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

Description

Nevada was the first state to adopt the 15th Amendment, and the 5 Goldback sets its words on an open scroll among the books and instruments at Sophia's feet. This is Wisdom's first appearance in the series.

The artwork

The virtue is Sophia, Wisdom, rendered here as Athena. She stands for divine inspiration and progress, and the design packs the space around her with Nevada's own inventions, technologies and seats of learning.

Her armour follows the Athena convention — raised helm, arm guards and breastplate, shield and spear — with Wisdom's owl worked into the gorget at her throat. The pick axe in her hand is the Nevada addition, standing for the mining that shaped the state's development.

Every Nevada design carries a pillar. Sophia stands on an open book supported by hers, and that pillar bears the motto of the Great Seal of Nevada, “All for Our Country”.

The objects around her repay a slow look:

• Library and university buildings drawn from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the University of Nevada.
• The quartz mill from the State Seal, and an antique Hoover Dam hard helmet.
• Books, scrolls, a wagon wheel, pen and ink, and works by Samuel Clemens — Mark Twain.
• A silver mine car and the state's No. 40 Locomotive.
• An open scroll bearing words from the 15th Amendment, which Nevada was first to adopt, extending equal voting rights in the state regardless of skin colour.

Nevada's Mountain Bluebird and the White Pine finish the scene, the pine a nod to mountainous, rural White Pine County along the state's central eastern boundary.

Who this note suits

The 5 holds 1/200 of a troy ounce of 24-carat gold and sits in the middle of the Nevada range. It is the note most people choose when they want one piece with real presence rather than a full set, and the larger 13.01 cm format gives a composition this busy the room it needs.

It also works as a gift, because the design carries enough detail to hold someone's attention without any explanation from you.

The honest limitation is gold per pound spent. The premium over the gold price on a 5 is well above what a Britannia, a Sovereign or a plain bar costs you for the same weight, and that gap does not close. Buy this for the artwork and the set, not as an efficient way to own gold.

Make it part of your story

Pick the Nevada virtue or landscape you want to keep close. The pleasure is in noticing a detail, sharing its story and choosing what belongs beside it.

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

Specifications

• Contains 1/200 troy oz (0.005 oz) of 24-carat gold.
• Grade: (U) Crisp Uncirculated
• Metal content: 0.005 troy oz
• Purity: .999
• Thickness: 0.10 mm
• Size: 6.5 cm x 13.01 cm (2.56 in x 5.125 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.