MONEY SAVER
Gold Hard Facts
When people worry about the economy, their thoughts often turn to gold. Check out these nuggets of truth
The most expensive gold coin ever sold was a 1933 U.S. $20 gold piece
Never actually issued for circulation, it was auctioned off in 2021 for a record $18.9 million.
Gold is a precious metal … but it’s not the most precious metal.
* Prices as of February 16, 2024. Source: mining.com
Olympic gold medals are at least 92.5% silver.
Fort Knox isn’t the only spot in the U.S. with a big stash of gold
Location and quantity, in millions of ounces
** Capacity
✔ SOMETIMES, YES
As inflation soared from 1976 to 1980, gold’s purchasing power nearly tripled.
✖ MORE RECENTLY, NO
As inflation took off between May 2020 and June 2022, gold’s purchasing power fell 9 percent.
Gold is measured in troy ounces—not your usual ounces. So a 1-ounce gold bar actually weighs
1.1 oz.
A standard bar of gold weighs
27.4 POUNDS
In 2016, a fully functioning 18-karat gold toilet was installed at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
It was reportedly used by more than 100,000 visitors. The toilet, built of more than $6 million in gold at today’s prices, was stolen from an English palace in 2019. It’s still missing.
Six places where you can pan for gold for free or at low cost
1 Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park Coloma, California
2 Libby Creek Recreational Gold Panning Area near Libby, Montana
3 Cache Creek Prospecting Site near Granite, Colorado
4 Broken Boot Gold Mine Deadwood, South Dakota
5 Alabama Gold Camp Lineville, Alabama
6 Reed Gold Mine Midland, North Carolina