Camino Coin Company. You won't overpay; they sell a lot of gold and silver for only about 1-2% above spot price. (Basically, only about a 1-2% "markup").
How do you know it’s real?
Reputable dealer, Coins of traceable origin. The known fraud in the Gold Market has been Tungsten-cored 400-Ounce gold bars (400 troy ounces is standard for a "London Good Delvery" gold bar), not little 1-oz or 1/10-oz coins. (For obvious reasons -- if you're going to the trouble to smelt counterfeit bullion, you make 400 times as much by counterfeiting a big fat London Good Delivery gold bar, as you would a little 1-oz Krugerrand).
How do you know the price is right?
Compare your cost-per-ounce to the Spot Price quoted at Kitco. If you're only being charged about a 1 to 5% markup, you're doing fine.
Is it always in coin form?
No, but if you can afford to plunk down $500,000 for a 400-oz Bullion Bar, you should probably split it open to see if it's real. If you're just buying small coins, that's far less of a concern.
What’s the smallest “denomination”?
1-ounce coins are about $1,200 or $1,250 right now.
1/10-ounce coins would be around $125 or so.
But, if I may ask... why Gold?
You can buy 90%-pure Junk Silver (pre-1965 90%-silver US coinage) for about $17 or so per ounce right now. Each 90%-silver pre-1965 dime is now worth a little over $1.30 in silver content, and it's all Real; nobody bothers to counterfeit silver coinage, the price isn't high enough. (Yet).
There is only about 6 times as much silver above ground as there is gold, but gold costs 66 times as much. Don't get me wrong; I love both, and I trade both (you can trade GLD and SLV right in your online brokerage account, though I also suggest owning some actual physical coinage in your own secret hidey-hole); but if I could only choose one -- I'd buy Silver, not Gold.
JMHO and I hope that was helpful.
While I've got a very small amount of Au around, it's in very small denominations. 1/10 is the largest I've got. It's also available in grams FYI.
Now silver, that's another story. "Junk" coins are great. I've been collecting them for years. 1 oz rounds are very convenient. I've been buying a couple a month for the last decade or so.
Dollar cost averaged my 'price' is still pretty reasonable.
Thank you. I think I’ll buy a little of both.
How do you have it shipped?