What Makes Gold So Special?

Over the centuries, gold has played a unique cultural role in societies across the world. Something about the metal gives it a transcendant symbolic value: from the legendary treasuries of the Aztec and Mayan empires to the Golden Calf of the Book of Exodus, gold is implicated in the most dramatic tales of ancient human history. Even today, gold retains its cultural signficance. For an Olympic athlete, a single gold medal represents the zenith of achievement. The Palme d’Or, or Golden Palm, is a symbol of supreme attainment in the film industry. Only a handful of British monarchs have managed to stick it out for half a century and earn their Golden Jubilee. And clearly there is a reason why credit card companies designate their high-end offerings as "Gold Cards". But what is it about real gold that captures our attention? What gives this yellow metal such value?

Like anything of real value, gold is rare. Only 3 particles per billion in the Earth’s crust are gold. Although the world’s oceans hold vast amounts of gold, it is so dilute that attempts to recover it from the salt water have never been successful. If all the gold ever refined were formed into a ball, it would be less than 25 metres across. However, some gold does exist naturally in a relatively pure state (as opposed to in an ore), enabling humans to gather it in small quantities without the need for chemical extraction. And once harvested, gold is one of the most versatile metals on earth. It has been crafted and shaped ever since the 'caltholithic', or 'copper' age, as early as 4000 BC, making it one of the very first metals to be used by humans. The ancient peoples of Egypt and the Middle East used gold for religious rites, as well as for ornamentation. The first recorded use of gold coins was during the reign of King Croesus of Lydia around 600 BC. Gold is also more malleable and ductile than any other metal. A sing
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le gram of gold can be beaten into a sheet one metre square. It is one of the heaviest elements; heavier, even, than lead. Ten teaspoons of gold would weigh as much as seventeen teaspoons of lead.

It has been customary throughout history to test the purity of gold by biting on it. Since pure gold is soft enough to show teeth-marks, and cheaper alloying metals are usually harder, this method does give some indication. More reliable tests, however, involve the use of nitric acid. The content of gold in alloys is measured in karats (k). Pure gold is 24 karat, with the number of karats decreasing proportionally as other metal is added.

Although too soft for ordinary use in its pure state, gold can be extremely hard and durable when alloyed with other metals. Alloying also has other advantages besides increasing its hardness. The distinctive yellow colour of gold is recognised throughout the world. However, a fascinating spectrum of other colours can be created by combining small quantities of other metals with the gold. Alloyed with copper, it has a rosy colour, with nickel, silver, or palladium it is white, with iron, blue, and with aluminium, a purple hue. Pure silver gives the alloy a greenish tint, and rhodium or ruthenium produce black. Gold in such forms is most commonly used in jewellery. “Colloidal” gold is micro-particles of gold suspended in water, producing an intense red colour. Colloidal gold is used in stained glass, and in certain applications for medical and scientific research.

In former years gold played an important role as a medium of exchange, mostly in the form of valuable coins. Currencies were also backed by gold, but this is no longer the case. Reserves of gold are still held by some nations as gold bullion coins, for example the Australian Gold Nugget, or the British Britannia. The value of these coins is measured by their weight, rather than by their face value, which, when it exists, is always significantly less than its true value. The world's biggest gold coin was minted by the Canadian Royal Mint in Spring 2007. It is half a metre across, 3 cm thick, weighs 100 kg, and is worth nearly 3 million dollars, with a face value of $1,000,000.

These days, most gold is used in jewellery, but it is also widely used by other industries. Dentists use gold alloys in crowns and bridges, and certain types of toners in the photography industry contain gold. Even the food industry uses gold flakes or dust to enhance the appearance of exotic sweets and drinks. Gold can be made into thread for embroidery, and beaten into micro-thin sheets called 'gold leaf'. More durable than any paint, the real gold never fades or loses its lustre. In fact, there are examples of gilding done by the Romans and Ancient Egyptians which still retain their brilliance today, thousands of years on.

Far from being outdated, real gold remains superior to this day, adding a touch of brilliance to many quality products today.

