Gold coins are one of the oldest forms of money. The first gold coins in history were coined by the Lydian king Croesus in about 560 BC, not long after the first silver coins were minted by king Pheidon of Argos in about 700 BC. An example of Money. ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Atomic mass 196. ... Lydian was an Indo-European language, one of the Anatolian languages, that was spoken in the city-state of Lydia in Anatolia, present day Turkey. ... Croesus Croesus (pronounced CREE-sus, IPA , the Latin transliteration of the Greek Κροίσος, in Persian قارون Qârun), who was legendary for his enormous wealth, was king of Lydia from 560/561 BC until his defeat by the Persians in about 547 BC. Born in 626 BC, he was the son of... Silver coins are possibly the oldest form of money. ... Pheidon (8th or 7th century BC) was king of Argos, generally, though wrongly, called tyrant. ... Argos (Greek: Άργος, Árgos, IPA argos) is a city in Greece in the Peloponnese near Nafplio, which was its historic harbor, named for Nauplius. ...

Gold coins then had a very long period as a primary form of money, only falling into disuse in the early 20th century. Most of the world stopped making gold coins as currency by 1933. An example of Money. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Bullion coins

Other than ancient gold coins, gold bullion coins are popular among people who desire a "hedge" against currency inflation or store of value. South Africa introduced the Krugerrand in 1967 to cater to this market; this was the reason for its convenient and memorable gold content—exactly one troy ounce. It was the first modern, low premium (i.e. priced only slightly above the bullion value of the gold) bullion gold coin. Bullion coins are also produced in fractions of an ounce – typically half ounce, quarter ounce, and one-tenth ounce. Gold is internationally recognised as a form of currency under ISO 4217. Other gold bullion coins, many named after features on their design, include the Swiss Vreneli, Gold dinar, Australian Gold Kangaroo Nugget, British Britannia, Canadian Gold Maple Leaf and Chinese Panda. To act as a store of value, a commodity, a form of money or financial capital must be able to be reliably saved, stored, and retrieved - and be predictably useful when it is so retrieved. ... The face of Paul Kruger, shown on the obverse side of the coin. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Troy weight is a system of units of mass customarily used for precious metals and gemstones. ... A precious metal is a rare metallic element of high, durable economic value. ... ISO 4217 is the international standard describing three letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ... Vreneli is the informal name for a range of legal tender gold coins produced in Switzerland. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Islamic Dinar. ... The Australian Gold Nugget is a bullion gold coin minted by Royal Australian Mint. ... Britannia Gold Bullion coin, 1988 The Britannia is a British gold bullion coin issued since 1987, weighing one troy ounce and with a face value of 100 Pounds. ... Obverse of a Gold Canadian Maple Leaf bullion coin. ...

Krugerrand Krugerrand File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The face of Paul Kruger, shown on the obverse side of the coin. ...	Hoard of ancient gold coins. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 319 KB) Summary This hoard of ancient gold coins was probably buried by a British or Roman nobleman during a time of war. ... A treasure-trove is gold, silver, gems, money, jewellery, etc found hidden under ground or in cellar or attics, etc. ...	Three Gold Sovereigns with a Krugerrand Image File history File links 3sovriegns. ... Three Gold Sovereigns with a Krugerrand A Gold Sovereign is a British gold coin, first issued in 1489 for Henry VII, generally with a value of one pound sterling. ...	Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (879x673, 122 KB) Gold Maple Leaf aus Kanada, Nominalwert 1$, 1/20 Unze . ... Obverse of a Gold Canadian Maple Leaf bullion coin. ...
American Gold Eagle Image File history File links Image of American Gold Eagle bullion coin File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The American Gold Eagle is the official bullion gold coin of the United States. ...	Gold Guilder Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1095x545, 149 KB) Summary Beschreibung: Goldgulden: Mainz, Erzbischof Johann II. von Nassau (1397-1419), geprägt zwischen 1399-1402 in Frankfurt-Höchst; Avers: Johannes der Täufer mit Kreuzzepter, die Rechte zum Segen erhoben; zwischen den Füßen ein Johanniterkreuz. ... Guilder is the English name for the Dutch Gulden. ...	Ducat Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1106x567, 150 KB) Summary Österreichischer Vierfachdukaten German Wikipedia, original upload 21. ... The ducat (IPA /ˈdʌ·kʰətʰ/) is a gold coin that was used as a trade currency throughout Europe before WW1. ...	Double Eagle Duplicate of the rare 1933 Double Eagle coin File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The 1933 Double Eagle, Saint Gaudens design Double Eagle is the official term used for gold coins of the United States with a denomination of $20. ...

Counterfeits

There are well made counterfeit gold coins are in circulation. For example, the Saint-Gaudens omega counterfeit is infamous for its complexity; and has fooled many numismatics experts. It is a high relief business strike, and due to the extensive wear on the die, these coins were not made for many years. For poor counterfeits, a good scale can usually tell if it's counterfeit or not; however, there are many well made counterfeited ancient coins that not only use gold, but the correct amount as well. A counterfeit is an imitation that is made with the intent to deceptively represent its content or origins. ... Augustus Saint Gaudens, 1905 Augustus Saint-Gaudens (Dublin, March 1, 1848 - Cornish, New Hampshire, August 3, 1907), was the Irish born American sculptor of the Beaux Arts generation who most embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. ... Numismatics (ancient Greek: ) is the scientific study of money and its history in all its varied forms. ...

Games

Gold coins are also used as currency in a number of games including Dungeons and Dragons, World of Warcraft, Dark Age of Camelot, and Shadowbane. The original Dungeons & Dragons set Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) published by Gary Gygax and David Arneson in January 1974. ... World of Warcraft (commonly abbreviated as WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Blizzard Entertainment. ... Dark Age of Camelot is a 3D medieval fantasy MMORPG that revolves around the war between three realms at the end of King Arthurs rule: Arthurian-inspired Albion, Norse mythology inspired Midgard and Celtic Hibernia. ... Shadowbane is a fantasy role-playing game (MMORPG) created by Wolfpack Studios and published on March 25, 2003 by Ubi Soft for Windows and Mac platforms. ...

Further reading

• Robert Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World: From Ancient Times to the Present - An Illustrated Standard Catalogue with Valuations (Coin and Currency Institute, 2003)

See also

• Carat (purity)
• Gold bar
• Gold as an investment
• Silver coin
• Palladium coin
• Platinum coin
• History of coins
• List of coins
• Numismatics
• Precious metal

Carat is a measure of the purity of gold and platinum alloys. ... Gold bars are produced in many different types, weights and categories. ... This article discusses the use of the precious metal gold as an investment. ... Silver coins are possibly the oldest form of money. ... Palladium coins are a form of coinage made out of the rare silver-white transition metal palladium. ... Platinum coins are an old form of money. ... The history of coins extends from ancient times to the present. ... A list of coins and currency, hopefully with dates and regions. ... Numismatics (ancient Greek: ) is the scientific study of money and its history in all its varied forms. ... A gold nugget A precious metal is a rare metallic chemical element of high, durable economic value. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Gold coin

• Gold Coins - A Brief History
• A History of Gold Coins
• Gold Coin Pictures
• Bullion gold coin live prices
• The Museum of Gold Coins