who says they have to be gold bars?

I've never invested in gold before, have you? It's not something mere minions are known to do and yet, apparently it is the wiser thing to do, meaning it's better to buy gold bullion than to invest in cold hard cash or play the stock market or what people with money do.

I've always thought that you had to bring in a briefcase of cash in exchange for gold bars. Obviously I've been watching too many movies. Apparently gold ingots and gold coins are the new gold bars and they're much more convenient to transact and store. Okay, so there's proof that I've not quite had the opportunity of dealing in glitter. Yet?