By: Olson

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Bernard Hibbs designs signs for Clover Signs - makers of carved and gilded house signs.

Easy Investing Possible For Gold?

If you are looking for several easy investing methods, precious metals trading is something you must never miss out. It's been well known that the yellow precious metal is able to develop cash, protect your wealth and broaden your investment profile.

Whilst there are lots of easy investing ways to place your cash within gold like gold mining stocks, ETFs, futures and so on, buying gold coins could be the best gold investment as well as commonly demanded by investors. Taking action by adding the actual rare metal into your own portfolio may potentially mean huge profits in your wealth in time to come.

As the gold trading price continue rising, it may be a good idea to invest some of the gold coins, uncommon coins as well as silver coins which are nevertheless regarded as fairly inexpensive when compared to yellow metal.

However, there are around 2.5k tons of the gold precious metal getting mined from Planet every year, there's still a constantly demand for gold which is a lot more than the the supply created. That is simply one of the reasons why your investment will really worth a lot more and it is an easy investing technique that can constantly increase your wealth.

Besides for easy investing, there are an additional two reasons why normal people and traders buy gold. The very first cause is that it's not difficult to collect valuable and rare gold bullion coins as long as a reasonable amount of capital is available for investing. A number of them buy the coins for gains as well as fun. This can be a term referred to as "numismatics". It's the collection as well as study associated with coins, paper money and related stuffs. Rather than taking the collection as an pure investment, these people are more interested in the coins's beauty and scarcity of the gold coins.
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So now another reason why everyone loves precious metals investing is because of the ability to protect their wealth and money. Regardless of whether it is just for diversifying your portfolio or even providing a safe haven for your assets in the economic uncertainly such as this, rare gold coins and gold bullion coins are ideal for long-term investing and often traders want to buy them to safeguard their own wealth from the dilution of paper currency. Unlike many other so called easy investing programs, you can have a piece of mind because the precious metal will invariably possess a worth at any time and will not end up being zero.

With that said, the gold price and value may be climbing up against the U.S buck as early as the year 2001. In terms of overall performance, the yellow gold has outperformed the S&P, forex market, NASDAQ and many more.

Investors don't truly worry just as much if the gold bullion coins are old or brand new, they've lots of confidence as well as belief for the reason that gold can increase their wealth. You don't have to be an expert to purchase the precious metal simply because it is regarded as easy investing to a lot of individuals as long as you understand the reason why gold is actually profitable in long run.

By: Dan Gold Trader

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

To learn how to trade gold online successfully using a simple, time-tested and proven gold trading system, instantly download my FREE "The Golden Secret To Unlock Your Riches" ebook at www.goldsilverexpert.com/freegoldreport.htm now.

The author, Daniel Su, is a professional currency and commodity trader who provides free premium gold trading tips and resources to help traders achieve their long term financial success at www.goldtradingtips.com.

Ok so you might find the next few links interesting. These are from around the web, just random snippets that I've picked up in my reading, but I found some very cool information in them. You might too. Here goes...

Does Your Portfolio Include Gold Bullion Coins? | Stock Market ...

A growing number of people begin on an investing adventure in the UK and order to get things off on the right foot, most will opt to strengthen their portfolio.

Gold Bullion Coins In Today's Investment World

The purity and durability of bullion lends it to be used as specie but the market driven value of gold now makes this an unlikely use. Gold bullion is often cast as ingots of 400 Troy ounces, about 27.4 pounds, or 12.4 kilograms, ...

Tiara Crown July | Tiaras And Crowns

PAMP (Produits Art Precious Metals) CH-6874, Castel San Pietro, Switzerland deals finesse Gold Bullion Metal: 995.0 Rand Refinery Limited, Germiston, South Africa South also deal in Gold Bullion on the fineness of metal: 995.0 ...

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

World Gold Bullion Coins: Gold Eagles, Gold Maple Leaf, Krugerrand, And More

Coins are usually collected just as a hobby. But you can actually buy these things called gold bullion coins, which retain a value equal to their weight in gold, literally! Gold bullion coins are usually available in a variety of sizes, usually 1 troy ounce or less. There are so many world gold bullion coins released by various countries.

