Gold coin facts for kids
A gold coin is a special type of coin made mostly or entirely from gold. People have used gold for coins for a very long time. Gold is a great metal for coins because it's easy to work with and it's very valuable. This means you can carry a small number of gold coins and still buy many things! Gold is also very heavy and dense, which makes it hard for people to create fake gold coins. Plus, gold doesn't rust or tarnish, so gold coins can last for a very long time.
Contents
The Story of Gold Coins
Ancient Times
People started using gold for trading way back in the Bronze Age. But actual gold coins first appeared around 600 BC in a place called Anatolia (which is now Turkey). Gold coins were also used in ancient China.
Middle Ages Coins
During the Middle Ages, gold coins became very common. Two important gold coins from this time were the Florin and the Guilder.
Modern Gold Coins
Between 1873 and the early 1900s, gold coins were the main way people paid for things. But countries stopped using gold coins for everyday payments in 1933. This happened because of the Great Depression, a time when the world's economy was very bad. People started collecting and keeping gold coins, so there weren't enough for businesses to use. Today, many countries still make gold coins, but they are mostly for collectors.
Collecting Gold Coins
Many people really enjoy collecting coins. The rarest (most uncommon) coins are usually the most expensive. This is often because very few of these coins were made. Sometimes, they might have mistakes, or they are simply very old. Some countries have even made very large gold coins just for collectors!
Investing in Gold Coins
When people want to buy gold as a way to save or grow their money, they can buy special gold coins. These are called Bullion coins. These coins are usually very pure gold and have exact weights, like one troy ounce. Many people who buy bullion coins hope that the price of gold will go up in the future. If it does, they can sell their coins for more money than they paid.
Images for kids
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An Austrian gold ducat coin showing Kaiser Franz-Josef, made around 1910.
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A 1914 half sovereign coin from the Sydney mint. The image of St George and the dragon was often used on British coins.
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Gold coins for sale in the Dubai Gold Souk.
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A Persian Achaemenid Daric coin, from about 490 BC.
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A gold Solidus coin of Roman Emperor Valentinian II.
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A 20-crown gold coin from Norway. This coin was part of the Scandinavian Monetary Union, which used a gold standard.
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A special balance used for checking the exact weight of gold coins.
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A Gold Guilder coin.
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A Portuguese Gold Coin from the sixteenth century.
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A United States Double Eagle coin.
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Tokugawa coinage from Japan.
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An American Gold Eagle coin.
See also
In Spanish: Moneda de oro para niños
