What Are Goldbacks?
Goldbacks are a physical, interchangeable gold currency that can be used as real money from small to large transactions. Investors and collectors buy Goldbacks because they are spendable, physical 24k gold bills, each with beautifully unique designs, available in five denominations.
As the first local, voluntary currency, Utah Goldbacks were a huge success, with hundreds of stores accepting Goldbacks for goods and services. The Nevada Goldbacks and Wyoming Goldbacks were the subsequent releases in the United States series, with many new states adopting the Goldback standard.
Each Goldback contains precise amounts of .999 fine gold with five denominations: 1 Goldback contains 1/1000th ounces of gold, 5 Goldbacks has 1/200th ounces, 10 Goldback 1/100th ounces, 25 Goldback 1/40th ounces, and the 50 Goldback with 1/20th of an ounce of gold.
New Hampshire Goldback Notes
South Dakota Goldback Notes
Utah Goldbacks
Utah Goldbacks was the very first local, voluntary currency, made of beautiful, spendable, .999 fine physical gold that vendors can choose to accept for transactions. In 2011, theUtah Legal Tender Act was passed, recognizing gold as currency. In late 2019, the Utah Goldback series came to the market. Goldbacks are an innovative way to own a tangible gold asset at an affordable price. Utah Goldbacks come in five denominations containing precise amounts of pure .999 gold, each with unique designs reflecting Utah’s rich history.
1 - Prudentiae (Prudence): Contains 1/1000th oz. of gold and features a Native American representation of Prudence. The five Native American tribes in Utah: the Ute, Paiute, Goshute, Shoshone, and the Navajo.
5 - Veritas (Truth): Contains 1/200th oz. of gold and features a female Utah pioneer representing Truth, nodding to the great migration that the first settlers of Utah took part in to arrive in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.
10 - Justitia (Justice): Contains 1/100th oz. of gold and features Justice casting in the southern region of Utah, with Balancing Rock and the iconic red cliffs in the background.
25 - Victoria (Victory): Contains 1/40th oz. of gold and features a symbolic Victory allegory represented by a suffragette, celebrating the victory for women’s voting rights.
50 - Liberty (Libertas): Contains 1/20th oz. of gold and features Lady Liberty,
Nevada Goldbacks
Nevada Goldbacks is the second issue in the U.S. Goldback series, released in 2020, with designs depicting the heritage and history of the state. Nevada Goldbacks come in 5 denominations, with five designs, each containing .999 fine 24k gold.
1 - Caritas (Charity): Contains 1/1000th oz. of gold and depicts Mary, the mother of Jesus, in St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in Austin, Nevada. Catholicism is Nevada’s most dominant religion and St. Augustine’s is the oldest Catholic Church building in Nevada.
5 - Sophia (Wisdom): Contains 1/200th oz. of gold and features Athena as Wisdom. Sophia represents divine inspiration and progress and is found surrounded by numerous Nevada-specific symbols, inventions, technologies, and bastions of wisdom.
10 - Justitia (Justice): Contains 1/100th oz. of gold and features Justice. She wears a veil and watches over the Wild West, letting all those who break the law know that Justice sees all.
25 - Fortitudine (Fortitude): Contains 1/40th oz. of gold. Patterned after the Greek winged goddess of victory, sounding the first trumpet of Triumph.
50 - Liberty (Libertas): Contains 1/20th oz. of gold. Libertas is depicted as Eve, mother of the human race, exercising her power of choice to bring about the human race.
New Hampshire Goldbacks
New Hampshire Goldbacks is the third in the series, released in 2021. New Hampshire Goldbacks come in five .999 fine 24k gold denominations. These Goldbacks feature exquisite artwork corresponding to New Hampshire history during the colonial era and the Revolutionary War, reflective of New Hampshire’s rich Early American history.
1 - Gratia (Grace): Contains 1/1000th oz. of gold. Gratia is depicted as an Abanaki Native American woman from the Algonquin tribes, who have a history in the area and can be seen gathering chestnuts, pondering, with the caption below reading “Give Thanks,” acknowledging the bounties provided.
5 - Veritas (Truth): Contains 1/200th oz. of gold. Veritas makes her second appearance, symbolizing the light of Truth, beckoning all away from the fogs of obscurity and confusion and toward the well-lit path of safety truth provides.
