A Note on Weights: Gold and silver are measured in troy ounces.
1 troy oz. = 480 grains or 31.1 grams.
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330 BC: A Gold stater weighing 8.2 grams (0.2637 troy oz.) from the time of Alexander The Great of Macedon (died 323 BC). The portrait is not of Alexander, but of Athena, Greek Goddess of Wisdom. The coin was struck at the mint a Sardeis - where they did beautiful work. This coin is more than 2,300 years old! |
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70 AD: A Roman Aureus weighing 7.2 grams (0.2315 troy oz.) from the time of the Emperor Vespasian. The head on the coin is of Domitian, one of Vespasian's supreme Legion commanders. Minted at the start of the great age of the Roman Empire - 75 to 180 AD. |
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440 AD: A Roman Solidus weighing 4.7 grams (0.1511 troy oz.) from the waning days of the Western Empire. Note the crudity of the stamping compared to earlier coins, especially the Greek coin. This was the Roman Empire's last gasp before the final collapse. |
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690 AD: A "Bezant", minted in the East Roman (or Byzantine) Empire. The Bezant remained pure and unadulterated for almost 800 years, making it the longest lasting example of sound money in history. This particular coin is reputed to be the first to portray Christ. |
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1794 AD: A Golden Guinea - 21 shillings. This one is from the reign of George III. In 1717, Sir Isaac Newton, as Master of the Mint, fixed the weight of the Guinea at 129.4 grains (0.2461 troy oz.) of Gold. With the exception of two short wartime periods, that weight was the unvarying benchmark for British circulating coinage and currency until 1931. |
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1899 AD: The St. George & The Dragon Sovereign - 20 shillings. The British Sovereign was first struck in 1489, during the Reign of Henry VIII. These coins, which contain 0.2354 troy oz. of Gold, circulated under various names for nearly 450 years. They are still in demand today as a quasi "bullion coin" - they're worth a lot more than "20 shillings"! |
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1907 AD: The magnificent "St Gaudens" U.S. $20 Gold piece - the "Double Eagle" - widely regarded as the most beautiful Gold coin ever struck. From 1837 to 1934, one U.S. Dollar was fixed at 23.22 grains of Gold. This coin therefore contains 464.4 grains or 0.9675 troy oz. of Gold. The St. Gaudens was in general circulation in the U.S. from 1907 to 1933. |
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2000 AD: The "Millennium Sovereign". In sharp distinction to all the coins above, this coin is NOT meant to circulate as money. It is a "bullion coin" containing 7.32 grams or 0.2354 troy ounces of Gold. The original sovereigns were equivalent to 20 shillings, or One Pound. This coin sells for 110 Pounds - or 105 Pounds each in lots of 100. |