LASCOP

Bars come in metric sizes, and are based directly on that day's gold price, plus a premium for manufacture and marketing. The smaller the bar, the bigger the premium.

One popular way to own gold is by buying gold coins, with 22-carat gold sovereigns the favourite with British investors. Sovereigns dating from about 1887 and up to 1982 are currently the best bet.

Another popular option is to buy South African Krugerrands. The smallest is a 0.1oz coin, which might cost £70 and have a resale value of £50. A 1oz coin costs £567 at the time of writing and has a resale value of £512.

Gold ETFs are not technically funds because they follow a single security. ETF gold securities are traded on the London Stock Exchange. They essentially track the gold price and can be traded daily – all you pay is the dealing charge of around 0.4pc. They are also regulated financial products. Visit www.exchangetradedgold.com or www.etfsecurities.com for more information.

These are few and far between, the most popular being BlackRock Gold & General, which invests in the shares of gold mining companies as well as other commodity businesses. Advisers reckon general commodity funds could also do the job for private investors as they dabble in gold-related stocks – JPM Natural Resources and ACDS Australia Natural Resources remain popular. Gold mining equities tend to be more volatile than the gold price.

Gold bullion banks offer two types of gold account – allocated and unallocated. An allocated account is effectively like keeping gold in a safety deposit box and is the most secure form of investment in physical gold. The gold is stored in a vault owned and managed by a recognised bullion dealer or depository.

With an unallocated account, on the other hand, investors do not have specific bars allotted to them. Traditionally, one advantage of unallocated accounts has been the absence of storage or insurance charges, because the bank reserves the right to lease the gold out.

You can of course buy individual shares of companies that either trade or mine gold.

While thousands of items of gold jewellery will change hands this Christmas, they are not considered serious investments.

India devours 800 tonnes of bullion, more than 30pc of annual global gold mine production, mostly as jewellery. But although over the long term these jewels should hold their value and rise in line with inflation, manufacturing costs and the jewellers' markup mean they would sell for a fraction of the purchase price for the first few years of ownership.

Historically, gold certificates were issued by the US Treasury from the Civil War until 1933. Denominated in dollars, the certificates were used as part of the gold standard and could be exchanged for an equal value of gold.

Nowadays, gold certificates offer investors a method of holding gold without taking physical delivery. Issued by individual banks, particularly in countries such as Germany and Switzerland, they confirm an individual's ownership while the bank holds the metal on the client's behalf.

The investor avoids storage and personal security problems, and gains liquidity by being able to sell portions of the holding by simply telephoning the custodian.

The Perth Mint also runs a certificate programme that is guaranteed by the government of Western Australia and is distributed in a number of countries (www.perthmint.com.au/investment_certificate.aspx).

A number of structured products linked to commodities have been launched. They are either baskets of commodities or individual commodities such as sugar, oil, platinum or gold.

Structured products are typically five-year plans that aim to pay you a set return and limit your downside risk. Structured products can be complicated so ensure you read the small print, or preferably get expert advice.