During uncertain economic times gold has been historically proven to be a sound investment. In times of crisis and inflation, people look for a safe haven to preserve existing wealth and to gain exposure to a potential appreciating asset. Owning gold bullion is a flexible and versatile way to invest in gold. In small quantities, bullion can be liquidated to hard currency relatively quickly and is actually considered legal tender in some instances. In large quantities, you can store gold bars in a vault and some companies or mints provide the ability to buy and sell at market prices.
Owning gold bullion is a tangible way to own gold. Gold storage programs are a safe way to own gold because your gold often insured or in a specialized case, can carry a sovereign guarantee. Having some physical gold handy is considered a very prudent move by some because if a crisis sets in that prevent access to cash, gold can be the next best thing because of its universal acceptance as a store of value.
International gold bullion can be purchased through various investment services, dealers and through the mints themselves. Mints have a number of different programs that provide a mechanism for owning gold bullion. In some cases, you can buy ingots or coins from the retail arm of the mint as either an investment grade product or as a collectible product. In other instances, you need to use the accredited network to complete the transaction. Larger bullion transactions are typically undertaken by a dealer and take longer to complete due to the size of the transaction.