It would seem that metal is just metal, nothing special. It’s too soft and you can’t build a serious structure from it; it’s not in vain that it’s used only in decorations and plumbing fixtures. But what a story, what a role in the development of humanity! There is simply no other material so important and famous. And you shouldn’t be surprised at this, because it’s gold! The most expensive, most attractive and most beautiful metal in the world. Most earthlings think so. And everything connected with it can turn out to be quite interesting.
It was found not in America, but in Australia and was called the Welcome Stranger. It weighed 72.02 kg and measured 61 by 31 cm. The nugget was found by John Deason and Richard Oates in the town of Moliagul, 200 kilometers northwest of Melbourne. The find not only turned out to be the largest gold nugget, but so large that there were no suitable scales in the area to determine the exact weight. The lucky ones simply solved the problem; the largest ingot of gold was divided into three parts on an anvil.
2. Gold is “lucky” to become so valuable because of its relative rarity in nature.
Its content in the bowels of the earth is only one billionth part. By the way, the human body contains up to 0.2 milligrams of precious metal.
3. Before the gold rush, all of our ancestors mined only 10% of the gold known to history.
The real boom began in the mid-19th century.
4. The first serious gold nugget in the United States was found in 1799 and weighed 7.7 kilograms.
Local Indians had known this metal for a long time and called it “poop of the gods.” In a soft translation.
5. In 1848, gold was discovered in California.
The land belonged to Mexico, but was soon reclaimed by the United States. Why did it happen?
6. Interesting prices in Californian shops at the height of the gold rush.
A glass of popular whiskey could cost $100, a kilo of flour could be bought for $60-70. This is despite the fact that in big cities wages rarely reached $10 a week.
7. Gold is most respected in India.
Almost 1,000 tons of precious metal are sold there every year.
8. In the USA, things are somewhat more modest,
But Americans spend 17 tons of gold a year on wedding rings alone.
9. A standard gold bar weighs about 11 kg.
And a piece of gold, the size of a matchbox, is rolled into a thin sheet that can cover a tennis court.
10. A little off topic, but very interesting.
Despite the rarity of gold, a person has a much better chance of finding a nugget than winning the lottery. Even in the relatively honest West!
Trade in nuggets has long gained popularity in developed countries. Thus, they are actively traded in the UAE, individual African countries, and the USA. A common purpose for purchasing such products is interior decoration. Gold blocks fit effectively into the luxurious furnishings of rich people's homes. However, nuggets are of greatest value as investment objects.
Rare pieces are the subject of competition between renowned collectors. They are ready to pay any money to acquire them.
Geologists also benefit from such profitable finds. With the help of their detailed examination, specialists are able to identify and predict gold deposits at the local level.
Gold nuggets are large pieces of native metals. Experts have not yet come to a consensus on which piece of gold should be called a nugget.
Some professionals call for ingots weighing more than 1 kg to be called nuggets, while others are inclined to think that a piece measuring about 4 mm rightfully deserves such a name if nature has endowed it with a unique shape and bright shine.
It was the nuggets found that became the beginning of people’s acquaintance with precious metals. They marked the beginning of the history of using gold as a material for making jewelry and other items.
The cost of nuggets is determined by their size. The larger the piece, the more expensive the price will be. Thus, the average cost of Australian nuggets ranges from $18 per gram if it is less than 6 grams, and $30 per gram for larger specimens (from 8 to 16 grams).
When determining the value of a nugget, important importance is given to such a factor as its shape. The original version made of pure gold costs several times more than a rolled copy mined from placers. Therefore, the search for such finds is justified.
Gold mining often brings good luck in the form of nuggets found. If we compare gold with other metals, then its concentration in the soil is much less than the same iron, copper, lead and others. However, scientists have found that the noble metal is also present in plants and living organisms.
Gold nuggets: a review of the largest finds
The largest gold nugget in the world was discovered in 1872 in Australia. The deposit of this “giant” was the Hill End mine. The length of the find was 144 centimeters, width – 66 centimeters, thickness – 10 centimeters. The nugget was given the name “Holterman Plate”. Its mass was 285 kg, of which pure gold was about 83.3 kg. This piece of gold was used to be melted down and made into jewelry.
The Welcome Stranger is the second largest gold nugget after the Holtermann Slab, which weighed 70.9 kg. It was also found in Australia and was melted down.
“Big Triangle” - a piece of gold weighing 36 kg was found on October 8, 1942 in the Southern Urals in the Miass region. According to experts, in 1842 its cost was 28,146 rubles. This copy has survived to this day, but its price has become much higher. Today it is stored in the Diamond Fund of the Russian Federation.
Russia is the owner of the richest collection of nuggets in the world. The exhibition, held in Moscow in 1967, included at least a hundred finds, the total weight of which was more than 200 kg. Nuggets like "Bunny Ears"(3.34 kg), "Camel"(9.3 kg), "Horse Head"(14 kg) became the largest specimens.
The greatest interest among visitors to the Diamond Fund is nugget "Mephistopheles". Its light weight of 20.25 grams is compensated by its unique appearance, reminiscent of the profile of an evil spirit in Renaissance mythology. Disputes about its formation subsided several years after the unique discovery. Some experts believed that nature was unable to create such an image. However, many studies have shown the absence of artificial processing of this ingot.
