By Joël van Dam – Owner, Joëlnumismatics, for MA-Shops.com ……
In this blog, I will discuss the subject of gold from a numismatic perspective. Above all, gold is a chemical element, found in the periodic table with atomic number 79 and the symbol “Au” (from the Latin for gold, aurum).
It is a naturally occurring metal with a high density, making it relatively heavy compared to other metals.
But famously, gold is also a soft metal. It is often combined with other metals in various alloys to make it stronger, harder, and more durable. A lot of gold coins, minted for the purpose of payment and therefore requiring a certain amount of consistency through time, are usually made of an alloy. The next several coins serve as examples.
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10 Gulden Gold 1827 B – Netherlands
5,250.00 US$
50 Francs 1904 A – France
2,950.00 US$
- Weight: 16.12 g
- Mintage: 20,000
Standing Genius writing the Constitution of the Third French Republic; rooster at right, fasces at left, Denomination above date within circular wreath.
PCGS certificate number: 30834937
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Gold as Money
Gold functioned as money long before the invention of coins. For example, in the ancient near East and in ancient Egypt gold itself was used to make payments and store wealth. But why is gold so attractive to us? To be honest, I wanted to write a clear answer to this question but it seems to be a very hard question that can be answered from many perspectives.
Because I’m not educated enough to fully address the economic, psychological, philosophical, sociological, artistic and historical perspectives (and I believe you can write a book about this question regardless), I don’t feel sure enough to give a short answer to this question. But this observation alone is very interesting and confirms the many ways that people find gold coins attractive.
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1751 SO-J Chile Ferdinand VI 8 Escudos
6,000.00 US$
- Catalog: KM-3, Cal-72, Onza-644
Sovereign 1821 Great Britain George IV
2,500.00 US$
- Catalog: S-3800; KM-682; Marsh-5
- Weight: 7.99 g
- Diameter: 22.00 mm
- Mintage: 9,405,000
Laureate head left. Legend reads GEORGIUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D:. / St George slaying the dragon right, date in exergue. Legend reads 1821 B.P.
US 1852 Humbert 887 THOUS $50 NGC
48,000.00 US$
- Catalog: 10217
A lovely rose-tinted slug from the California Gold Rush. Now, this is a wholesome AU, but it’s not a coin that you’d want to throw at your neighbor as these are quite hefty.
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Gold as Investment
That the first coins were made from a natural alloy (electrum) of gold is not a surprise when you know that this metal was already in use as money in the ancient world. I have written a blog about the invention of coins before. You can find more information about this subject here.
Since the invention of coins most types of high-value coinage were made from gold or silver. This changed in the middle of the 20th century as the gold standard disappeared from use in most countries.
Collector and investor demand for precious metal coins, however, did not.
This demand resulted in many bullion coins minted in silver and gold especially for the collecting and investing markets. These coins are minted in high quality and cherished by many collectors around the world. Well-known examples are the Krugerrand, the Maple Leaf, the American Eagle, and the Panda.
Aureus 37-8 AD Caligula
126,000.00 US$
- Weight: 7.71 g
- Catalog:L BM-10 note; RIC-9 (R3); Giard, Lyon-159/2 (this coin); Calicó-331.
Obv: C CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR POT Bare head of Caligula. Rev: Rx: DIVVS AVG – PATER PATRIAE Radiate head of Divus Augustus
Rare with this obverse legend and bareheaded portrait of Caligula; Giard lists only three such coins, our specimen plus two others in Vienna and Copenhagen. The variant with Caligula’s portrait laureate is considerably more common: Caligula aurei are very desirable and scarce, but usually come in only Fine to VF condition. This coin has a contact mark on the nose of Caligula as well as small contact marks in the field in front of his nose and mouth, but its long and distinguished pedigree attests to its quality and desirability.
Mohur 1841, Calcutta or Bombay – Victoria
13,400.00 US$
- Catalog: Fb. 1595 K./M. 461.1 Schl. 884 oder 885
- Weight: 11.67
In this rare type, the head of Victoria is youthful than the more common type and the inscription is without interruption above the head. Very rare!
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Gold Inventory on MA-Shops
A lot more can be said about gold and gold coins. But in the end, every collector wants at least one gold coin in their collection. The good part about this is that there’s almost no period in the history of coinage when gold coins were not minted, which means some gold coin type will likely fit into every collection. MA-Shops has many dealers with a fantastic inventory of gold coins. From 1 kg monsters to very small gold pieces, and from very valuable examples to coins priced close to melt.
I truly believe that every collector who wants a gold coin can find one on MA-Shops.com
About MA-Shops
MA-Shops is an internet marketplace headquartered in Europe. MA-Shops has assembled a network of reputable coin dealers – both large and small – onto one, easy-to-use platform to sell coins, paper currency, medals, military orders and stamps directly to the collector. Founded by German engineer Joachim Schwiening in 2005, MA- Shops is now the leading ”online collector mall” worldwide. Browsing through the site quickly reveals how wide and variegated the selection from MA-Shops and its associated dealers really is. In recent months, Schwiening and MA-Shops have made a concerted push into the American market.
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