The South African Krugerrand was first issued in 1967. The Krugerrand is available in one, half, quarter, and tenth troy ounces. It has a fineness of 22 carats, meaning it is 91.67% pure gold. Over 46 million ounces of the South African Krugerrand have been sold through 2008. It was first minted to assist in marketing South African gold.

The American Gold Eagle was first issued in 1986. This coin is also available in the same sizes that the Krugerrand is in. It's also 22 carats. A single troy ounce Gold Eagle coin has a face value of $50, but the gold in the coin is worth over 18 times that amount.

The Mexican Gold Libertad was released in 1982. It's available in the 4 sizes mentioned above, as well as an extra twentieth troy ounce size. The interesting thing about the Libertad is that it's not just 22 carats. It's actually 24 carats, meaning that the coin is 99.9% pure gold. The Libertad is also available in silver, where sizes go up to a whole kilogram.

The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is Canada's official gold bullion coin. Like the Libertad, it is released in five different sizes. The Royal Canadian Mint set new standard for gold purity with the Maple Leaf, as it released a special version coin in 2007 that was 99.999% pure gold, nearly no base metals. The same mint also produced a massive 100 kilogram gold bullion coin. Needles
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s to say, only five were produced. The Maple Leaf's gold comes direct from Canada's mines.

The Austrian Philharmonic is released in five sizes, all with 24 carats. The largest size is the 1000 troy ounce coin, which equates to around 69 pounds. It has a face value of 100,000 euros, and 15 coins were minted in 2004.

As you can clearly see, the minting of gold bullion coins doesn't stop at the larger countries. It's a global thing, because these coins actually help an economy (see Krugerrand). Many of these coins, although they have a face value, end up being worth around $1000 no problem, but you have to take size into account. A 1/20th troy ounce coin will probably be worth 20 times less than a one troy ounce coin. Nevertheless, watch the price charts of gold and you're going to see a similar trend in almost every single one of the world gold bullion coins.

By: NiyazK

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

You can buy gold coins for sale, such as Krugerrand gold coins, at our website.

November 2010 Gold Eagle Bullion Coin Sales Rise for Third Month ...

US Mint published figures show 112000 ounces of the 22 karat Gold Eagle bullion coins were sold in November. that easily outpaced the 94000 ounces in October, the 88000 ounces in September and the 41500 ounces in August. ...

America The Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins Hit 142000

Silver Eagles and America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins fell compared to the previous week, and so did gold bullion. Authorized Purchasers picked up another 67000 America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins, but it was not enough to ...

Gold and Precious Metals Update | The Daily Gold

Gold Bullion 14 Month Price Chart. Analysis: A long term BULLISH picture, with a short term warning. Note the MACD working off the overbought condition. What has developed over the last week is very light volume and strong price ...

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Gold rises in spite of Chinese rate hike - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK – Gold prices rose Monday despite a lending rate hike in China, an even that many traders believe will lead to a gold sell-off at the end of the year to lock in profits.

Gold for February delivery rose $2.40 to settle at $1,382.90 an ounce. Industrial metals rose as well on the belief that economic growth could boost demand for platinum, palladium or other materials used in manufacturing.

On Saturday, the Chinese government announced that the benchmark one-year lending rate will climb 25 basis points while the one-year deposit rate will go up the same amount. It is part of China's ongoing effort to tackle inflation.

In many instances, that would send gold prices lower, but not on Monday.

Traders seemed eager to snap up gold even near its high for the year. The demand might have come from another recent announcement from the Chinese government: that average consumers could buy up and accumulate gold bullion in special accounts.

More Chinese gold buyers signals greater demand in years to come, which could have encouraged futures traders to buy contracts now, said George Gero, senior vice president of RBC Wealth Management.

"It was one (announcement) canceling out the other, basically," he said.

Copper for March delivery rose 2.15 cents to settle at $4.28 a pound while silver lost 7.3 cents to settle at $29.255 an ounce.

