Learning About Pre-1933 Gold Coins

Rare Gold Coins

Prior to 1933 gold and silver were used as currency in day to day transactions, and these coins were created by the U.S. Mint. The Founding Fathers and the framers of the U.S. Constitution knew that paper money could be easily debased through excessive printing and overspending, and they desired a stable currency that would be of value the world over. It is for these very reasons that gold was mined and then coined in the United States from the 1700's until 1933, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued Executive Order 6102

This Order required all Americans to turn in all but $100 worth of their gold coins that were not "Rare or Unusual" or face a fine of $10,000 and/or 10 years imprisonment. In exchange for their gold coins, American Citizens received paper Federal Reserve Notes. These Federal Reserve Notes have now lost over 90% of their purchasing power while old gold and silver coins now trade at prices tens or even hundreds of times their face value! Seems like the Founding Fathers knew exactly what they were doing.