Anywhere you travel in the world you will find only one universal monetary unit. No, not the U.S. dollar, Swiss franc or the Japanese yen. It is a one ounce piece of gold bullion. Every European, rich or poor, owns gold. They know the meaning of worthless currency -- having experienced currency debacles over the centuries.

Each day airplanes stacked with millions in gold bullion take off from New York and Los Angeles headed for the Orient. China is now the number one consumer of gold in the world. Why?

The Chinese people know that gold is the only monetary unit that they can depend on to feed and clothe their families in a time of need. It is now legal to own gold in China for the first time in decades since the communists eased restrictions on ownership. In this gargantuan nation with billions of people, millions are flocking to buy gold every day-from 1/10th ounce coins for the poor to thousands of ounces for the rich.

Gold is an essential part of any portfolio. It's similar to insurance, you may not like writing out the check every month, but it is only a fool is left without it.

Gold Bullion vs. $20 Gold Double Eagles
I make it my practice never to tell people where or what to invest their money in. The only exception is when I am asked "what kind of gold should I buy?" Then I advise them that anyone who is buying gold should own U.S. $20 gold coins known as "Double Eagles."

The most obvious advantage of owning historic gold coins is that the government has exempted them from both potential confiscation and privacy of ownership. Four times in our nations short history the government has disallowed gold bullion ownership. Twice in colonial times, in the south during the Civil War, and in 1933 when FDR attempted to save the greenback by eliminating true money, gold.

Even after gold was made illegal to own in the U.S., millions of Americans hid their precious Double Eagle coins under mattresses and buried in the back yard. All of the gold that citizens turned into the government ,was allegedly melted, reduced to gold bricks, and stored at Fort Knox. Great caches of $20 Double Eagles are still held throughout the world, in Europe, South America and elsewhere, both by private citizens and banks. Amazingly about 95% of the fresh Double Eagles on the market today are imported from Europe!

Another compelling reason to buy Double Eagles is that when gold bullion rises in value rapidly, $20 Double Eagles (both Saint Gaudens and Liberty) have outpaced the rise in bullion. For example, when gold moves up $10-$20 per ounce, it is not unusual for Double Eagles to go up $50-$IOO each! Demand for bullion creates an even greater demand for Double Eagles. The limited supply of Double Eagles available pushes prices higher. Many times when the price of gold bullion is stagnant or even dropping, Double Eagles rise in value from the buying pressure of both investors and collectors. Buying Double Eagles versus bullion provides what I call a "double hedge" against the weakening currency and economic upheaval. Rare Date vs. Generic Date Gold Coins
For the first time in history the rarity of a $20 Double Eagle can be determined in an accurate manner, thanks to the "population reports" that are published by the two top independent grading services, PCGS and NGC. This breakthrough has helped investors and collectors to cut through any sales hype with a sharp sword of truth.

Today if a large hoard of truly scarce date coins comes on the market it is no longer a secret. We can help prospective coin buyers to determine which date of Double Eagles are the best value by factoring rarity. If you could own a coin that is fifty times rarer that a common date, for only a small premium, it is a great value.

In some cases even coins that are hundreds of times as rare as "generic date" coins can be purchased for relatively small premiums if you know where to look and who to work with. In my opinion, these scarce and rare date coins will turn into fine long term investments.