December palladium gained $9 to settle at $767.20 an ounce and December platinum gained $12.40 to close at $1,735.50 an ounce.

Oil prices held above $91 per barrel in light trading as an unexpectedly large drop in U.S. supplies pushed crude prices above that threshold last week.

Any chance that prices would retreat again disappeared over the weekend after OPEC ministers signaled that oil production would not be bumped up.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which accounts for 40 percent of global crude production, influences oil prices through production quotas. While higher prices means stronger revenue, OPEC is also aware that an overheated oil market would stunt economic growth and eventually cut energy demand.

Benchmark oil for January delivery fell 51 cents to settle at $91 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In other Nymex trading in January contracts, heating oil dipped 2.42 cents to settle at $2.5166 a gallon, gasoline fell 2.17 cents to $2.4209 a gallon and natural gas gained 2.9 cents to $4.112 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Grains and soybeans were mixed. March wheat fell 2.75 cents to settle at $7.8025 a bushel. March corn rose 1.25 cents to $5.1525 a bushel and March soybeans gained 24.5 cents to $13.845 a bushel.

Looking to buy gold bullion, couple questions - Coin Community Forum

But I have a coin collection that I had when I was little (I remembered buy an american eagle 1/10 oz gold bullion coin, thought it was really cool) But what I've seen online, it looks like its much hard to sell the 4 piece gold bullion ...

US Mint Sells Record 34.6 Million Silver Eagle Bullion Coins

Demand for physical precious metals continues to drive United States Mint bullion sales to new heights. The American Silver Eagle bullion coins sold a record 34662500 coins during 2010. The previous record for annual sales was achieved ...

Tips On Investing In Gold Bullion

Everyone wants a gold bar. It is the epitome of wealth, after all, you likely have a wealth strategy, and if you don't then hopefully this will make you consider it. Usually investing in gold bullion comes after investing in high ...

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

I hope you've been enjoying my posts lately. I thought I might do something different today and rustle up a few bits of info from around the WWW. These are some of the news items and blog posts that have been popular over the last few weeks. Leave me your thoughts.

Businessman ordered to pay ex-wife £2.5 million after 'hiding' gold bullion

A businessman whose ex-wife claimed he had hidden three bars of gold bullion smuggled out of Nazi Austria to conceal his wealth was ordered by a court to ...   Read More...

Gold, silver welcome 2011 with gains

MUMBAI/DELHI: Gold prices recovered at the bullion market here today due to fresh buying by stockists and local demand amidst firm overseas trend. ...   Read More...

Gold Price Gains on European Debt Concern; Platinum Advances

Gold imports by India, the world's largest bullion consumer, rose 42 percent in November to 39.8 metric tons, from 28 tons a year ago, even as prices rose, ...   Read More...
That's all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

Gold Coin Savings - Gold Bullion Market

The gold bullion market deals with the exclusive trading of gold. Gold is primarily traded on the over-the-counter market. Gold bullion refers to a gold coin that is made for investment, rather than currency. In addition, bullion coins are usually minted after 1800 and are available in various weights. The largest markets are in London, New York, Zurich and Tokyo. (The current gold bullion coin in the United States is the Gold Eagle.) The gold bullion market moves by spot prices and interest rate differentials, rather than supply and demand, which usually drives commodity markets.

There a few important terms when it comes to the gold bullion market. There are allocated accounts, which is when a dealer maintains a client's account. The client's account is made up of identifiable bars, plates, etc. This is to make sure that a client's funds are his exclusively and will not be mixed up in other accounts.

The most common way of trading on the gold bullion market is through unallocated accounts. (These accounts can also be made of silver, platinum and palladium.) Unallocated accounts allow for crediting and debiting from respective accounts and the balances are backed by the metal dealer.

There are several reasons why an investor would seek to become a part of the gold bullion market. An important reason is that gold does not suffer like paper currency does in times of economic downturn. Inflation, debt, social unrest among other things, leave gold as an incredibly solid investment.

Gold can also be traded on a variety of markets and is easily liquefiable. Investing in gold protects an individual’s investments in a way that mere stock cannot. For an individual looking to diversify thei
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r portfolio and protect their investments in this weak economy, the gold bullion market is worth considering.

