Know the metal.
Understand the product.

Purity and fine weight
answer different questions.

Purity describes the proportion of gold in a product. Fine weight describes the amount of pure gold it contains. Alloyed coins can therefore have the same fine-gold content as higher-purity coins while weighing more in total.

American Gold Eagle

The U.S. Mint specifies 91.67% gold, 3% silver and a copper balance for the Gold Eagle. Its one-ounce bullion coin contains one fine troy ounce, while its total weight is approximately 1.0909 troy ounces. Do not multiply the already-stated fine ounce by the purity a second time.

American Gold Buffalo

The Mint’s bullion program specifies .9999 fine gold for the American Gold Buffalo. The one-ounce version contains one troy ounce of fine gold. Proof collector editions have a different finish and pricing basis; a collector price is not a generic bullion quote.

Gold bars & rounds

Read the maker’s specifications for fine weight, fineness and packaging. Compare like quantities of fine gold. A lower price per item can simply mean a smaller amount of metal.

Our planner accepts fine troy ounces or fine grams. For a product described only by gross weight, obtain its verified fine-gold content first. It does not assay metal or authenticate a product.

Ask about the whole journey.

These questions follow the consumer comparison framework in the CFTC’s physical-metals advisory. They do not establish whether a particular product or provider suits you.