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Message:: [QUOTE="panzerman, post: 2394960, member: 77704"]Doug is bang on, gold was always coveted, and the money used by the elite classes. This metal has a plus that it is soft and strikes will be more pristine/ then it also wears down with circulation. Hardest coins to find in higher quality are copper/bronze issues. These were heavily used, and the money was for the lower classes. Of course, for every AV coin minted,  there were likely 100 AR/ 1000 AE. However, since gold was valuable, many hoards are still found in perfect condition today. The most amazing difference between the metals is this....gold after being buried in soil deposits/ submerged in fresh/saltwater/ exposed to the atomosphere....it stays as shiny as day it was minted. Silver oxidizes rapidly/ gets eaten by saltwater if from a shipwreck/ corroded if buried underground/ ditto for AE coins. To me, it seems almost impossible that coins struck 2000 or so years ago are still avaliable in FDC. I have coins in my pocket that were struck by the Canadian Mint this year, lots of wear already. I know this is for ancients...but I will post a 1751-So Fernando VI 8 Escudos....this was from Atocha wreck, submerged in saltwater for over 200 years....looks like new.[ATTACH=full]492535[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]492536[/ATTACH] edited[/QUOTE]