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In the world of precious metals, it’s hard to beat the excitement that gold elicits. Whether it’s bullion or jewelry, people just can’t get enough of the yellow metal. And while many are excited about its current status as an investment, this history of gold is actually far more interesting.
At Silver Gold Bull, we believe people should know as much as possible about their investments. This helps them make better financial decisions. And while knowing facts about gold from the ancient world may not alter your investing strategy, they certainly are neat conversation starters.
1. The Hand of Faith Gold Nugget is Massive
Gold prospectors would find excitement in discovering a gold nugget of any size. When Kevin Hillier’s metal detector went off in 1980, though, he had hit the payload. Just 12 inches below the surface rested a “nugget” over 18 inches long and containing 875 troy ounces of gold.
The piece received the name ‘The Hand of Faith.’ Insanely enough, larger nuggets have unsurfaced in the history of gold. For instance, the Welcome Stranger piece weighed more than 2,500 troy ounces. The nugget was impressive, but its owners melted it down for other purposes.
In addition to being one of the most massive complete pieces of gold out there, it’s also the largest modern nugget discovered by a metal detector. If you’d like to see this amazing piece in the history of Gold, it’s on public display at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas.
2. The History of Gold Is the History of America
Gold has a massive place in the history of America. This stems from the first gold coin struck in America (i.e., the 1787 Brasher Doubloon) to the 39 gold Olympic medals the country brought home in 2021. The California Gold Rush, however, might have had the most significant impact.
In modern times, you can just hop online when you want to buy gold coins or other types of bullion. For most people in the 1800’s, however, getting gold meant digging for it. That’s why gold’s discovery in 1849 California was so significant. It created America’s largest mass migration.
In March 1848, only 157,000 people lived in the California territory. Among them, only 800 were non-native Americans. Less than two years later, though, there were over 100,000 non-natives in the area. By the mid-1850s, one out of every 90 people living in America called California home.
The history of gold in the state drove American expansion — there’s no denying that.
3. Gold Wasn’t Always the Dominant Precious Metal
If you’re a fan of rare and vintage gold, you might enjoy researching or collecting ancient gold coins. One thing you may not have noticed in your ventures, though, is coins composed of the precious metal from Ancient Egypt. That’s because it simply wasn’t as big of a deal back then.
The yellow metal has held value throughout history, but some civilizations actually saw more worth in silver. Egypt is one of those places, and it’s likely because they had no natural gold reserves of their own. Any gold items found in ancient tombs come from imported bullion.
The metal certainly still had value, but thanks to a few civilizations, the history of gold includes instances where it just wasn’t as impressive as it is today.
4. There’s Untouched Gold in Antarctica
Did you know every continent has gold on it? Yes, that includes Antarctica. Back in 1988, though, the Chicago Tribune published an article titled “Is Gold in Antarctic Worth Mining?” Considering the value of gold, this may seem like a silly question.
If you look at the temperature in some areas of the continent — such as the average -75 Fahrenheit at the highest points — it becomes easy to see why the history of gold doesn’t really involve Antarctica. There could be massive reserves on the continent, but they’re just not safe to get to.
During the winter months, only 1,100 researchers and personnel call Antarctica home. That’s on a continent that’s 5.5 million square miles. The area is a vast and barren environment where humans were never meant to survive. There’s certainly gold there, but don’t go looking for it!
5. The Human History of Gold Goes Way Back
Humans have worked with gold for thousands of years. The Ancient Greeks and Romans, in fact, used the precious metal in various beautiful coins. Those civilizations were recent, however, relative to the entire human history of gold.
Just a few short years ago, archaeologists uncovered a gold bead dating back to 4,500 BC. This makes it the oldest processed gold item ever found. Those who inhabited the area during that time were farmers, so it’s still a bit of a mystery how they mastered the process.
Perhaps that’s why archaeologists only found one bead!
6. Big Names Have Tried Turning Base Metals to Gold
Folks living in the past would’ve experienced awe at how easy it is to buy gold bullion bars today. You just hop online and it’s fairly straightforward. Some of our ancestors, though, thought it could be even easier. Alchemists, for instance, believe it’s possible to turn common metals (e.g., iron) into gold.
While this may sound like the ramblings of a madman, some very respectable folks bought into this idea. While these individuals may not otherwise hold substantial roles in the history of gold, their ideas on alchemy certainly made waves over the centuries:
- Isaac Newton
- Pope John XXII
- Jean Dubuis
- Claude Duval
- Count of St Germain
- Edmund Dickinson
- Paracelsus
- Saint Thomas Aquinas
That puts popes, saints and even the great Isaac Newton among the ranks of alchemists. Their ideas certainly seem absurd today, but true scientific research went into the idea of turning base metals into gold. This research didn’t amount to much, but it’s still a cool part of gold’s history.
7. The Olympic History of Gold Isn’t Very Golden
If you ever come across an Olympic Gold Medal dated before 1912, you’ve got quite the find on your hands. While these medals certainly hold a place in history, they’re also made of pure gold. If you thought this was the case for all Olympic medals, though, we’ve got some bad news.
Ever since 1912, Olympic Gold Medals only contain about 6 grams of gold. Silver makes up the bulk of the medals — a full 92% of each. Only the plating of these items is actually gold. While they certainly still hold incredible value, they’re not what most people think.
8. Most Gold Comes From Outer Space
The history of gold with humans goes back a long time. It’s merely a blink of the eye, though, compared to the world’s history with the metal. That’s because most gold on earth came from meteorites that struck the planet billions of years ago.
Researchers discovered that there’s far more gold in the earth’s crust than there should be by natural processes alone. We owe the abundance of the precious metal to meteorites that arrived just 200 million years after the earth initially formed.
Take a look at that gold ring or coin you’ve got stored away. It literally came from the stars!
9. Our Ancestors Thought Gold Was From the Gods
Ancient Romans believed gold was the metal of the gods. Aztecs believed pieces of it were literal sweat from the sun. And while silver received more focus in Ancient Egypt, they still referred to gold as “The Breath of God.”
Considering the fact that most of the precious metal we have came from space, our ancestors really weren’t that far off. The history of gold contains plenty of folklore and mythos, but the belief that it came directly from the gods is one of the most interesting.
10. The History of Gold Includes Eating It!
If you go to any liquor store in America, you can find a cinnamon schnapps known as Goldschläger that contains flakes of genuine gold. And if you head over to Serendipity 3 in New York, you can buy a $25,000 ice cream sundae filled with 23-karat gold.
While it may surprise you, gold isn’t toxic to ingest. This makes it easy to understand why some folks might feel special ingesting the precious metal. Of course, this isn’t something we only recently discovered. Royalty in the Middle Ages often added gold to meals to showcase their wealth.
We wouldn’t recommend having a gold coin for dinner, but plenty of folks have ingested bullion throughout history.
Become Part of the History of Gold!
If there’s one thing to take away from this article, it’s that gold was interesting long before humans figured it out. From the time it made its way to earth on meteors to its meteoric price rise in recent years, there’s never a dull moment with the yellow metal.
If learning the history of gold has only increased your desire to invest, we’ve got you covered at Silver Gold Bull. From coins and bullion bars to collectibles and rarities, you’ll find anything you could want. Visit our Gold Bullion Products page today to see our entire selection.
