Gold coins

Medieval gold coins and other historic gold

This category gathers historic gold coins: Celtic staters, medieval gold coins from France, England, Germany and Italy, gold dinars from the Islamic world and British guineas, with a few later pieces from Tunisia and Thailand. They were once money, not modern bullion, and their value lies as much in history, rarity and condition as in the metal. Each coin is described with weight, date and catalogue reference where available.

Celtic gold staters

The Celts of Gaul and Britain struck gold staters modelled on the stater of Philip II of Macedon, with the head of Apollo on one side and a two-horse chariot on the other. Over generations the designs became more and more abstract. The category includes a stater of the Ambiani from Gallia Belgica (c. 100–50 BC) and British gold from around the turn of the era, struck under Tincomarus and by the Catuvellauni.

Florins, ducats, écus and nobles

Western Europe began striking gold again in the 13th century. Florence struck the florin from 1252 and Venice the ducat from 1284, both of almost pure gold and weighing about 3.5 grams. The Venetian ducat was later called the zecchino, and its design, with the doge kneeling before St Mark, changed very little over the centuries, as on this zecchino of 1659–1674.

In France, Louis IX struck the first écu d’or in 1266, named after the shield of arms on the coin. Philip VI introduced the écu à la chaise in 1337, with the king enthroned beside the shield, as on this écu d’or of 1337. The German goldgulden began in 1354 as a copy of the florin, struck by the Rhineland electors, and lost a large part of its gold content in the following decades. In England, Edward III introduced the noble in 1344, with the king standing in a ship, one of the best-known designs of medieval gold.

Rose nobles, guineas and dinars

Trusted coins were copied abroad. The Dutch rose noble of 1583–1591 imitates the rose noble, or ryal, of Edward IV, with a ruler standing in a ship. In Britain the guinea was first struck in 1663 and named after gold from the Guinea region of West Africa. Its value was fixed at 21 shillings in 1717, and the quarter and third guineas were its smallest fractions. In the Islamic world the gold dinar was struck from the end of the 7th century; more of them are found under gold coins from the Middle East.

What sets the price of an old gold coin?

• Gold content: weight multiplied by fineness gives the amount of pure gold, which sets a floor under the price. Above that floor, collector value decides.
• Condition: gold is soft, so scratches, edge knocks and traces of mounting are common and lower the value. Cleaned coins with an unnatural shine are worth less than untouched ones.
• Strike: on ancient and medieval gold some weakness or a small flan crack is normal. A good portrait or design and legible legends matter most.
• History and demand: coins linked to famous rulers, great trading cities or major events have a wider market than anonymous types.

Read more in Buying gold coins as a collector, about the gold and silver from the wreck of the Akerendam in The Runde treasure, and about Norway’s own gold coinage in the 20 kroner test coin of 1909.