Few words evoke the dreams of the pioneer spirit and westward expansion of North America in both the mid-1800s with California, and the late 1890s with the Alaska and Yukon claims.

Gold has been a symbol of value throughout history. This volume of Gold Rush! A new book by Aryln Sieber and Mitchell Battino brings into focus the coins, which are commonly available to collectors and investors, as gold needs to be considered from an investment perspective too.

Prior to World War I, most national economies were on a gold standard. Gold coins circulated, and the national paper money issues were backed by gold reserves in either coin or bullion. Since that time, economies began to change, and since World War II, gold coins have become a novelty. In the late 1960s, bullion coins began to be minted, and by the early 1980s, several countries - Austria, Australia, China, Canada, Great Britain, South Africa and the United States were striking coins of a high purity, a nominal face value, and in a traditional coin design rather than ingot form.