Come on, admit it. You do it too! Whenever I see a bag of gold coins for sale in a store, I just have to reach out and touch them. The allure is tremendous: gold color, the idea of monetary value and, of course, chocolate. The fascination with these little gems predates the current popularity of the Pirate of the Caribbean movies.

In their most basic definition, chocolate coins are disks of chocolate molded into the shape of coins and covered in a gold foil, stamped with an image to resemble a coin. The latest trend in chocolate coins is to have them embossed with designs or personalized messages. These are marvelous for wedding favors, engagement or baby announcements, etc.

St. Patrick's Day celebrations in March also use chocolate gold coins to fill the pots of the leprechauns. According to the legend, leprechauns keep their pots of gold at the end of rainbows. If you catch a leprechaun, he must lead you to his treasure and, if he loses his gold, he loses his magic and becomes more and more human.

September 19th has been designated as 'Talk Like a Pirate Day,' and Pirate themed parties are very popular on this date as well as throughout the year, especially for little boys' birthday parties.

In addition to the yummy gold coins, there are many other Pirate Candies to select from. For the lollipop lovers, there are Crazy Bones Skeleton lollipops and Pirate Skull Head lollipops shaped just as the name describes. Bone Heads Skull candy comes in packets with the scary skull shape in many colors and the flavor of sweet tarts. M&M's makes three different bags of Pirate Candies: Jack's Gems Milk Chocolate M&M's, Captain's Gold Peanut M&M's, and Pirate Pearls White Chocolate M&M's.

Hershey's Nuggets are shaped like little treasure boxes and come wrapped in gold and silver foil. The Nuggets are moderately priced, and these little treasures can extend your candy budget when mixed in with the gold coins. Other treasure box items available to add excitement to your party are Pirate Candy Treasure Chests, which contain a small toy, a treasure map, and yummy candy. What a terrific party favor these little treasure boxes make! To delight the feminine party goers, add some pastel colored Candy Necklaces or some luscious Ring Pops. You can never lose by offering a lady some 'bling,' regardless of her age.

No matter what the event, whether it is for a genuine Pirate Party or for wedding favors, chocolate gold coins will dress up the event without taking too much coin out of your own pocket.