With the recent ton vs tonne debate, here it is: the ultimate gold coin. 1000Kg of 99.99% pure gold.
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1000Kg = 2200 lbs.
2200 lbs. x 16 oz./lb. = 35,200 oz. Gold is currently $1745 US per oz. Coin is worth $61,424,000 US
I am sure, since this coin is so large, it is for all practical uses valueless. So if you Aussie guys are looking to get rid of this albatross, you may feel free to drop ship it to my house. Dave
Hmmmm......so there is some confusion about how to value this thing (me not an expert in the gold biz). I tried to tell them Aussies, it's worthless. Send it to me....right away. I'll even pay shipping. Dave
Yeah, OK, but (obligatory metalworking content) it's just a disk unless it was shaped by die pressure (coined). So, it's not really a coin, unless one of those stamp-out-tank-turret bits of heavy machinery was employed to shape it, against a carefully sculpted reverse-carved die.
I'm curious as to why, for a 1-off, they went to the trouble & expense of a steel mould. Why not lost wax, for example? I know it would have been a challenge supporting it, but wouldn't it have still been easier/cheaper that that HUGE steel mould?
If the rest of the English speaking world cuts Oz some slack, speaking Strine will allow you to keep your probationary status as a member of the English speaking countries. Too many additional funny words for things, and your probation will be revoked. :)
BTW, I thought a "tinnie" was Strine for a can of beer. I would be lost in Oz without some quick lessons in the local dialect. Dave
Yep. Tinnie is also used for a beer. True Aussies prefer the beerincans as its easier to cool down quickly. If you have access to a buld propane truck a couple of squirts of liquid propane will cool a tinnie, but it will break a bottle.
Why bother with converting from metric units? The current price of gold here in UK is £35.835/gm. 1000Kg is ,1000,000gms, so the amount of gold is worth £35,835,000. At the current exchange rate (today is 4 Dec 2011) that is $55,884,681.77
That's a really interesting question, but the answer isn't that clear. "Coin" derives from a word for "wedge," and some sources say that the earliest stamping dies were wedge-shaped. This is a misreading; the fact is, the earliest coins were shaped like a bronze ax-head, which is where the "wedge" comes in.
The next step was flat coins with a stamped image of an ax-head struck into them. So striking, or stamping, became an accepted part of what a "coin" was.
Today, we have fully integrated the idea of stamping or striking into our definition of "coin" (the verb), but it is not a necessary part of "coin" (the noun).
Still, I think that most people would agree with you that this "coin" is not "coined," so it's not a "coin." Bullion (from "boiling") generally is just simple cast blocks or sticks, sometimes with a weight and/or a certifying stamp struck into it. So much of the bullion in the world is coined. d8-)
The video (as at ) appears to show handwork stippling, ie stamping small marks into the surface. See particularly and .
Some pictures selected from slide show at include: Edge machining with a router: The mold blanks: Obverse moldface: Reverse moldface: Both faces: Gold pouring: After pouring: Demolding:
Re pressure in mold, it would have been ca. 22 psi near most of the bottom edge of the mold (~ 31.5" diameter * 0.698 pounds/cubic inch) and ~ 28 psi in the bottom tab extension of the casting.
That's actually a lot. What's the total force trying to push the mold halves apart? About (22/2)(Pi (31.2/2)^2)= 8,572 pounds, with max force at bottom and zero force at the top of the sprue.
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