Collapsing Finance companies and a plateau in the property boom are fuelling a modern-day gold rush, with small investors flocking to the security of solid gold.

Bullion dealer the New Zealand Mint says its gold trade has increased by 300 per cent in the past six months, a rise in business worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The soaring price of gold has helped - it exceeded US$700 ($1100) an ounce in the past week, and the price is tipped to break the US$1000 mark in the next three years.

Dubai: ‘Visions of Dubai’, the emirate’s first souvenir 22 carat gold coin, will be available in stores by the end of the month and in units ranging from 34 gm to 3.4 gm.

The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) said in a release that the coin offers a new gift option for Eid to tourists and residents. The Centre has named Jumeirah Retail and Dubai Duty Free as the first two authorised distributors for the collectible keepsake.

The first coin in the series features the image of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on one side, and the Burj Al Arab engraved on the other side. Other coins in the series will feature landmark images of Dubai.

One of the most highly anticipated annual issues from the Royal Mint is now available – the 2007 £5 coin struck in 22 carat gold to Brilliant Uncirculated standard.

This spectacular gold coin has an extremely low worldwide issue limit of just 1,000 pieces. Each coin measures an impressive 36.02 millimetres in diameter and weighs a remarkable 39.94 g – the equivalent in gold content to five individual gold sovereigns.

Benedetto Pistrucci’s dramatic portrayal of St George and the dragon appears on the reverse, while the obverse features the portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS. This exceptional combination of beauty, rarity and high gold content makes the £5 Brilliant Uncirculated gold coin highly sought after throughout the numismatic world.

Mintage of only 1000 coins

The Royal Mint

By Marianne Stigset

Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) — Gold fell for a third day in London on speculation that declining equities in Europe will spur some investors to sell the metal to raise cash. Silver also declined. European stocks fell the most in a week after Northern Rock Plc of the U.K. said the Bank of England agreed to provide emergency funds.

The drop in gold “is linked to the weakness in the stock markets, especially in Europe,” Peter Fertig, a consultant to Dresdner Kleinwort, said by phone from Hainburg, Germany. The Northern Rock issue “brings all the problems of the subprime woes back into the spotlight.”

Gold for immediate delivery fell $3.28, or 0.5 percent, to $705.03 an ounce as of 10:10 a.m. in London. The drop accelerated as the dollar rose against the euro, reducing the appeal of the precious metal as an alternative investment, Fertig said.

By Numismatic News

Sales of some 2007 gold American Eagles were suspended by the U.S. Mint late Thursday, Sept. 13, due to the rising price of gold bullion on international markets.

Uncirculated American Eagles with the “W” mintmark went off sale with the expectation they would be repriced and returned to the market on or after Sept. 27, according to the U.S. Mint.

The $749.95 price for the one-ounce coin was barely above the highs reached by gold bullion this week.