"Golden heart"- another large nugget found in Alaska. It became the fifth largest of all the ingots found in the state of Alaska. The initial impression of the find was disappointing. It looked more like a piece of black galli, because it was covered with a crust of minerals.
It is important to know that without special permission, it is prohibited by law. All such operations are criminally punishable. If gold was found by chance, it is considered a “find”, which must be given to the state, receiving 20% of its value minus income tax.
Legal ownership only applies to bank and jewelry gold. It is also allowed to buy it, give it as a gift and perform other legal transactions with it.
A long time ago, in America, there lived an ancient people - the Incas. He possessed huge reserves of the yellow metal. There was so much of it that the Incas made dishes from it, as well as other useful things. No one thought that ordinary metal, which, moreover, is poorly adapted for economic life, would subsequently destroy the most ancient unique peoples. They were destroyed by European colonialists, who began melting metal from practical household items into useless bricks. This is how the local aborigines saw the situation. European colonialists rubbed their hands - they found gold - an artificial source of wealth and power. How much does a gold bar weigh today? What is its price? Let's try to answer this question.
How much does a gold bar weigh, which is the largest to date?
The record holder for weight is a Japanese ingot created by the Mitsubishi Corporation. Its weight is 250 kg. The price of such a giant is about 4 million US dollars. Japan has ousted Taiwan from the Guinness Book of Records - previously this country had the largest ingot of 220 kg. Another number “9” was added to the Japanese giant. This means that the fineness of the Japanese record holder is 999.9. The product is close to absolute ideal. How much does a gold bar weigh (standard)? More on this later.
How much does a gold bar weigh (standard) in kg?
Standard bars are precious metal bars produced at specialized enterprises. They are manufactured according to certain standards - they are installed in each state independently. In our country there is an international one, which is reflected in GOST 28058-89. So how much does a gold bar weigh, based on global standards? Its weight ranges from 11 to 13.3 kg.
Gold bar standard requirements
In addition to weight, the following requirements apply to standard ingots:
- The shape must have a regular truncated pyramid.
- The surface must be free of sagging, burrs, and other foreign inclusions.
- Must contain the number of the ingot, grade of precious metal, weight, year of production, trademark of the manufacturer, symbols of the producing state, fineness.
What is a sample
Fineness is the proportion of base metal in the alloy. In gold watches, rings, and other jewelry, 585 standard is usually used. This means that a little more than half of them are pure gold. This is believed to be the optimal amount to use in jewelry, otherwise it will constantly break and bend.
The highest purity used in gold bars is 999 (99.99%). International standards have a slightly lower specific gravity of the noble metal - 995%.
Measured gold bar
A measuring ingot is a small ingot that is widely popular among investors, banks, and pawnshops. So, let’s answer the question of how much a gold bar (measurement bar) weighs. It all depends on the type of ingot. There are two of them, depending on the manufacturing method:
- Stamped bars - the manufacturing technology is similar to the production of coins. Their weight ranges from 1 to 100 grams.
- Cast - “normal”, from the point of view of the common man, ingots. Their weight ranges from 200 to 1000 grams.
International measure
It is impossible to hear from international economists and investors the question of how much a gold bar weighs in kg, because... precious metal on exchanges is measured not in kilograms, but in troy ounces. This is the unit of measurement used in world trade.
A troy ounce is a measure of the weight of precious metals, equal to 31.1035 grams. In our country, standard weight measures are used. Sberbank metered bars for the population are: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 grams.
Is it profitable to invest in gold?
A novice investor is interested in the question of whether it is profitable to invest in precious metals. This question was once asked by one of the largest investors in 2005. The cost of one Google share was equal to one ounce. By 2008, an ounce was worth almost 2.5 times more than the share of the largest holding. It should be taken into account that 2005 marks the active development of the global information giant.
Is there much gold left in the ground?
Gold, due to its value, rarely goes out of circulation. This means that gold teeth, for example, may contain metal from the pottery of royal monarchs. Of course, this is rare, but almost all the metal that humanity has ever mined is still in circulation. Scientists have estimated that another 80% of the precious metal is in the ground, therefore, it is not too late to think about searching.
Olympic medals
How much does 1 gold bar weigh, how much pure metal is in it - we have already said, and how much precious metal is in modern Olympic medals? It is a myth that they are made entirely of gold. Only the medals at the 1912 Olympic Games were truly gold. All others have only pollination. Only six grams of this metal are applied to Olympic medals.
Legend of the Golden Fleece
Many peoples used sheep's wool to wash gold. This method was practiced by some peoples of the Caucasus, the Egyptians. The Greeks, who saw the spoils with their own eyes, were not privy to the mysteries of all operations. They saw only the finished picture: sheep's wool, all covered with precious metals. This is where the legend of the Golden Fleece came from.
