Fancy ATM skips the folding cash, spits out gold
By KELLI KENNEDY, Associated Press
Dec 17, 2010 7:34 AM CST
FILE - In this photo made available by Ex Oriente Lux company, Thomas Geissler the CEO of Ex Oriente Lux, left, and an Emirati official remove the cover of an ATM-style kiosk which monitors the daily gold price and offers small bars up to 10 grams or coins with customized designs during an opening...   (Associated Press)

If you're a shopper looking for something sparkly to put under the Christmas tree, you could skip the jewelry.

A new ATM at an upscale mall in Florida's swanky Boca Raton dispenses shiny 24-carat gold bars and coins.

A German company plans to install the machine Friday.

Thomas Geissler, inventor of the Gold To Go machines, says the majority of buyers will be walk-ups enamored by the novelty.

But he says they're also convenient for more serious investors looking to bypass the hassle of buying gold at pawn shops and over the Internet.

Shoppers insert cash or credit cards and use a computer touch-screen to choose the weight and style they want. The machine spits out the gold in a classy black box with a tamper-proof seal.