1 Nevada Goldback | Aurum Gold Foil Note (24k)

The 1 Goldback is the unit the whole system is built on — 1/1000 of a troy ounce of 24-carat gold. Nevada used it to introduce a virtue that had never appeared on a Goldback before.

The artwork

The virtue is Caritas, or Charity, and this is her first appearance in the series. The figure is patterned after a depiction of Mary, mother of Jesus, in St Augustine's Catholic Church in Austin, Nevada — the oldest Catholic church building in the state, in a state where Catholicism is the largest denomination.

She holds a lit candle. Cherubs crown her, burning hearts sit to either side, and through the window behind her Nevada's sun rises over the mountains. The two containers at her feet hold a Sierra Nevada lily on the right and a Mary Magdalene rose on the left.

The architecture is borrowed rather than invented. The window, the candlestick on the right of the sill and the columns framing the design all come from St Mary of the Mountains in Virginia City — now Saint Mary in the Mountains Catholic Church and Museum.

Look longer and the note gives up more:

• The window below Mary's dress conceals the word Love, alongside a square, a compass, a wagon wheel and rosary beads.
• An ash tree stands for marriage — a nod to Las Vegas as the marriage capital of the world.
• A family of ring-necked pheasants represents the ordinary, unglamorous work of protecting and providing for your own.

Who this note suits

Buy the 1 if you want the standard reference denomination — it is the note every other value is expressed against, and the one most people picture when they hear “Goldback”. It is also the sensible unit for stacking a series over time, because you can add to it in small steps without a large outlay each time.

What it is bad at: value by weight. At 1/1000 oz the premium over spot is high, and it will always be higher than a Britannia or a bar. If the objective is the maximum gold for your money, this is not the product. If the objective is fractional gold you can actually hold, hand over and display, the 1 is the natural starting point.

UK buyer notes

Yard Mint supplies Goldbacks from UK stock. They are treated as VAT-exempt investment-gold wafers, so there is no VAT to add at checkout.

Goldbacks are not UK legal tender. They can be bought, owned, sold, collected and voluntarily exchanged where both parties agree, but no UK business is required to accept one. They also do not share the Capital Gains Tax exemption that applies to Britannias and post-1837 Sovereigns, which are sterling currency. VAT and CGT are separate questions with different answers.

Resale depends on the gold price, the condition of the note and buyer demand at the time. A collector premium is not guaranteed.

This is general information, not personal tax or investment advice. Tax treatment depends on current rules and individual circumstances.

• Contains 1/1000 troy oz (0.001 oz) of 24-carat gold.
• Grade: (U) Crisp Uncirculated
• Metal content: 0.001 troy oz
• Purity: .999
• Thickness: 0.10 mm
• Size: 6.5 cm x 11.7 cm (2.56 in x 4.62 in)
• Manufactured in the USA.

The Nevada Series

Each denomination carries its own original artwork and a proportional quantity of 24-carat gold. View all Nevada Goldbacks or browse every Goldback series.