How to Display Gold Coins
Your investment journey doesn’t stop after you’ve started stacking pure gold coins. Gold bullion coins deserve to be shown off. There are several ways to display your gold coins, and this page is going to be your one-stop guide for how to display gold coins in style.
Whether you’re stacking pure gold bullion Gold Maples or rare coins from throughout world history, the way you display your investments is important. You don’t want your coins to be damaged when you’re moving or displaying them. And the last thing any collector wants is to spend money on a coin holder incapable of safely displaying their favorite coins.
If you’re looking for more information on how to display gold coins, you’ve come to the right place.
Why Display Your Gold Coins?
Why should you display gold coins? There are a couple of big reasons why investors would want to spend money on quality coin displays. First, collectors tend to be proud of their gold stack. What’s the point in spending thousands of dollars on gold coins if you’re not going to show them off a bit? Whether your coins are sitting in your living room or tucked in a corner of your office, you’ll want a display that can highlight the beauty of your collectables.
Second, some investors may display their coins so that they can show them to potential buyers. Putting your coins in a beautiful display that emphasizes their beautiful designs can help your products better appeal to customers.
Types of Coin Displays
Coin collecting has been a national pastime for generations. This means that the coin display industry has had lots of time to come up with new and inventive ways to display collectable coins. Investors looking for information on how to display gold coins should understand the various tools used to put gold coins on display.
There are 4 main types of coin displays we’ll cover in this guide about how to display gold coins:
- Slotted Coin Display Stands
- Coin Trays and Boxes
- Coin Display Easels
- Whitman Coin Folders
Slotted Coin Display Stands
Slotted coin display stands are one of the most common ways to display gold coins. Typically made out of wood, these display stands allow you to display a large collection of gold coins at one time. Because the stand is meant to hold several coins, it usually ends up cutting off the end of each coin. To use a slotted coin display stand, you slide the coins into the slots on the stand. This means that part of your coin might not be visible when looking at the stand.
Slotted coin display stands are a popular choice to display gold coins because of their versatility. Instead of holding one coin at a time, a solid slotted coin display stand can display multiple coins. Some collectors place entire collections in their slotted coin display stands. This makes it even easier to showcase your favorite coin series without buying multiple stands.
Coin Trays and Boxes
Coin trays and boxes look similar to a slotted coin display stand. There are two main differences that collectors need to understand, though. First, a coin tray used to display gold coins typically lays flat on a table. Slotted displays stand on their own, so that onlookers can view the coins by looking straight forward. Coin trays sit directly on a table or other surface, so you’ll have to lean over to see the coins up close.
Additionally, coin trays display gold coins without cutting off part of the image. We’ll include a picture below to help you understand what a coin tray looks like while displaying coins. You should be able to fit several coins inside of a coin tray without cutting off the bottom part of each coin.
Whitman Coin Folders
Whitman coin folders are also called coin books. Usually, these books used to display gold coins are made to display a specific series. Collectors tend to enjoy the classic, antique look and feel of the coin folder. The big advantage to displaying gold coins in a Whitman coin folder is that it allows you to display a large quantity of coins at one time.
Do you have a full collection of U.S. quarters or Presidential gold coins from the U.S. Mint? Finding a way to display gold coins in a series without buying individual holders can be tough. The Whitman coin folder is a popular choice for people who have complete collections of certain coin series.
Coin Display Easels
The previous few tools to display gold coins are meant to display multiple gold coins at a time. This one is a bit different. Coin display easels are small, three-legged displays that hold just one coin each. Many collectors who have especially valuable or rare coins prefer a display easel, because it can highlight the beauty and key features of a single coin.
If you have a large collection, buying a coin display easel for each piece to display gold coins may be too expensive. However, it is worth noting that coin display easels tend to be quite a bit cheaper than some of the options we discussed earlier. And for investors with valuable, fine gold bullion coins, displaying one coin at a time can really highlight the beauty of your collection.
Choosing the Right Coin Display Method
Struggling to figure out how to display gold coins the best way? We’ve got you covered. After all, the last thing any seasoned coin collector wants is to spend money on a coin display that can’t actually display gold coins.
Factors to Consider
It can be tough to decide which coin display method is right for you and your gold coin collection. Before you learn more about how to display gold coins the right way, keep three main factors in mind when deciding on which coin display method is best for you: numismatic vs. bullion coins, size of collection, and your budget.
Numismatic Vs. Bullion Coins
The distinction between numismatic vs. bullion coins is something we talk about a lot on the Bullion Academy blog. Numismatic coins are coins that are valuable for something other than their precious metal content. These pieces typically contain some kind of precious metal, but some numismatic coins are made out of inexpensive materials, like copper or bronze.
