Greg McCoach http://www.goldworld.com talks about owning gold coins, bars and bullion, tax implications and what to buy. From the Angel Profit from the Peak Summit (2007) http://www.energyandcapital.com

U.S. Mint Suspends Sales of American Eagle Gold Coins

A few well-known gold coins.

Note, in view of comments received – I’m tired of explaining:
Please do not get hurt / upset / tense by the way I handle the coins.
These are common BULLION coins, they are NOT rare / collectors / numismatic coins.

That means their only value is in their weight, not their face condition.
It means that they are handled and traded heavily by bullion dealers and (within reason) their face condition does not affect premium or spot price.
Bullion coins and bars are traded for gold content and weight, not surface condition. All bullion is handled unprotected – because it’s sold in large quantities, individual coins are not slabbed or protected.
Every coin I buy has been handled/stacked/tipped/wrapped in rolls by previous bullion dealers, and most are heavily marked by handling. When buying bullion, this is really not a problem.

If you’re concerned about numismatic value/face condition of coins, don’t buy bullion!

And there are plenty of videos on youtube with coins in plastic slabs, you’ll be happier there.

Hope that clears things.