In water purification, gold-palladium nanoparticles are being studied as an active way to break down trichlorethene, or TCE, a groundwater pollutant that is all too common and very poisonous. Cancer, liver disease, and pregnancy complications are linked to this chemical It’s also been studied as a way to remove pesticides when implemented into a water purification system. These studies are still underway, and are being funded by the World Gold Council to help develop new and better technologies through the use of gold. Gold is also used for mercury control, which has been known to cause Alzheimer’s disease and autism. In factories where coal is used to produce energy, mercury is omitted. This also occurs in some PVC factories in China. To combat this, studies are underway to use gold catalyst that can eliminate the mercury from these processes.

The environmental uses of gold will always help keep the price up making gold a stable investment.

The coins have the 99.999 percent purity rating, which is a notch above the old ‘four nines’ rating that used to be the standard for gold purity in coinage. Canada has been upping the ante in many situations with the gold market, including setting the first standard of the four nines back in 1982, and now creating this monstrosity that outweighs and out-values any coin in existence.

This coin consists of 3,215 troy ounces of gold. At a rate of even a modest $700 to $800 per ounce, that adds up to be about $2.25 to $2.57 million US when compared to the price of gold. However, the price of gold is more like at $1,135 an ounce now and that is more than triple the actual $1 million Canadian face value that the coin holds. Even though the coin was a promotional item from the start, it has created quite a stir among collectors and investors around the world, and everyone is waiting to see what happens next. Considering that it takes 6 weeks to manufacture one of these giant coins, it’s certain that they won’t exactly be flying off the presses by any means.

Gold also plays a large roll in ‘green’ chemistry, or sustainable chemistry. It is being studied as a way to cause the oxidation of hydrocarbons from fewer chemicals and organic products, making organic materials more affordable to purchase. It is also being looked into to use gold to replace platinum in fuel cells, because it is more affordable and more readily available.

There are so many different ways that gold is, and can be, used in the environment. For the most part, its metallurgic and chemical properties simply allow it to provide green concepts and eliminate pollutants, both in the air, water, and in fuel emissions. Gold is a very versatile metal, and while it may be most valuable for its financial standing, it probably provides more safety than most people imagine by being used in these various environmental concepts.

The more ways are found to use this unique precious metal, the more valuable it becomes to a society making it a valuable investment vehicle.

A few years ago, the Royal Canadian Mint added a new coin to their collection in 2007 that is very rare indeed. The only coin of its kind, this one is valued at more than 455,000 pounds, or $1 million Canadian Dollars. It’s easily the world’s biggest, purest, and highest denomination coin in existence. It weighs more than 220.5 pounds, and its closest rival is the 60 pound “Big Phil” commemorative coin that was minted in Austria to commemorate the anniversary of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The coin is about the size of an extra large pizza, and was introduced along with the one-ounce bullion coins that are being mass produced to model the giant currency.

The coin was originally designed as a promotional item, but it has since been decided that the coins will be produced further, but in limited quantities. The U.S. has one precious metals distributor that wants three copies of the coin, and Asia and Europe are also expressing an interest in the coin. The coin is 53 centimeters in diameter, and more than 3 centimeters thick, which requires a lot of skilled handiwork to create something this monstrous. The face value of the coin is at $1 million Canadian, but not surprisingly because of the increase in the price of gold in the last 3 years, the coin is worth far more. The price of gold per ounce leaves the coin worth at least triple that amount or more depending on the day that gold prices are checked.

The Pike’s Peak Colorado gold rush happened about a decade after the California gold rush, and brought a temporary and huge influx of immigrants into Pike’s Peak area and the Southern Rocky Mountains. The gold rush brought the first European-Americans to the region, and created a few places that would become cities such as Denver City and Boulder City. Smaller camps ended up becoming parts of larger towns, and dozens of camps simply became ghost towns. Many gold prospectors were discouraged at the end of the California gold rush, which caused them to return home. However, a few stayed behind and followed rumors that gold was to be found in the Rocky Mountains.

This following ended up paying off in the end, for those who actually took the time to travel to this area and become a part of the search for gold in what would become the Pike’s Peak gold rush. In 1858, gold was discovered, and it was less than a year by the time news reached the eastern part of the country. At that time, thousands of miners were coming to the Denver area to search for the gold that so many had boasted finding. There were many large finds throughout the area in 1859, and shortly after the mining tapered off for a substantial amount of time.

After many years, people realized that they couldn’t access the gold that was deeper in the sulfide ore, and abandoned gold prospecting in the area. However, this problem was solved over time, creating a major gold and silver mining industry in Colorado after the gold rush had come and gone. The first decade generally served the South Platte River area and the Clear Creek and South Park areas, and in 1860, Denver City, Golden City, and Boulder City were thriving towns that worked the mines as a way of life.

