GOLD COIN NUMBERS/COMMEMORATIVES

     IT SEEMS AS THOUGH WE KEEP HAVING TO LEARN LOT OF NEW
INFORMATION EVERY TIME WE LEARN ABOUT SOMETHING.

     FOR EXAMPLE,  GOLD COINS ARE NOT ALL THE SAME WHEN IT
COMES TO THE PERCENTAGE OF GOLD IN THE COIN.  TAKE A LOOK!
REMEMBER, MOST OF THE GOLD COINS DO NOT HAVE THE NUMBER OR
KARATAGE STAMPED ON THEM..  THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE
THE AMOUNT OF TROY OUNCES--AS IN 1, 1/2, 1/4,1/10, AND 1/20.  THIS IS
TYPICALLY ON THE "BULLION" COINS--THE ONES THAT HAVE NOT  BEEN
CIRCULATED.


..999 OR .9999  THIS IS "PURE" GOLD.  YOU WILL SEE THIS ON CANADIAN
 (24K)                MAPLE LEAF COINS,  AUSTRIAN PHILHARMONICS,
                           CHINA PANDAS ETC.  SOME OF THE MAPLE LEAF COINS
                           ARE .999 AND SOME ARE .9999.

.9867 (23.68K)  AS FAR AS I KNOW YOU WILL ONLY COME INTO CONTACT
                           WITH THIS ON AUSTRIAN 4 AND 1 DUCAT COINS----AND
                           SOME OF THE NEW AUSTRIAN COMMEMORATIVES.  THESE
                           COINS DO NOT HAVE THE NUMBER OR KARATAGE

.916 (22K)         THESE ARE AMERICAN EAGLES--KRUGERRANDS, ETC.
                           AGAIN--NOT MARKED ON THE COINS.

.900 (21.6K)      THIS IS 90% GOLD.  MANY EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AND
                           MEXICAN GOLD COINS ARE .900.  RARELY (IF EVER) MARKED.

.750 (18K)         THESE 2 ARE THE DOMAIN OF COMMEMORATIVE COINS--NOT
.500 (12K)         CIRCULATED OR BULLION COINS.  THESE MAY HAVE THE
                           NUMERALS AND THE AMOUNT OF GOLD IN TROY OUNCES
                           STAMPED ON THEM.

WHAT IS A COMMEMORATIVE COIN?

      COINS HAVE BEEN USED TO COMMEMORATE (HONOR) SIGNIFICANT
EVENTS, PEOPLE, ORGANIZATIONS, AND ANNIVERSARIES FOR CENTURIES.
IN ANCIENT TIMES, COINS WERE MINTED TO CELEBRATE VICTORIES OF
WARS AND TO HONOR GODS AND RULERS. IN MODERN TIMES, IN THE
UNITED STATES, NUMEROUS COINS HAVE BEEN ISSUED THAT COMMEMORATE
A VARIETY OF EXCEPTIONAL AMERICAN PEOPLE, EVENTS, AND PLACES.

LEARN MORE!