Historically, gold has always been recognized as a form of money that was valuable. Unlike collapsing currencies made of paper, gold never fails. Bullion is the least expensive of all the gold forms you can use as an alternative to saving cash. Bullion bars are not only the easiest to become involved in; they are fairly easy to sell as well. You can get a bullion gold bar in a one-tenth ounces or the standard 400 troy-ounce bar.

The most available size for purchase is the one-ounce bar size. Governments usually use the four-hundred ounce ones since the one-tenth sizes cost a lot to manufacture; these ones require an expensive manufacturing cost and involve unattractive premiums. For this reason, it is not recommended to invest at this level.

On the other hand, gold bullion converts quite quickly and easily to cash, just like other vehicles of gold. The primary disadvantage is storing them.

Not everyone has vaults in their homes and will thus need to spend money just for storing the bullion in safe places. You can inquire at your local bank about their policy regarding safety deposit boxes.

The most pure form of gold which is refined is called ‘four nines’ which means it is.0001 part something else and.9999 gold.

There are instances in which the.0001 something else is not actually true, but placed just as a safe guard. In any case, if you buy four hundred ounces of.9999 gold, you will be paying for a hundred percent gold. On the other hand if you purchase gold at say,.9990, you will be paying less.

Remember to purchase gold only from a reputable dealer. Dealers purchase and sell gold from holdings that are internally owned. Even if dealers don’t really charge any commission, profit comes from the spread.

This is how dealers have such low prices. On the other hand, brokers work on a basis of commission and do not actually own the gold. For this reason, you need to verify and ask upfront if you are buying from a dealer before you make any sort of purchase.

The gold market is worked by traders on behalf of a dealer and do have complete control on how to act in lieu of the dealer and handling the dealer’s money.

Gold purchased from a dealer that is well-known and one who has a good reputation will be less expensive and easier to resell if you need to go to a different dealer for selling purposes. More likely, the gold which comes from a not-so-well-known dealer will have more assay fees.

When buying a gold bar, get one that is as large as you can possibly afford. There are charges for manufacturing gold bullion and this increases as the gold bar size decreases. Even if the charge is minimal, it does add up considerably when you are doing a large transaction with many bars involved. It will be to your advantage to save as much as you can in the process of selling and buying.

Just like gold, bullions of silver is available in a broad selection of sizes which starts at one gram up to the 1,000 ounce standard bar. Silver also works on the same.999 three times purity scale. Costs for manufacturing exist for silver the same way they do for gold.

There is less cost per weight although it will most likely cost less to pour silver into a bar than to pour in gold. The reason is the cost of the metal which is relative itself. Due to the cost which is relative, you might be paying more per silver ounce.

Naturally, the way you choose your dealer of metals needs to be based on the versatility and experience of the vehicles for investment. Look out for dealers who give you the attention you need as a client. This is a good sign that they care for your investment. Keep in mind that good dealers have built their reputation and quality over a long period of time.