Bullion coins, on the other hand, are usually minted with a high percentage of pure precious metals. Popular bullion coins include the American Gold Eagle and British Gold Britannia. If you’re still wondering how to display gold coins the right way, make sure you understand the specific type of gold coin you have.
The difference between these types of coins is important. Collectors who hold primarily bullion coins might want to keep their coins in a safe to protect them. Some bullion coins are also sold in their original assay card packaging. Because coin displays usually can’t fit an entire assay card, these coins might not be the best candidate for display in a case or easel.
Size of Collection
The size of your collection might be the most important factor in deciding how to display gold coins the correct way. Large coin collections are going to require a Whitman coin folder or coin tray. Collections with just a dozen pieces might fit into a slotted coin display stand.
But if you’ve only got a few coins that you want to display, we highly recommend coin display easels. Hero Bullion even sells our own coin display easels that you won’t find anywhere else. Coin display easels don’t cut off any part of the coin while it’s being displayed, and our customers typically find that a good easel helps to highlight the coin’s most prominent features.
Budget
Budget is an important part of nearly every step in the coin collecting process. Learning how to display coins is no exception to this rule. Some coin displays are expensive, but they also might provide the best place for your coins to truly shine.
Coin display easels are a budget option for investors who want to display a select number of their best gold coins. These easels are usually very cheap, and collectors can buy several of them at one time. Placing several coin easels on the top of your desk is an easy way to let visitors know they’re dealing with a bullion stacker without breaking your bank.
Preparing Gold Coins for Display
In any guide about how to display gold coins, it’s important to take some time and discuss how to properly prepare gold coins for display. Some new collectors might not know this, but there are several ways that you can damage your coin by accident while preparing to display them on a coin display easel or in a display case.
Below, we’re going to discuss 3 things every gold stacker should know about preparing their gold coins for display: cleaning and maintenance, how to handle gold coins properly, and how to organize your collection for optimal display.
Cleaning and Maintaining Your Gold Coins
Because gold doesn’t tarnish, cleaning your gold coins for display is a bit easier than cleaning impure silver bullion pieces. Most coins won’t corrode if they’re stored properly, so you generally don’t need to worry about cleaning your gold coins before putting them on a display easel or in a coin display book.
But maintaining gold coins is another story entirely. It’s a cautionary tale we’ve heard a thousand times. Collectors sometimes handle their coins improperly, allowing their sweat to cause lasting damage to a priceless numismatic bullion coin. We recommend investing in a pair of cotton gloves for those times when you absolutely need to move your coins.
Aside from handling your coins properly, one important part of maintaining gold coins is storing them in a climate-controlled area. If you’ve already invested in a safe for your gold bullion, make sure that you can keep the temperature from getting too hot or cold. Inspect your safe to ensure that it’s water and fire-proof. A flood could potentially ruin priceless gold coins in a matter of hours.
How to Handle Gold Coins Properly
Like we explained above, handling your coins properly can keep them from becoming damaged over time. Cotton gloves are always a good idea. If you’re moving coins from your safe to a coin display easel or coin book, we recommend putting on a pair of gloves. Be careful to avoid dropping your coin or slamming it into the coin holder. Be gentle – these are your investments!
If you take the proper precautions, there shouldn’t be any risk to moving your coins from one part of your home to another. Transporting coins in the car should also be safe, as long as you secure the coins and keep them from bumping into one another. We do not recommend storing multiple gold coins loosely in a box. Coins can become chipped or damaged if you don’t secure them individually.
Organizing Your Collection
Now comes the fun part. If you’ve taken the right steps to keep your gold coin collection safe and undamaged, you’ll need to figure out some sort of system for organizing them. This shouldn’t be too hard, but organizing a coin collection may seem difficult for new investors. We often see collectors who organize their coin collection by region or historical era.
If you’re a numismatic coin collector learning to display gold coins, filtering them by their historical context can add quite a bit to your coin presentation.
Ultimately, how you organize your coins is up to you. If you want to combine all your bullion coins in one book, go for it! If you’d like to display them in a random, unorganized order, that’s all you! Figure out how you want your collection to look while you display gold coins, and you’re on your way to having the kind of coin portfolio that makes guests jealous.
Final Thoughts: How to Display Gold Coins
New collectors often have questions about how to display gold coins. The great news is that there are several options for investors who want to display gold coins in style.
At the end of the day, how you display your collection is up to you, and Hero Bullion is here to provide you with the tools to make your gold coins truly shine.
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About The Author
Michael Roets
Michael Roets is a writer and journalist for Hero Bullion. His work explores precious metals news, guides, and commentary.