Corn eats gold
Surprisingly, ordinary corn “extracts” gold from the ground and accumulates it in its stalks. This was discovered by chance when analyzing the composition of the ash. Corn feeds on solutions of various salts from the soil to obtain vital elements: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. Along with them, the plant extracts other elements, including gold. However, you should not rush to grow corn on your farms for the sake of metal: the concentrate is so small that it is unlikely that you will get rich by growing this plant for gold.
Many people, when they saw a gold bar, were interested in the question: how much does it weigh? Considering that this metal has one of the highest density values among all others, and the ingot itself is of impressive size, this figure is clearly not small. Investors will need to know how much a standard gold bar weighs.
Types of ingots
There are several types of ingot standards, which have different applications and technologies. According to the method of application, they are divided into the following:
- measured;
- standard.
Measured ones are intended for sale to citizens, standard ones are used only for technological needs. According to production technology, there are several types:
- stamped;
- powder;
- cast.
The designation of stamped ones is SZSh, their weight does not exceed half a kilogram, they can easily be lifted with just your fingers. When stamping they are cut from flat sheets. Powder ingots are made using the electrolytic method, and metal powders are used for their production. They are not used in the Russian Federation. They are the cheapest and are also rarely used by banks in other countries.
Ingots that are made by casting have a large mass and will be difficult to lift with your fingers. Cast bricks weigh more than 500 grams, they are designated SLZ. The price ranges between powder and stamped. If the product does not meet the requirements of GOST, then it is sent to the manufacturer for re-melting. Most of them must comply with the requirements of the London Bullion Market Association.
Ingot weight
An ingot is a piece of metal, it looks like a bar and comes in several different grades and weights. Bankovsky has the highest purity of 999.9, that is, it is almost pure gold.
How much does a gold bar weigh? In most cases they weigh 1 kg. These are the types of investment objects that any bank can offer you. Standard bars are regulated by government or legislation. They weigh between 11 and 13.3 kilograms.
In some countries, the bank may offer you to buy bullion of different weights starting from 1 gram. The largest bar on earth weighs 200 kilograms; it is also made of the purest gold.
In 1943, a law was passed in the United States. It stated that gold in the country's reserves should be stored only in the form of bars. The standard bullion in the US Gold Reserve weighs 400 troy ounces. But for commercial purposes they also allow the use of ingots of different weights.
So, for jewelers they are made weighing one kilogram; at gold mining sites they are cast at 1200 troy ounces. A troy ounce weighs approximately 30 grams and is an international measure of the weight of gold. Gold is traded in troy ounces on precious metals exchanges.
To imagine how much a gold bar weighs, you can take a 10-liter bucket and fill it with water. Try to lift it: it’s heavy, isn’t it, but a gold bar weighs even more.
Measuring ingot in Russia
Products that are produced weighing up to one kilogram, have a purity of 999.9 and are used for investment by individuals are called measured. Used for sale, they are marked. Special requirements established by GOST include:
- Permissible deviations of dimensions and weight for each weight. At the same time, the thickness of the product is not standardized; standards are established only for length and width.
- If there is an appropriate agreement, some parameters may change, including dimensions and shape.
- The products should not have chips, cracks, or grease stains.
- Changes in planes over time due to crystallization or shrinkage of the metal are allowed. The surface can be concave or convex.
- The product must be marked, the inscriptions must contain letters and numbers and be legible.
- Correction or merging of characters in the marking is unacceptable.
- A distinctive symbol may be applied to one or more sides.
Gold bank bars In accordance with the standard, they are marked as follows:
- the inscription “Russia”, which is located in an oval;
- designation of mass in numbers;
- the inscription “Gold”;
- sample or fraction of metal;
- The manufacturer's brand is placed on the back or front side of the product.
Thus, the measuring ingot must be marked and the weight must be indicated on it, which cannot exceed one kilogram.
Standard Ingot
Standard gold bar - how much is it? It must meet all Russian standards, and its mass is checked on a special scale. It ranges from 11 to 13.3 kg, and the ingot must comply with the rules:
- It must be made in the form of a truncated pyramid, which has established dimensions, which, in the case of a specific agreement, can be changed.
- The surface should be shiny. The presence of stains and slag is not allowed.
- There may be depressions up to 0.5 cm on the surface.
- The marking is applied to the lower base and should include: metal grade, sample, manufacturer's mark, year.
In the Russian Federation, all this is indicated on one side of the ingot. Of course, you can’t lift a brick weighing more than 10 kg with your fingers.
Interesting facts about product weight:
- Gold is not only used in trading and jewelry. It has been used for many years to make Olympic medals. The first medal made weighed only 6 grams; the mass of modern medals is larger.
- According to estimates, a total of 145,000 tons of gold were mined, but it is impossible to calculate how much remains, since new deposits are still being discovered.
- The weight of gold is quite large. A ton is a cube whose edge is only 37 centimeters long. And if you weigh a cubic meter of this metal, you get more than 19 tons.
- Tutankhamun's sarcophagus, which was made of gold, weighed 1.5 tons.
Thus, a weight of one kilogram is used for investment. Used for storing reserves in the gold and foreign exchange reserve - 400 troy ounces or no more than 13.3 kilograms. If you wish, you can go to banks and buy a gold bar in one.