10 Idaho Goldback - Alpha Edition (α) | Aurum Gold Foil Note (24k)

Description

Idaho is one of the few places on earth where star garnet occurs naturally, which is how it earned the name the Gem State. The 10 works that fact into a scene from the Owyhee Mountains at the height of the silver rush in the early 1860s.

The artwork

The virtue is Perseverantia, perseverance, told through Silver City — one of the most important mining communities Idaho ever had. A miner rests beside a cart loaded with raw silver ore. Behind her rise the Idaho Hotel and the Masonic Lodge.

The state's gemstones are worked into the composition rather than displayed:

• Star garnet, Idaho's official gemstone and the reason for the Gem State nickname.
• Sapphire, opal and jasper.
• Aquamarine, topaz and quartz.

Along the bottom runs a passage from James 1:12 — "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial."

Who this note suits

The 10 holds 1/100 of a troy ounce of 24-carat gold, ten times the 1 Goldback. It is the denomination that starts to look like a store of value rather than a novelty, and it is a sensible anchor note for a state set: one 10 alongside a handful of smaller denominations gives you the full range of artwork without a large outlay.

The honest position on price is unchanged at this size. Goldbacks carry a substantial premium over the gold price because the design, the foil manufacturing and the distribution all have to be paid for, and moving up the denominations narrows that gap without closing it. A one-ounce Britannia or a plain cast bar remains the cheaper route to gold by weight. The 10 is bought for the artwork and the format, with the gold content as the floor underneath it.

Make it part of your story

Choose an Idaho note for the story you would enjoy telling someone else. Build around favourite designs, or give one with a few words about why it reminded you of them.

The price includes artwork and manufacture as well as gold. Condition and collector demand can affect resale.

Specifications

• Contains 1/100 troy oz (0.01 oz) of 24-carat gold.
• Grade: (U) Crisp Uncirculated
• Edition: Alpha (α)
• Metal content: 0.01 troy oz
• Purity: .999
• Thickness: 0.10 mm
• Manufactured in the USA.

The Idaho Series

Each denomination carries its own original artwork and a proportional quantity of 24-carat gold. View all Idaho Goldbacks, read the Idaho collector guide, or browse every Goldback series.