There are many gold coins to chose from and, for the new person starting out, it might look a bit confusing.
If you stick to a few basic principles when buying gold coins however, then you will not go wrong.
Firstly, you need to decide what sort of gold coins you would like to collect. This would depend upon your taste perhaps as well as your economic ability. What do you like and how much can you afford in other words.
The internet is a good place to browse and see what is available in gold coins. Simply placing the term 'gold coins' in google will give you a wealth of information on gold coins around the world from the ever popular American Gold Eagles to the Austrian Orchestra sets and from the Australian Kookaburra to the Euro coins produced by the Dutch Mint. In short there are over 45 mints around the world currently producing gold coins and this is on top of the previously minted coins that abound.
You should also check out the dealers online to see what is available and what sort of prices are being charged. As the value of gold and silver rises so the cost of the coins will rise. It is good to get in fairly quickly and also to purchase sets as these end up being worth more per coin than single coins.
It is better, especially when you first start, to collect only proof sets with certificates of authenticity as these are sure to retain their value and will be genuine coins. Later as you become more experienced, you can start to collect the rarer coins. One has to be careful of counterfeit coins, especially when buying from auctions as there is often no certificate or guarantees of genuineness.
Check out the dealer's terms and conditions so that if you are unhappy with your purchase, the dealer will accept the coins back.
By sticking to the established and reputable dealers and mints you can be assured that buying gold coins for beginners will be a pleasurable and lasting hobby.