By: reamyjelly@gmail.com

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

For more information about gold bullion market please visit www.goldcoinsavings.com

Gold up; demand weak as wedding season ending

MUMBAI: India gold prices were a tad higher on Monday afternoon, and traders were unwilling to place new deals as wedding season is nearing an end in the ...   Read More...

GOLD BULLION APPOINTS NEW TRANSFER AGENT

V) (the "Company" or "Gold Bullion") is pleased to announce that effective December 16, 2010 the Company has changed its transfer agent from CIBC Mellon ...   Read More...

GOLD BULLION DEVELOPMENT (TSX-V: GBB) YEAR-END MESSAGE FROM MR. FRANK J. BASA ...

Vancouver - December 23, 2010 (Investorideas.com Mining stocks Newswire) - On behalf of Gold Bullion Development Corp.'s Board of Directors, I would like to ...   Read More...
That's all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

Hey Readers! I've been comin across some crazy stuff the past few days from a few different blogs around the web which I just had to share with you. Check em out below...

Gold Bullion Coins In Today's Investment World

Bullion is a precious metal in its purest form. This term is most familiar when used in conjunction with gold or silver. Gold has been used as a form of tender since the days of...

Adrian Day: Buy Gold Bullion, Royalties and Juniors

Article on Adrian Day Asset Management, concern for the economy, Unemployment data ~ Jutia Group.

Gold Gained 30 Percent In 2010 -- Morgan Gold

"In the near-term, the upward trend [in Gold Prices] is too strong to fight," writes Russell Browne in his daily analysis for Scotia Mocatta. Entering the New Year Gold bullion investors remain focused on U.S. and European sovereign ...

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

American Buffalo Gold Bullion: 24 Karats Of Perfection

Adding American Buffalo gold bullion to your portfolio is a safe and valuable investment. It is also known as the American Buffalo gold proof coin. This American Buffalo gold proof coin was first made available for public sale back in June 2006, which immediately made it the first government minted coin for public trading of pure 24 karat gold. American Buffalo gold proof at 24 karats is as pure as you can get.

On its initial year of debut, the2006 American Buffalo gold coin was valued at approximately 800 US dollars. Currently, the now famous gold buffalo has a face value of about 50 US dollars. This is due to the fact that in 2005 the Presidential One Dollar Coin Act was enacted and responsible for the production of this American Buffalo gold proof coin by requiring a coin be made with a face value of 50 US dollars and a content of 1 oz of 24-karat gold. Only 300,000 of these 2006 American Buffalo gold coins were ever minted. Furthermore, the government enforced another limit of only 10 coins per household allowed which instantly made them a highly sought after collector’s item.

The American Buffalo gold coin design was inspired from the well known Indian Head nickel, which was originally created in 1913 by James Earl Fraser. There were very minute changes made to the original nickel. For example, some of the mound of earth below the buffalo's hooves were decreased to give it a cleaner look. The conception of the Indian Head nickel is widely known as one of the most attractive creations to ever be used on any US government minted gold proof coins.

At the front of the coin you can see a picture of a Native American Indian. The head is facing the right side and he also has a feather on the top of his head. Imprinted on the u
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pper right corner of the gold coin is the word “Liberty” and the date, that the coin was minted, can clearly be seen on the lower left side where his shoulder is. A little known fact about the model that was used for the 2006 American Buffalo gold coin by the artist James Fraser is that he actually had 3 different Native Indian Chiefs pose for him while he was in the process of designing the gold coin. The names of these three Native Indian Chiefs were Iron Tail, Big Tree, and Two Moons. James Earl Fraser borrowed features from all 3 of these great chiefs to complete his intricate design of the American Buffalo gold bullion coin.

On the flip side of the gold coin is a picture of an American Bison which did not require more than one model. History claims that the actual model was a Bison named Black Diamond located in the acclaimed New York City Central Park. Eye witnesses claim that the artist James Fraser had to have a person distract the Bison to make sure the animal was in the correct side position pose rather than just have the Bison face a completely different direction. Because of the incredible demand, recognition and investment value of the original Indian Head nickel, the American Buffalo gold bullion coin was born.

