I have read since grade school that the Louisiana Purchase cost the United States $15 million. I have read here and there without ever checking references that Napoleon wanted only gold as payment. I have also read over time that the United States actually borrowed from British Banks to pay off Napoleon for we only came up with around 3 million. The interest rate was 6 percent that I often read. So if this is true that Napoleon wanted payment in gold to finance his military in anticipation of the coming conflict. Then does that mean British and American gold was melted down only to be reminted as Napoleon Gold French Francs? The answer I do not know but the question intrigues me with the possibilities of linkage. The history behind the minting of a coin can be as interesting as the coin for me.
Andy, That is an interesting idea to think about. Who knows? Some of the gold in coins from that past couple hundred years could have been Roman coins at one point...especially in the European coins.
gold has been melted and remelted so many times it's hard to say . The gold in your wedding ring may have been Aztec / Egyptian / Roman / who can say for sure gold has never been a disposable substance . 99.9% of all gold ever found by man is probability still around
Andy, that's a pretty interesting tidbit from history. So the bankers in Great Britain financed Napoleon in his war against Great Britain -- indirectly. Leave it to the bankers. They'll finance both sides if they can. I think at least some gold can be traced to the origin. I believe the gold from the Klondike gold strike was mostly sent to San Francisco to be minted into $20 Liberties in 1897. Presumably that was the first and last use of that particular gold if you can find a coin from that date.
Cloudsweeper, I know that the Klondike strike was a short one but I did not realize that the gold was only used for one minting. I think it would be great to have a 1897 Liberty coin minted from San Francisco when one thinks of the danger and hardships that went into getting that gold. Big Dog, I like the sound of perhaps having Aztec gold around my finger. tcore I find what you say pretty interesting and given further thought I am suprised that there is any ancient gold around at all in that it wasn't all recycled in minted form every couple of generations for new living gods, emperors, kings, etc to grace over. I can only guess that coins survived not only from respect or being buried and lost only to be rediscovered but also that the coin collecter must have been born with the first coins.
Andy, I'm pretty sure that some 1898 $20 liberties were also minted from the Klondike, but almost all of the 1897s were. So 1897 is the year to buy to be pretty sure of the source. At least that's what I recall.
