100 Oklahoma Goldback | Aurum Gold Foil Note (24k)

On 29 April 1945 the 45th Infantry Division helped liberate Dachau. The 100 Oklahoma is built around that unit and that day, on the largest format Goldback produces.

The artwork

The subject is the 45th Infantry Division, known as the Thunderbirds. It was raised in 1923 out of the Oklahoma National Guard and included an extraordinary number of Native American service members from the Five Civilized Tribes. Their defining mission came at Dachau Concentration Camp, where they helped uncover one of the darkest chapters of the Holocaust.

Libertas stands at the centre, the Roman goddess of freedom and a long-standing American symbol. Her gown of stars and stripes takes its cue from the Liberty figure on the Oklahoma State Seal, and her form echoes the Walking Liberty Half Dollar that was circulating widely through the war years. The symbols she carries are all specific:

• A shield bearing the Great Seal of the State of Oklahoma, which itself includes the seals of the Five Civilized Tribes, for the unity between the Native nations and the state they helped build.
• A belt showing the Osage warrior shield, peace pipe and olive branch from the state flag, for defence and diplomacy together.
• A broken shackle at her ankle, a solemn reminder of those freed at Dachau.
• A Star of David necklace at her chest, in quiet tribute to the Jewish lives the 45th helped save.

Behind her the war is in motion. Sherman tanks and Willys MB jeeps move across the field, fighter planes cut through storm-lit skies, and a bald eagle, sacred in Native tradition, climbs above them with a bolt of lightning at its back, calling up the ancient Thunderbird as a force of divine justice. In the foreground infantrymen press forward with the Thunderbird insignia on their helmets, one pack trailing a banner reading Libertas.

Cut into the base of the scene is a line attributed to Thomas Jefferson: “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”. The design honours the Oklahoma National Guard, the Native nations who sent their sons, and everyone who has fought for liberty since.

Who this note suits

The 100 holds 1/10 of a troy ounce of 24-carat gold, a hundred times the metal in a 1 note, and at 7.6 cm x 18.4 cm it is the biggest note in the range. Premiums per gram are at their lowest at this end of the series, and a composition this crowded needs the space.

There is a second reason people reach for it. The 100 Goldback has been discontinued for future full series, so the Oklahoma 100 belongs to a finite group. That is a fact about supply, not a promise about price: a collector premium is not guaranteed, and nobody should buy on that basis alone.

The gold argument still does not favour it. A 1/10 oz gold Britannia holds the same weight of gold at a far lower premium, and comes with the tax treatment noted below. Buy the 100 for the artwork, the scale and the format. Hold coins or bars if what you want is weight.

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 1/10 troy oz (0.1 oz) of 24-carat gold.
• Grade: (U) Crisp Uncirculated
• Metal content: 0.1 troy oz
• Purity: .999
• Thickness: 0.10 mm
• Size: 7.6 cm x 18.4 cm (3.0 in x 7.25 in)
• Manufactured in the USA.

The Oklahoma Series

The 100 Goldback has been discontinued for future full series, so remaining stock is finite. Each denomination carries its own original artwork and a proportional quantity of 24-carat gold. View all Oklahoma Goldbacks, read the Oklahoma collector guide, or browse every Goldback series.