The American Buffalo gold bullion coin was conceived so that it could compete with foreign 24 karat gold bullion coins. Because countless investors prefer 99.99 percent pure American Buffalo gold proof over the 91.67 percent gold used in the also popular American Gold Eagle, many were choosing other countries gold coins to meet their bullion needs. One popular example would be the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf. With the introduction of the 2006 American Buffalo gold coin, the United States government aims to increase the amount of US gold sales so that they can take advantage of the growth in 24-karat sales. This is an ambitious endeavour since 24-karat sales makes up approximately 60 percent of the total world gold market.

During the month of September in 2008 the US Mint that it would cease sales of American Buffalo gold bullion, for an undetermined amount of time, because it cannot keep up with ever increasing demand as investors constantly desire the safety of gold amidst the economic turbulence of the current times, which has greatly affected the price of American Buffalo gold proof coins. That is why if you have an opportunity to add the highly sought after 2006 American Buffalo gold coin to your investment portfolio, do so as quickly as you can!

By: Tony Tracy

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Visit

Krugerrand Gold Coins - The First Contemporary Gold Bullion Coins

The striking Krugerrand gold coin has become the most well-known modern gold bullion coin. Unveiled in 1967 by the South African Mint Company, it had been intended to circulate as a legal tender currency. The Krugerrand turned out to be so popular that in 1980, thirteen years after it had been launched, it accounted for 90 percent of the gold bullion market!
The coin is 22 karat gold and is composed of 91.67% gold and 8.33% copper. This gold alloy combination makes the gold Krugerrand more durable than other gold bullion coins. The durability factor was an important consideration when designing the coin as it was intended to be circulated and had to be resistant to scratches and dents.
The most popular version of the coin, the 1 ounce size, weighs approximately 1.09 troy ozs, is 2.84 mm thick, and measures 32.77 mm in diameter. In 1980, three smaller varieties also became available, each containing one half ounce, one quarter ounce, and one tenth ounce of gold, respectively.
The front side (obverse) of the Krugerrand features the face of the 5th president of the South African Republic, Stephanus Jonannes Paulus Kruger. The name of the coin was actually derived from Kruger's surname and the Rand, which is the official currency of South Africa. Also inscribed on the obverse side in capital letters are the words "Afrikaans" and the English version, "South Africa."
The back side of the coin (reverse) features a picture of the South African National symbol, the springbok or antelope specie. At the top of the coin, is the inscription of the word, KRUGERRAND, the coin's name. At the bottom, inscribed in both English and Afrikaans is the Krugerrand's gold content. If the coin happened to be the one ounce variety, the inscription
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would be, "FYNGOUD 1 OZ FINE GOLD."
Because of the remarkable success of the South African Gold Krugerrand, other foreign countries such as the U.S., Canada, and Australia began to mint their own gold bullion coins. Canada was the first to do so in 1979 when it released the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf.
Collectors can also obtain the coin in proof edition, but they are more expensive than the regular bullion variety. Unlike many of the other bullion coins, such as the Canadian Maple Leaf and American Eagle, which are also produced in silver, Krugerrand gold coins are only available in gold. Beware of any websites offering these fake silver versions!

By: Christina Goldman

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Looking for great deals on Gold Krugerrand coins? Go to: BullionBargains.us

Six US Gold Bullion Coins

In the United States, gold coins were first struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1795. This gold coin production was made possible by the Mint Act of 1792 which.

Audit News » Blog Archive » Finding The Right Gold Bullion Coins ...

Gold bullion coins are available from the four corners of the earth but, for various traders, the American Eagle gold bullion coin holds a unique place in their.

Will China Become Number One Gold Consumer In 2011? -- Morgan Gold

Morgan Gold - Despite mild profit taking Monday morning, the upward trending Gold bullion prices remained intact on the first trading day of the New Year. The Gold price gained 29.7 percent in 2010, its strongest yearly performance ...

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!