November 6, 2009
Gold Penny
Brooklyn graphic designer Jessica Reed found new meaning in “lucky penny” when, after a Google search, she discovered she was in possession of a counterfeit penny… made out of 18 karat gold.
The penny caught Reed’s eye when she was paying for groceries at the C-Town supermarket in Greenpoint. The gold color was starting to peek through, and being a coin fan, she filed the pennny back into her change purse for future investigation.
The search terms “gold penny 1970″ brought a shocking suprise: in 1970 an artist named Jack Daws put into circulation a counterfeit penny that he made out of gold. Ms. Reed did some tests to determine that her penny was the real counterfeit…the penny was heavier and smaller then other pennies, and had no mint mark….she was in possession of the genuine gold fake penny!
The counterfeit penny that Ms. Reed acquired was one of 11 copper-plated gold pennies Jack Daws made in 1970. The penny Ms. Reed recovered was the only one released into circulation. Daws work plays with the perception of value. He poured approximately $100 worth of gold into one cent clothing; the penny that hit the streets did a cash-register tour, masquerading as next to nothing while a sister coin from the same collection was sold for $1,000 to a collector through the Greg Kucera gallery. “It’s there, but if people don’t realize it, it’s the same as not being there,” Daws said.
Jessica Reed sees the value in Daws penny. She is keeping it, and thinking of having it framed.
November 6, 2009
Iron Age Gold Treasure
Talk about beginner’s luck: David Booth of Scotland drudged up four 2,000 yr. old gold neckbands in a Stirlingshire field with his first go at metal detecting. The neckbands date between the 1st and 3rd century BC and are the most important hoard of iron age gold discovered in Scotland to date.
Booth, a 35 yr old safari park keeper, had purchased his first metal detector 5 days before his incredible find. He had practiced using his detector around his house using nails and bits and pieces, and struck gold the first time he stepped out of the house with it.
Booth will not be able to keep his find, as under Scottish law the crown can claim any arhcaeological objects found in Scotland and all found objects must be reported to Scotland’s Treasure Tove Unit. Booth, however, does anticipate that he may receive a reward equal to the value of the jewelry.
That could be a big check for this collection. A band similar to Booth’s treasures that was found in Neward, Nottinghamshire sold for 350,000 pounds in 2005. Booth came upon not one neckband, but four.
Booth says he is going to keep up his new-found hobby of metal detecting, as it gets him out in the fresh air, and there might be other stuff out there. And if his next find isn’t a national treasure, he can always sell it to GoldCycler.
November 5, 2009
A picture is worth a thousand words…print that photo on gold and it becomes valuable beyond words. A technology enabling photos to be transferred to gold has been developed in Myanmar, what is thought to be a first for this country. Thailand has been printing photos on gold for some time, and Roland sells a printer capable of printing on gold that can easily be installed as a desktop printer (Roland DG’s METZA MPX-70).
November 4, 2009
Gold Treasure
Bulgaria has a significant gold treasure consisting of 80kg of gold and other coins believed to have been part of Alexander the Great’s treasury. The find was discovered 40 years ago by two farmers ploughing a field outside the Breznik village of Rezhantsi. But the treasure, which contains pieces believed to date back to the fourth century and feature the faces of the likes of Phillip II of Macedon and Alexander III of Macedon and Patraeus (a Paeonian ruler), remains under lock and key at the Pernik Museum of History in Bulgaria. The reason for this is that more funds are needed, $8,000 levs to be exact, in order to build a gallery in which to display the gold coins.
November 3, 2009
On November 2, 2009, the International Monetary fund announced the sale of 200 metric tons of gold to the Reserve Bank of India causing gold prices to surge to a record high of $1,085.20 per troy ounce on Tuesday November 3. The 200 tons of gold cost $6.7 billion and is part of an ongoing plan of the International Monetary Fund to sell over 400 metric tons of gold.
200 metric tons of gold is enough to make 125 MILLION wedding bands containing 1.6 grams of gold each.
October 30, 2009
Halloween is a time to shine, and nothing else captures the eye like gold does. Here are some of the hottest Gold Halloween Costumes this season:
Go Go Gold
Go Go for the Gold with these Gold Gogo Costumes boots from Target. Step out as a Goldfinger Girl or Austin Powers Princess this Halloween!
Get The Scoop
Another popular choice is the infamous Gold Digger. Neighbors and strangers alike will be digging you in this outfit.
Gold Digger
Pot of Gold
Pot Luck
Be the prettiest pot at the party in the Pot of Gold Halloween Costume. Who knows, maybe you’ll even meet a rainbow!
September 24, 2009
Gold Recycling
Gold Rush in Peru
Gold prices are rising, and along with them illegal gold mines are growing as well. Peru is one of the countries experiencing a Gold Rush as of late. The high price of gold has fostered a flourishing hotbed of corruption in the government and among the people, 40% of which live below the poverty line. The drive to survive for some, and desire to be filthy rich for others, has superceded accountability for human and environmental welfare, evidenced by mining-produced corpses crushed by rock and water coupled with veins of lethal mercury eating through and spilling into this very same terrain.
The price of one plain gold wedding band?
- A Prime Pice of Real Estate- over 30 tons of rock and dirt sifted through, reducing once lush jungle into sparse lakes of mud and silt
- A Dose of Poison- mercury used in Alluvial mining is excreted into the water and soil, causing harm to fish, wildlife and people
- Blood Spill- many miners loose their lives due to highly dangerous mining activity; the miners that survive rarely if ever are richly rewarded for their efforts
What You Can Do
There are two simple things you can do to help reduce the destructive mining practices in Peru and elsewhere:
- Recycle Gold you do not want or use
- Only purchase gold from jewelers that support real mining industry reform
Recycling gold puts the gold that is sitting dormant in the bottom of your jewelry box back into circulation, and reduces the demand for gold mining. Plus you get paid for the value of the gold in your jewelry, which can be significant considering the current high price of gold. Learn more about recycling your gold and request a Free Gold Recycling Kit at Goldcycler.com
To find retailers that have taken the first step towards more responsible sourcing of gold, visit No Dirty Gold.
September 14, 2009
Heart of Gold
It turns out that the expression “Heart of Gold” has a biological basis. The highest concentration of gold in humans is found around the heart. Because of this, a radio-isotope of gold has been developed (the Au-195 isotope), which can give an image of the blood-containing structures within the heart, a process called ‘heart-imaging’ or “radio imaging”.
September 11, 2009
Gold Beach
Gold can be found on the beach, and visitors of Gold Beach in Oregon are being given an exclusive opportunity to win an American Eagle gold coin, valued at around $1,000. There are 10 coins to be given away in this contest which runs from September 12th 2009 to September 1st 2010. Visitors can enter the America Eagle sweepstakes by staying at one of Gold Beach’s hotels or holiday homes.
September 11, 2009
This year one of five 2009 Bayer Innovators Awards went to Professor Jim Johnston for his work in the development of gold and silver embedded wool. The process involves nano-particles of pure gold and silver which are bonded to New Zealand merino wool. The wool is then spun into yarn and woven into fashion garments, textiles and carpets.
Professor Johnston’s innovation transforms warm, comfortable wool into absolute glamour!
