Metals are considered precious based upon their rarity, usefulness in industry, or history as an investment commodity. Examples of precious metals include iridium, gold, and silver. Precious metals are traded as commodities on various security exchanges. Many precious metals are volatile, like other commodities, but generally maintain relatively high prices. The demand for precious metals is driven not only by their practical use, but also by their role as investments and a store of value. Precious metals have important physical characteristics which make them indispensable to modern industry. For example: one cubic centimeter of palladium is capable of absorbing 900cc of hydrogen; silver has the highest electrical conductivity of any metal; gold is the most ductile metal and one gram of it can be drawn into a wire 2,300 meters long; iridium is the most corrosion resistant of all elements; osmium is the heaviest metal; and the platinum group, in general, contains the hardest metals. APMEX Selling Million Dollar Gold Coin 100 Kilo  Search Engine Submission - AddMe | "Holding gold is protection or insurance against government’s proclivity to debase its currency. The purchasing power of gold goes up not because it’s a so-called good investment; it goes up in value only because the paper currency goes down in value. In our current situation, that means the dollar" Ron Paul Mints around the world say demand for gold coins has risen sharply as interest in the precious metal soars on the back of financial instability and concerns over the inflation outlook. The Royal Canadian Mint, which produces Maple Leaf bullion coins, said it quadrupled its production capacity late last year as demand for gold and silver bullion products leapt. Gold was one of the few commodities to rise last year as turmoil in the financial sector sharpened investors' appetite for assets seen as a safe store of value, such as bullion. |