About 3,000 years ago, Middle Eastern and Asian merchants concluded it was easier to carry small pieces of gold or silver to trade vs. bags of grain or piles of fur. Thus began the practice of using metals instead of goods as currency.
Of course there had to be some standard for what these pieces of metal were worth. Civilizations such as the Lydians began taking fixed amounts of electrum, a naturally-occurring mixture of gold and silver, and alloying it with silver and copper to make blanks that could be hammered into coins on an anvil. They were small, lightweight, and had the intrinsic value of the metals from which they were made. Since these tokens were first minted circa 700 B.C., coins have been the most universal form of money.
As the use of coins spread throughout the Middle East and Europe, different societies used their coins as means of communication as well as for commerce. The Byzantine Empire minted coins of varying denominations and often decorated them with images of the Christian cross or the likenesses of emperors. That tradition has carried into modern times with portraits of royalty appearing on many coins and symbols of national pride on others. The Canadian maple leaf is prominent on that nation’s coins and U.S. coins carry portraits of presidents and national symbols like the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. The U.S. double-eagle $20 gold coin displayed Lady Liberty in her full glory. Prominent artists were often engaged to design coins and many are prized by collectors for their beauty far more than their intrinsic value. The 1933 double eagle is among the most valuable of U.S. coins. One of the few known to remain in private hands sold for $7,590,020 in 2002.
Even though gold and silver were removed from most coins when the value of the metals began to exceed their monetary value, governments have begun to issue bullion coins for investment. Amagi Metals offers the new 2013 one-ounce American Eagle 22 karat gold coin, and it has the distinction of being the only gold bullion coin whose content is guaranteed by the United States government. We also have South African Krugerrand and Canadian Maple Leaf gold coins and silver and copper coins in various denominations.
Amagi Metals makes it easy to buy gold and silver coins with confidence no matter where you are. We’re a world leader in global ecommerce among precious metals dealers and Amagi is a member of the American Numismatic Association, the Industry Council for Tangible Assets, and an affiliate of the American Open Currency Standard.
Amagi Metals accepts payment in all common forms: checks, money orders, bank wires, credit cards, and PayPal. We’re also one of the world’s largest traders in bitcoins with transactions in the “virtual currency” approaching one million dollars per month.
We respect your privacy and go to great lengths to insure that our customers’ transactions are both safe and secure. We will never willfully disclose any individually identifiable customer information to third parties. Given the nature of precious metals transactions, we also constantly monitor compliance with anti-money laundering regulations and continuously improve our system based on the results.
When you’re ready to add coins or any other metals to your portfolio, rely on Amagi Metals to help you choose right way to invest. Our website, AmagiMetals.com, is available for information and orders 24/7, and expert advisors are here to help you in person at 800.882.8496, 8am-5pm Mountain Standard Time.
