Silverlocks

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.

And my first real foray into numismatics - a set of Royal Mint Legends: Robin Hood, Maid Marian and Little John.

I did promise myself not to get into numismatics.  I haven't bought any proof coins yet.  Honest.

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.

And my first real foray into numismatics - a set of Royal Mint Legends: Robin Hood, Maid Marian and Little John.

I did promise myself not to get into numismatics.  I haven't bought any proof coins yet.  Honest.

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.

And my first real foray into numismatics - a set of Royal Mint Legends: Robin Hood, Maid Marian and Little John.

I did promise myself not to get into numismatics.  I haven't bought any proof coins yet.  Honest.

And my first real foray into numismatics - a set of Royal Mint Legends: Robin Hood, Maid Marian and Little John.

I did promise myself not to get into numismatics.  I haven't bought any proof coins yet.  Honest.

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.

So I'm in Indonesia now and I did a little bit of detective work.
A big part of the reason for gold's popularity lies in the influence of Sharia law on the culture, in particular the proscription on usury. Interest-bearing savings accounts are not strictly allowed per Islamic doctrine and sharia banking is quite the topic in its own right.  Keeping savings as gold is common practice in Islamic circles and is apparently prescribed in the Quran as the officially sanctioned way to do it.  Although Indonesia is fairly liberal by the standards of such things it's still widely practiced here.  Thus, there is a lot of trade in smaller gold bars and, because it takes the place of banking for a lot of people, it is subject to state regulation.
Most jewellery shops and various online outfits buy and sell bullion, and there is a state regulated buy/sell price for retail gold traded domestically.  I'm not sure how often it updates - it might be daily but it seems to be less frequent than that.  The gold also attracts 11% PPN (essentially VAT), although it looks as if there might be some discussion about punting this.
The spreads for small bars are also less than those for (say) 1g bars here, and I suspect the production volumes of small bars are much greater than in a typical Western mint.
The major reputable gold producer is a state owned enterprise called P.T. Antam, which is a mining company that produces refined gold alongside various other products.  They sell a range of retail bars at various sizes as well as industrial and good delivery gold products.  They are viewed in Indonesia as being reputable and carry LBMA accreditation, which means essentially that their published assays are accepted.  Given their role in what is essentially a banking system one suspects there would be a major shitstorm if it was found that they were pushing dodgy gold. 
There is also a state pawn shop (for want of a better word) that will take gold as collateral against loans.  In Jakarta there is a weekly auction of collateral on defaulted loans,  which includes gold bars.  There are probably other auction sites but it looks like there isn't one in the town we're living in.
That appears to be what's going on in the retail gold bullion market here.  It's been an interesting little vignette of a different culture and the role of gold in its society and I think I've got a reasonable insight into how to go about doing the Indonesian side of the family stack now.
 

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.

And my first real foray into numismatics - a set of Royal Mint Legends: Robin Hood, Maid Marian and Little John.

I did promise myself not to get into numismatics.  I haven't bought any proof coins yet.  Honest.

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.

And my first real foray into numismatics - a set of Royal Mint Legends: Robin Hood, Maid Marian and Little John.

I did promise myself not to get into numismatics.  I haven't bought any proof coins yet.  Honest.

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.

And my first real foray into numismatics - a set of Royal Mint Legends: Robin Hood, Maid Marian and Little John.

I did promise myself not to get into numismatics.  I haven't bought any proof coins yet.  Honest.

And my first real foray into numismatics - a set of Royal Mint Legends: Robin Hood, Maid Marian and Little John.

I did promise myself not to get into numismatics.  I haven't bought any proof coins yet.  Honest.

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.

And my first real foray into numismatics - a set of Royal Mint Legends: Robin Hood, Maid Marian and Little John.

I did promise myself not to get into numismatics.  I haven't bought any proof coins yet.  Honest.

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.

My first foray into sovereigns - there are many like them but these two are mine.