What is the Smallest Gold Coin Available?
Whether you have decided to begin purchasing gold on a budget or looking to mark a special occasion, there are simple options available to choose from and gold coins are an easy way to start.
Gold is expensive and therefore it is not always feasible to start by purchasing 1-ounce weights. Mints recognize this and offer products of a lesser weight. Such options have become increasingly popular and there are multiple gold coins to look at. Let’s look at coins that come from national minting corporations such as the U.S mint, the People’s Bank of China, the Perth Mint from Australia and the Royal Canadian Mint.
The U.S. Mint
The most popular coin produced by the U.S Mint is the American Eagle. This coin has been in production since 1986. The coin is composed of 91.67% gold, 3% silver and copper to balance. They are minted using 22 karat gold.
The smallest coin available is the 1/10th ounce coin. It has a face value of $5 and has a diameter of 16.50mm, containing 0.1000 troy ounces of gold for a total weight of 0.1091 troy ounces or 3.393g.
People’s Republic of China
Commonly referred to as the Panda, China has been minting gold coins since 1982. Unlike most producers of gold coinage, the design changes every year. In 2016, the mint stopped using the troy weight system and moved to metric measurement.
They are manufactured from 99.9% or 0.999 pure gold.
Before 2016, the smallest coin available was a 1/20th ounce or 1.5552 g. From 1986-2000 it had a face value of 5 Yuan. From 2001-2015 the face value was 20 Yuan. The diameter of this coin was 13.92mm. However now, the smallest coin available is a 1 gram, or a 0.0322 ounce coin. This coin has a face value of 10 Yuan and a diameter of 10 mm.
The Perth Mint, Australia
The Perth Mint is owned by the government of the state of Western Australia. They began minting coins in 1899, two years before Australia became a Federation. They are one of the largest producers of gold on the planet.
The standard gold coin is officially called the Gold Nugget but is commonly called a Kangaroo or Roo for short because of the featured image. Kangaroos were first minted in 1986.
The smallest Kangaroo that is regularly produced weighs 1/20th of an ounce with a purity of 99.99% or 0.9999. It has a face value of A5$ and a diameter of 14.10 mm.
Royal Canadian Mint
In 1979 the Royal Canadian Mint began to produce the Gold Maple Leaf (GML) coin. The GML was the first coin produced to achieve a 99.99% or 0.9999 purity. They have invested many resources in anti-counterfeiting measures that since 2018 have become an integral part of the GML’s design.
The smallest GML available is a 1/20th ounce or 1.556 g coin. The coin has a face value of C1$ and a diameter of 14.10 mm.
In Conclusion
The different coins examined here are produced on a regular annual basis by these mints. All of three mints also make various special occasion coins that have very short production runs mostly for numismatic collectors. It is possible to find coins as small as 0.50 grams. Due to their small production runs increased fabrication costs are added to the price.
The smallest coin from our selection of minted small coins is the 1-gram Chinese Panda. Products from both the Perth Mint and the Royal Canadian Mint are universally recognized for their high manufacturing quality.
References
Perth Mint. (2022). Australian Kangaroo Gold Bullion Coin. Retrieved from: https://www.perthmint.com/shop/bullion/bullion-coins/australian-kangaroo-2022-1-10oz-gold-bullion-coin/
Royal Canadian Mint. (2022). Maple Leaf Pure Gold Bullion Coin. Retrieved from: https://www.mint.ca/en/shop/coins/2022/1-20-oz-pure-gold-coin-everlasting-maple-leaf
United States Mint. (2022). American Eagle Gold Bullion Coin. Retrieved from: https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-medal-programs/american-eagle/gold-bullion
Wikipedia. (2022). Chinese Gold Panda. Retrieved from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Gold_Panda
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