and has begun investing in gold coins. She did her research and only got her coins from a reputable company that offers authentic gold coins like the US Gold Bureau.

After much deliberation, she invested on the following recommendations of financial advisers and fellow friends who are investing on gold these days:

1. American Gold Eagle
First issued in 1986 by the U.S. Mint, American Gold Eagles are said to be the most popular gold bullion coins in the world. Each coin is minted in 22-karat solid gold and has an image of Lady Liberty on the obverse (front) and A Family of Eagles on the reverse.

2. Canadian Gold Maple Leaf
roduced by the Royal Canadian Mint starting in 1979, these beautiful 24 karat gold coins are 99.99% pure gold (in 2007, the Royal Canadian Mint began producing 99.999% pure gold, one-ounce Maple Leaf coins). The Gold Maple Leaf has an image of Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse side. The coin’s reverse image is that of a maple leaf – Canada’s national symbol.

3. South African Krugerrand
Produced by the South African Mint beginning in 1967, this coin gets its name from Paul Kruger, the last president of the Republic of South Africa, and the "rand", the monetary unit of South Africa. The one-ounce Krugerrand contains one troy ounce of gold and is alloyed with copper (1/12 copper, 11/12 pure gold) resulting in a 22-karat coin. They are more durable and scratch-resistant than pure gold coins. The obverse side of the coin has the image of Paul Kruger. The coin’s reverse image is that of a springbok antelope, one of South Africa’s national symbols.