A gold coin is a coin made mostly or entirely of gold. In modern times, most gold coins are intended either to be sold to collectors, or to be used as bullion coins—coins whose nominal value is irrelevant and which serve primarily as a method of investing in gold.
Gold has been used as money for many reasons. It is fungible, with a low spread between the prices to buy and sell. Gold is also easily transportable, as it has a high value to weight ratio, compared to other commodities, such as silver. Gold can be divided into smaller units, without destroying its value; it can also be melted into ingots, and re-coined. The density of gold is higher than most other metals, making it difficult to pass counterfeits. Gold is extremely unreactive.
Read more about Gold Coin: Collector Coins, Bullion Coins, Fineness of Gold Coins, Grading Coins, Rarity Factor, Counterfeits
Famous quotes containing the words gold and/or coin:
“All the gold which is under or upon the earth is not enough to give in exchange for virtue.”
—Plato (c. 427–347 B.C.)
“The oft-repeated Roman story is written in still legible characters in every quarter of the Old World, and but today, perchance, a new coin is dug up whose inscription repeats and confirms their fame. Some “Judæa Capta,” with a woman mourning under a palm tree, with silent argument and demonstration confirms the pages of history.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)