Some smaller quantity gold bars now a great way to diversify
The common misconception about gold bars is that they are the large bricks you see in movies. There are many companies, like Johnson Matthey and Suisse PAMP that produce / mint beautiful gold bars as an alternative to the gold coins that many investors have grown to love.
There are benefits to owning gold bars versus gold coins. The most obvious is a concentrated store of wealth. One 3 ounce gold bar is equivalent to 3 one ounce gold coins and is more maneuverable and / or may be easier to stack. They are usually not purchased to trade with and often are held for the long term.
The other benefit is that they may also be purchased in quite small quantities, as low as 1 gram units. (often used as jewelry) making it easier for people to get into investing in gold on a much smaller scale.