By law, every gold ingot, regardless of its size or shape, must be compulsorily marked and serialized before being placed on the market. This is done for security, encryption and traceability reasons. Gold and silver bars come with a unique serial number stamped by the refinery where they come from. All bars larger than 250 g must have a serial number.
It is important to research gold IRA company reviews before investing in gold bars to ensure that you are getting the best quality product. This serial number helps a testing office authenticate gold bars. Usually, this serial number will appear on the bill so that it can be traced back to your dealer. When you buy gold for investment and store it privately, you must rely on your daily operations. If the coins have broken down from their packages, the company that buys and stores them must add them to special bags that have unique serial numbers.
The question is raised because of a period in the history of the United States just after the Great Depression of 1933, when the United States Government issued a decree making it illegal to hold gold in the form of gold ingots without a single court order. In the United States, under current federal laws, gold ingots can technically be confiscated in times of crisis, but rare coins do not fall under the category of confiscation. When you buy gold for investment purposes that is also segregated, you should always be given the list of serial numbers of the ingots you have purchased. You benefit from the peace of mind of knowing that your investment is genuine and of high quality and that you'll have a place to sell the ingots when the time comes.
After buying gold for investment, you must always pay a fee for storing the assigned precious metals. When you buy gold for investment and you can't personally visit and inspect your ingots, there's a good chance it won't be there. It is possible to bring ingots to jewelry stores, but they are likely to pay a lower price, since they simply melt the bar. Very few banks sell gold today, as they have many other sources of income and gold is considered to be a specialized area.
To ensure that when you buy gold for investment, it actually exists, there are a few other problem areas you should consider. Gold coins are generally considered to be a better investment than gold bars, as long as you buy the right ones. When you buy gold for investment, no matter how often you have done so, there is a chance that you will lose your money. Buying gold coins offers more divisibility than bullion, they benefit from quantity discounts, can be easier to sell, and is free of capital gains taxes.
When you buy gold for investment, there may be a time and a reason why you want to have your ingots delivered to you.
