[quote=flu]What exactly would be the difference between the american eagle/bufflao versus say the canada maple leaf or the Krugerrand or the Suisse bar. Isn’t 1oz of gold the same as 1oz of gold. Why the variation in price (albeit small)?[/quote]
Eagles and Krugerrands are 22-karat gold (91.7% purity = 22/24). Maples and Buffaloes are 100% 24-karat. Both types have exactly 1.000 troy oz of gold. The Eagles & Kruggerands are alloyed with a bit of silver and copper and are a bit heavier and more resistant to ‘damage’, but you obviously wouldn’t want to throw around either type. Beyond that, these are just bullion and (I’m no expert) the buy/sell spreads are pretty similar.
I’ve never bought from Apmex but I know people who have–they had good experiences. In town, I really like Blue Vault. I’m not terribly worried about fakes (yet) but China is getting better at it. The fakes will never beat the Fisch (basic physics), and I know Blue Vault uses those. Maybe you’d want to be more careful about bars if you’re into that kind of thing–but I genuinely believe good dealers won’t let fake bars through either.
You can google prices around town, and honestly I feel like they’re close enough that, as long as you trust the dealer, you’ll do best by driving to the closest one to you.
