I enjoyed Mr. turk's article "8 Things Everyone Should Know About Gold" however, as I have recently learned, Gold is not money any more than wood is a baseball bat. Money is manufactured in a place called a Mint and is made out of Gold or Silver or an alloy containing Gold or Silver like U.S. Gold Eagles. Usually in the shape of a coin. It has a specific amount of precious metal in it based upon a standard so that the users of this money will be able to know for certain how much gold or silver is in the money. Gold nuggets picked up off the ground or mined are not money because the purity is unknown. Even Goldgrams are not money, they are a money substitute and are used AS money but they are not money. I have been studying money off and on for over 15 years and this perspective did not dawn on me until I began reading a book called "MONEY, ye shall have honest weights and measures". You can find it at
http://www.principiapub.com/ this book ranks right up there with "The Creature from Jekyll Island" but is more practical. Read it, you'll have a whole new perspective.