- How to Buy?
- Payment Options
- Delivery Options
- Gold Storage
- Storage at Brink's
- Gold Investment Guide
- Why buy gold?
- Is gold a good investment?
- Why physical gold?
- Best time to buy gold?
- Gold bars vs coins?
- Gold vs Silver
- Gold - Silver Ratio explained
- VAT on bullion
- CGT on bullion
- Legal tender coins
- Top 5 Gold Investments
- Top 5 Silver Investments
- Gold vs ISAs
- Gold vs Buy-to-Let
- Gold vs FTSE 100
- Gold vs Bitcoin
- Where to buy gold?
- Why buy from us?
- Where to sell gold?
- Coin Shops
- Gold Price Forecasts
- Top 10 Gold Producers
- Top 10 Gold Reserves
- Gold Britannia vs Sovereign
- Britannia coin designs
- Sovereign coin designs
- Sovereign Mintages
- Sovereign mint marks
- British coin specs
- What is a proof coin?
- Royal Mint bullion
- The Queen's Beasts
- Royal Mint lunar coins
- Bullion Refiners
- British coin mints
- Krugerrands
- Gold Tola - India & Pakistan
- Countdown to Brexit
- The Fine Jewellery Company
- Bullion Index
How To Buy Gold
The ultimate guide to investing in GoldRead Investment Guide
20 Facts about gold
Gold has been a part of human history for centuries. From jewellery to coins, Egyptians to the modern day - Gold has been a highly sought precious metal. Below you'll find 20 interesting facts about Gold that you might not have known.
.
.
.....
Gold - Element
.
-
Gold is a 'noble' metal, meaning that it does not rust or lose its shine. Other noble metals include Ruthenium, Rhodium, Palladium, Silver, Osmium, Iridium, Platinum, Mercury, Rhenium and Copper.
.
-
Gold is the only yellow metal. All other metals darken or turn a yellowish colour after they have oxidised or reacted with other chemicals.
. -
Gold is the heaviest and densest of all metals in the Periodic Chart; a cubic foot would weigh more than half a ton.
. -
Pure gold will melt at 1064.43° and boils at 2856.1°.
Even at normal temperatures gold is extremely soft. One gram of gold can be flattened down to a square meter sheet, which is so thin that light passes through, and because of this it has been used as a protective film on visors in space suits.
. -
Odourless and tasteless, gold is not toxic -
and flakes may be eaten in foods or drinks.
.
.
Gold - Natural Resource
.
-
Gold is far rarer than diamonds but is only the 58th rarest earth element.
. -
It is estimated about 160,000 tons of gold have been mined throughout history.
.
-
Gold has been discovered on every continent on Earth.
. -
In 2018, China was the world leader in gold mining production. Second was Australia, Russia third, US fourth and Canada fifth.
. -
The largest gold nugget is 'Welcome Stranger' mined in Australia in 1869, weighing in at a colossal 173 pounds (that is nearly 78.5 kilos).
. -
China is the world's largest consumer of gold, based on figures from 2018. India is a close second.
.
.
Gold - Currency
. -
The first gold coins were produced in Lydia between 700 - 650 BC. They were made from electrum, which is a naturally occurring alloy of gold.
. -
The Swiss Franc was the last remaining country to peg its currency to a value in gold. It became a fiat currency in 1999.
. -
The Perth Mint in Western Australia cast the largest ever coin - weighing one tonne and measuring 80 centimetres (31.4 inches) in diameter.
.
-
New York’s US Federal Reserve Bank is reported to hold 25% of the world's gold reserves.
.
.
Gold - Investment
.
-
Gold is frequently used as a safe haven asset in times of economic turmoil or geopolitical uncertainty.
. -
Gold has a history of holding its value. It is an ideal way of preserving wealth from one generation to another.
. -
Gold has historically had a weak correlation to movements in the financial markets and is frequently used as a hedge against inflation.
. -
Gold's natural scarcity and high production cost is the ultimate reason why it holds value.
. -
When you invest in physical gold you own it outright. You are not reliant on banks or other financial institutions.