1) Local coin shops

A local coin shop is a practical and a best place to buy gold coins.  Not only can you examine the coin you are to buy more closely, you can also transact with the coin seller personally.

A main disadvantage with local gold coin shops is price disparity. The prices of gold coins in local shops are much higher than how much they are originally priced. This is because higher distribution costs are paid when the coins are delivered to locations far from its source (the coin mint).

There may also be limited supply and variety in local coin shops as they are usually small-time coin sellers.

2) Gold coin dealers

Gold coin dealers are those merchants who buy coins in bulk for resale, specializing in gold coins.  Most dealers supply the coins for sale to the local coin shops although dealers themselves also own coin stores. 

More gold coin varieties are sold by coin dealers and are offered at lower prices than those sold by coin retailers. Aside from selling coins, dealers also buy coins from interested coin collectors.

It is worthy to note that there are expert coin dealers who do not practice dealer ethics.  They would tend to abuse the less knowledgeable collectors. One common example is understating gold coin prices to individuals who wish to sell their coins to the dealer.

To avoid this, only go to reputable dealers or those who are accredited by numismatic institutions like the Professional Coin Grading Service or PCGS.

3) Coin brokers

Coin brokers are often mistaken as coin dealers or vice versa. The difference is a coin dealer buys coins for himself and resells them to other coin collectors and coin sellers.  A coin broker buys coins as a representative of another person whom is called the coin broker’s client.

4) Gold coin collectors organizations

By becoming a member of a gold coin collectors club, you will meet individuals who share the same interest with yours.  Members of numismatic organizations do not only impart information, they also trade, buy, and sell coins among themselves.

5) Gold coin auctions

A coin auction is the process of selling coins in which interested buyers bid against one another for the item for sale.  The person to offer the highest price is the winning bidder and he gets to buy the coin auctioned.

There are three common types of coin auctions – live, telephone, and online coin biddings.  In most cases, only valuable and rare coins are being sold at an auction.  The rarer and more popular the coin is, the more collectors would willingly pay a higher price.

Before buying gold coins through coin auctions, make sure to know the auction rules and regulations.  And make sure to bid only until the amount you can truly afford; set a target amount beforehand.

6) Coin shows

Another best way to buy gold coins is through coin shows.  A coin show is an event where dealers, sellers, and collectors gather around in one place to buy, sell, or trade collectible coins. Buyers would hop from one coin dealer booth to another to find worthy coins including gold coins.

A coin show may also be for a cause where proceeds from the sale of coins go to charitable institutions but these are usually sponsored events.

7) Mail order

Mail order coins are usually those items published in coin catalogs and magazines.  Buying gold coins through mail would mean that you will purchase the coin without even seeing it yet (aside from the photo on the catalog).

It is discouraged that you buy antique gold coins through mail order.  For safety purposes, buy only slabbed or certified gold coins or those modern mint sets and proof sets if you wish to avail of mail order services.

Apart from finding a reputable coin dealer, also take note of the return policies of those coin dealers who offer gold coins for sale via mail order. And always look for a certificate of authenticity on every item you have bought.

8) Coin Mints

It is strongly advised that you buy gold coins from coin mints if you wish to collect recent or modern issues.  If you also plan on purchasing gold coins as investment and not for a collection, buy gold bullion coins. They are priced much lower when bought from the mint unlike when bought from bullion dealers.

Though most of the coins sold at the coin mints have lower prices, you do not find much valuable gold coins (in terms of numismatic value) in such places. What are available here are usually souvenir items like modern gold commemorative coins, mint sets, and proof coin sets – items which are not very appealing to old time collectors or to gold investors.

9) Sell or buy gold coins online

Online auctions and coin shops, gold coin dealer websites, and online numismatic organizations – these are just few of the venues where you can buy gold coins through the internet. 

To sell and to buy gold coins online is both convenient and practical – for one you would only need your computer and an internet connection to browse for gold coins.

The lack of physical presence makes transacting through the net highly risky. Here, you will encounter fraudulent coin sellers who may offer fake gold coins, wrongly attributed collectible coins, overpriced numismatic items, and more.

You need to be extra careful when dealing with persons on the web especially if you are a beginner in online coin transactions. 

Only go to reputable online coin dealers preferably those certified by numismatic institutions like PCGS.  Bid only through established coin auction websites like auctioneers who have already made names to the numismatic market even before they were present online.