10 - Prospicientia (Foresight): Contains 1/100th oz. of gold. Prospicientia sits atop a cannon on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean with Fort Constitution across the bay. This setting is historically significant as it depicts the moments after New Hampshire’s Sons of Liberty took control of the area.
25 - Fortitudine (Fortitude): Contains 1/40th oz. of gold and is the second appearance of Fortitudine. Clothed in a military coat of a minute-man, she wears a dress of vertical red and white stripes used by the early rebel colonists. Next to her stands a miniature depiction of New Hampshire’s famous granite monument featuring the state’s motto: “Live Free or Die”, and the caption beneath reading “Take Courage.”
50 - Liberty (Libertas): Contains 1/20th oz. of gold. Libertas makes her capstone appearance again standing in White Mountain National Forest and is shown with the three elements of New Hampshire’s original seal, namely the bundle of five arrows she is holding, the fish that are embroidered on her dress, and the eastern white pine tree both behind her and at her feet.
Wyoming Goldbacks
Wyoming Goldbacks in the U.S. Goldback series were released in 2022. Wyoming Goldbacks come in 5 denominations, with five designs, each containing .999 fine 24k gold.
1 - Reverentia (Reverence): Contains 1/1000th oz of pure 24 karat gold, and depicts Reverentia as a Shoehorn Native American woman, wearing a buckskin dress and standing in the Northwestern plains of Wyoming.
5 - Audentia (Boldness): Containing 1/200th oz of pure 24 karat gold. This note depicts the story of Audentia drawing symbolism from the biblical story of Esther.
10 - Fiducia (Trust): This note contains 1/100th oz of pure 24 karat gold, and tells us the story of Fiducia, appearing as a pioneer woman following the path of those who travelled before her in search of a better life.
25 - Fideletas (Loyalty): The 25 Wyoming note contains 1/40th oz of pure 24 karat gold and shows Fideletas as a Wyoming ranch girl waiting for her groom to arrive for their wedding.
50 - Libertas (Liberty): Containing 1/20th oz of pure 24 karat gold, the 50 Wyoming goldnote depicts the story of Libertas as a mid-20th century hiker passing through Yellowstone National Park.
South Dakota Goldbacks
South Dakota Goldbacks are the latest issue in the U.S. Goldback series, released in 2023. South Dakota Goldbacks come in 5 denominations, with five designs, each containing .999 fine 24k gold.
1 - Pax: Contains 1/1000th oz of pure 24 karat gold, and depicts Pax, the Roman goddess of Peace, Pax, the Roman goddess of peace, symbolizes the ideal of tranquility and harmony in the ancient Roman belief system.
5 - Industria: Containing 1/200th oz of pure 24 karat gold. This note depicts Industria, in Roman mythology, was the personification of industriousness and diligence, embodying the virtues of hard work and productivity
10 - Harmonia: This note contains 1/100th oz of pure 24 karat gold, and tells us the story of Harmonia, the Greek goddess of harmony and concord, represented the divine union of opposites and the peaceful blending of conflicting elements in both nature and human relationships.
25 - Laurea: The 25 Wyoming note contains 1/40th oz of pure 24 karat gold and shows Laurea with laurel wreaths and holding a basket near a river.
50 - Libertas: Containing 1/20th oz of pure 24 karat gold, the 50 South Dakota goldnote depicts the story of Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty and freedom, was celebrated as a symbol of individual and political liberty in ancient Rome, often depicted with a liberty cap and a rod.
Where Are Goldbacks Accepted?
The Goldback is designed to be a local currency within certain regions where a series exists, that being Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming. They are considered voluntary local currency, a form of money created for local use and has an agreed value by the people and businesses involved in a particular transaction for goods and services, and it is believed that Goldbacks are accepted as high as 50% of small business owners in some states.
The History of Goldbacks
In 2011, the most senior partner of the Goldback company Lawrence D. Hilton authored what became the draft for the Legal Tender Act in Utah, which allowed for Goldbacks to be used as voluntary local currency in Utah.
How are Goldbacks Made?
Creating a Goldback relies on vacuum technology. Designs are printed on a sheet of polymer, then atomized gold particles are sealed inside by a second protective barrier of polymer.
