Krugerrand, Maple Leaf or Philharmonic: which one sells fastest?
All three contain 31.1035 grams of fine gold. What you get for them still differs – and not always in favour of the handsomest coin.
The same gold, a different weight
The Krugerrand is 916.7/1000 (22 carat) and therefore weighs 33.93 grams: there is copper in it, which gives the coin a reddish tint and makes it far harder. The Maple Leaf and the Philharmoniker are 999.9 and weigh exactly 31.1035 grams.
That difference in alloy says nothing about the value of the gold – that value is the same in all three. It does say something about how the coin ages.
All three: 1 troy ounce = 31.1035 grams of fine gold. Anyone who offers on a coin per gram of total weight instead of per gram of fine gold is short-changing you.
Sensitivity to scratches costs money
The Maple Leaf is of virtually pure gold and therefore soft. Milk spots and small scratches on the flat field are the rule rather than the exception with this coin, certainly if it has lain loose in a drawer. A dealer who resells the coin allows for that.
The Krugerrand hardly has that problem: the copper makes it hard. A Krugerrand from 1974 that has been kept loose often looks better than a Maple Leaf ten years old.
Recognition decides the resale
The Krugerrand has been the most traded gold bullion coin in the world since 1967 and is recognised everywhere. The Philharmoniker is the best known in Europe and is denominated in euros, which makes it easily tradeable in the Netherlands and Belgium.
In practice the bid prices for these three lie close together, generally within one per cent of each other. The difference lies more often in the condition of the coin than in the type.
- Krugerrand – 22 carat, 33.93 grams, hard and scratch-resistant, recognised worldwide.
- Maple Leaf – 999.9, 31.1035 grams, soft and prone to milk spots.
- Philharmoniker – 999.9, 31.1035 grams, denominated in euros, strong in Europe.
What you can do yourself before you sell
Leave the coin in its capsule or blister. A coin in its original packaging fetches slightly more on average, simply because there is less to be seen on it.
And never polish. A polished bullion coin is recognisable at once by its dull sheen and yields less, not more.
- Troy ounce, gram and carat: the units side by sideThe world market reckons in troy ounces, your scales in grams and your jewellery in carats. With these three conversions you can check any offer yourself.Read on
- How does a buyer check whether gold is real?Magnet, acid test, specific gravity and X-ray. What each method does and does not prove – and why a stamp alone is never enough.Read on
- Selling a diamond without a certificate: what does it cost you?Without a GIA or HRD report a buyer has to judge for himself, and uncertainty translates into a lower offer. How much that differs, and when applying for a certificate pays off.Read on
Questions about krugerrand, maple leaf or philharmonic: which one sells fastest
Which coin is best for me to sell?
They lie close together, so there is rarely much in it. If you have the choice, sell the coin with the most signs of use first; the unblemished examples hold their lead better and can wait for a later moment.
Can milk spots on my Maple Leaf be removed?
No, and do not try. Milk spots sit in the surface itself rather than on it, so nothing you rub on will lift them. Polishing makes the coin visibly worked over, and that costs more than the spot itself ever did.
Do you pay more for a coin than for a bar?
Per gram of fine gold often slightly less, because a bar is more directly tradeable. At smaller weights that turns around, because coins resell more easily. So the answer depends on the size of what you are holding.
Does the year of issue matter?
With bullion it seldom does. Only with the odd issue with small mintage figures does the collector value lie above the gold value, and we check that during the valuation. For the usual years the gold content simply decides the price.
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