5 California Goldback - Alpha Edition (α) | Aurum Gold Foil Note (24k)

Most Goldback designs reach for mountains or gold country. This one goes to the vineyards of Sonoma Valley, where grapevines were first put in the ground in the early nineteenth century and California's agricultural fortune actually began.

The artwork

The virtue is Abundantia, abundance personified. She stands among the rows holding clusters of ripe grapes, the yield of generations of careful stewardship rather than of luck.

• The California quail, the state bird, appears beside her as a note on the variety and beauty of the state.
• A ladybird sits in the UV layer, long read as a sign of good fortune, invisible until the note is lit.
• Mission San Francisco Solano stands in the distance. Founded in 1823, it is the last and most northerly of California's twenty-one missions, and the only one established under Mexican rule after independence from Spain.

The design argues that real fortune is grown rather than found: patient cultivation, season after season. The line along the bottom puts it directly: "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow."

Who this note suits

The 5 holds 1/200 of a troy ounce of 24-carat gold, five times the content of a 1 Goldback, and it is where a series starts to feel substantial. It is the middle rung of a California set, and a good choice if you want fewer notes carrying more gold, or a single presentable piece to frame or give without stepping up to the larger denominations. The extra width also gives the artwork more room than the smaller notes allow.

The trade-off is unchanged, and worth stating plainly. The premium over the melt value of the gold inside is high compared with conventional bullion, because you are paying for design, print, security features and distribution as well as metal. Anyone whose sole aim is the most gold per pound spent should buy a Britannia, a Sovereign or a bar instead. The 5 California earns its place on artwork, format and collectability, not on efficiency.

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 1/200 troy oz (0.005 oz) of 24-carat gold.
• Grade: (U) Crisp Uncirculated
• Edition: Alpha (α)
• Metal content: 0.005 troy oz
• Purity: .999
• Manufactured in the USA.

The California Series

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