Still today, the area is popular among vacationers for gold prospecting adventures, but the large mines are now owned by private industry, making the findings more rare and individual prospecting less popular. Panning for gold may be fun, but it’s hardly profitable. If you want to invest in gold, try purchasing some gold coins and holding them for an extended period of time.

Medical implants also use gold in many occasions, since it doesn’t include a risk for toxicity and has a lower risk of infections. There are many different medical uses of gold, proving that it isn’t just for collecting and investing in things such as gold coins.

When it comes to medical implants, the gold is generally used in places that are at a higher risk of infection, such as the ear. It has also been used in other areas that are prone to infection, as well as serving a variety of uses in the medical world beyond implants. For example, gold is often used to treat prostate cancer, by helping to identify the size and position of the patient’s prostate during treatment. Small pieces of gold, about the size of rice grains, are used to find the prostate so that a more targeted dose of radiation can be given to the patient. Pace makers and insulin pumps also contain gold, because it has such a record of being highly reliable for electronic devices.

There are many different uses for gold, but the most cutting edge uses and research belongs to the cancer treatment area. Gold can be injected into the body and immediately travel to a cancerous area, which will allow doctors to treat these areas with anti-cancer compounds without having to treat the entire body. The newest research involving gold includes a study of how gold can bind anti-cancer compounds on their surfaces, carrying them through the blood stream and delivering them to the tumors. Once again, this allows for targeted treatments rather than full-body exposure.

Gold is such a biocompatible metal that it can be used for just about any medical need. Implants, cancer research and treatment, and even heart problems and diabetes all rely on gold for use in the various treatment products that are used. By taking the time to learn about gold and how beneficial it can be to the modern medical world, you might realize that it is much more essential to society than you originally thought. There are many uses for gold, and the medical world is not the only one taking advantage of this great metal. This is why gold will always be a great alternative investment to the stock market.

That’s about as cheap as gold will ever be and if I were you, I’d run out and buy several barrels full before the price goes up. I think a barrel is 55 gallons, so you are getting gold for about $18 a gallon. You can’t beat that. We’re all going to be rich.

If only it were true.

This coin is also referred to as the Coronet Head as well as the Liberty head and was minted from 1849 to 1907 when the Augustus St Gaudens designed double eagle took the stage and changed the course of history for the coin collector, the US Treasury as well as gold as a collectible and commodity.

There are three sub-types pf this Liberty Head gold coin. The first minting of this coin did not include the words “In God We Trust” as the phrase was added in 1866 creating the second type and the third type was minted in 1877 when the words describing the face value of the coin was changed from “Twenty D” to ” Twenty Dollars”.

While this coin is not as popular as the St Gaudens double eagle it is still sought after by collectors and gold investors becuause it is still gold and in these crazy economic times gold is as valuable as ever. Don’t miss the great deals you might be able to find on the Liberty Head gold double eagle.

Most of these original coins were melted down, but a few remain today and are extremely valuable. However, if you don’t want to have to pay possibly tens of thousands for one of the 1907 copies of this coin, you can grab a 2009 Ultra High Relief Coin for slightly over $1,000.

These are extraordinarily beautiful coins as the design is sunk deeply into the coins surface through a special minting process where the coin is struck multiple times. Only with today’s mining and stamping technology were these coins made possible. A slight edge has been added to the coin to make them stackable and more easy to store.

These coins are available directly from the US Mint, from dealers across the United States and of course, from eBay. Many good deals have been found on the auction site and the coins are are going for around $1,300 or slightly more as of the publishing of this post.

If you are interested, you can check out High relief double eagle coins on our site and place your bids right eBay to grab one of  these beauties right now.

Some presidents obviously were not married such as Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren and in those cases a coin will still be issued but it will feature a depiction of Lady Liberty on the Obverse and themes from the President’s life on the reverse. The coins are all one half ounce 24 karat gold or .9999 percent pure, thus making them true bullion coins. All have a face value of $10

The United States Mint wanted to get into the true bullion coin market due to demand from investors and in 2006 started out with the first true bullion coin issued in the United States which was the Buffalo Gold Coin. Since then the First Spouse gold coins have been added to the bullion coin lineup and will continue through at least 2016 with this program.

Listed below are the currently or soon to be available First Spouse coins:

2007 Releases

Martha Washington
Abigail Adams
Jefferson’s Liberty
Dolley Madison

2008 Releases

Elizabeth Monroe
Louisa Adams
Jackson’s Liberty
Van Buren’s Liberty

2009 Releases

Anna Harrison
Letitia Tyler
Julia Tyler (due out August 6, 2009)
Sarah Polk
Margaret Taylor

Check out our store for available First Spouse gold coins.