Gold, Silver or Platinum? 5 Things to Know Before Your First Coin

The metal decides what a coin costs, how much room it takes up and how easily it sells later. Many first-time buyers start with a well-known one-ounce gold piece, and a list such as BTC Mints’ 1 oz gold coins shows the usual line-up side by side: Britannia, Maple Leaf, Krugerrand, American Eagle, Kangaroo and Vienna Philharmonic.

Here are five things to know before choosing. This is general information, not investment or tax advice.

1. The purity mark tells you more than the colour

Bullion coins show their fineness as parts per thousand: a stamp of 999.9 equals 99.99% pure. The Royal Mint strikes its one-ounce gold Britannia at 999.9 fine and its silver Britannia at 999, while the Royal Canadian Mint takes both its gold and silver Maple Leafs to 99.99%.

Some famous gold coins are deliberately less pure. The US Mint lists the American Gold Eagle as 22 karat, made of 91.67% gold, 3% silver and the balance copper. The Krugerrand, struck since 1967 by Rand Refinery in South Africa, is 916.7 fine. Neither is short of gold: each holds one troy ounce of fine gold, and the extra metals just make the coin tougher.

For comparison, LBMA Good Delivery rules require large gold bars to be at least 995.0 fine and silver bars 999.0, while the London Platinum and Palladium Market asks for 99.95% platinum. The 24 karat coins from the major mints match or beat those figures.

2. Silver coins are bigger and need a little more care

Silver is much lighter for its volume than gold, so a one-ounce silver coin has to be wider. The Royal Mint gives its one-ounce gold Britannia a diameter of 32.69 mm and the silver version 38.61 mm.

Silver can also develop white “milk spots” over time. The Royal Canadian Mint says these marks do not change a coin’s purity or composition, but buyers dislike them, so in 2018 it announced MintShield, a surface treatment now applied to all Silver Maple Leaf bullion coins dated 2018 and later. When comparing listings, such as the silver Maple Leafs at BTC Mints, check the year on the coin to see whether it has that protection.

3. Platinum is a real third option, with fewer choices

The big mints make platinum coins too. The Royal Canadian Mint lists its one-ounce Platinum Maple Leaf at 99.95% purity, 31.11 g and 30 mm, with a $50 face value. The US Mint’s American Platinum Eagle is also 99.95% pure, weighs 31.120 g and measures 32.70 mm.

The range is narrower, though. BTC Mints, for example, lists five platinum coins, namely the Britannia, Philharmonic, American Eagle, Maple Leaf and Kangaroo, plus a few bars, and describes its platinum range as 99.95% pure.

A smaller market can mean fewer buyers when you sell, so ask whether the dealer buys platinum back, and on what terms, before ordering.

4. Face value is a legal label, not a price

Most bullion coins carry a denomination. The gold and platinum Maple Leafs say $50 and the silver Maple Leaf says $5. A one-ounce gold Britannia reads £100 and the silver Britannia £2. The Perth Mint’s 2026 one-ounce gold Kangaroo is legal tender in Australia with a face value of AUD 100.

None of those figures reflects what the coin is worth, since a gold coin follows the gold price, many times its face value. The denomination still matters: it marks the piece as an official government issue, and in some countries legal tender status changes how coins are treated for tax. Rules vary by country.

5. Bullion coins and collector coins are different products

Many designs come in two versions. The Perth Mint sells the 2026 Australian Kangaroo as a one-ounce bullion coin in a protective acrylic capsule, and separately as a gold proof high relief coin in its collector range. Collector versions are struck with extra care and sell for well above their metal content.

For a first coin, the bullion strike is the simpler choice: you pay mainly for metal, and any dealer can value it. Proofs and lunar-year designs suit people who love the artwork, but their resale value also depends on collector demand.

The Royal Mint and the Perth Mint sell bullion on their own websites, while big US retailers like APMEX and JM Bullion carry coins from many mints. A good seller names the mint, year, weight and fineness on every listing and ships insured, signed-for parcels. BTC Mints, for instance, names the Perth Mint, the Royal Mint and the Royal Canadian Mint among its coin sources and puts a certificate of authenticity in every order.

The bottom line

Pick the metal first, then the coin. Gold packs the most value into the smallest space, silver lets you start with a smaller outlay but takes more room and care, and platinum adds variety with a thinner market. Either way, a widely recognised one-ounce bullion coin with a clear purity mark is the easiest place to start, and to sell later.