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Gold has long been recognized a precious element in our world. Kings and emperors have used gold as symbol of their power and wealth. Monies used to be made from gold and gold bars were used to finance armies and battles. These days, gold bars are used as an investment and are often traded in the stock market.

Gold has the element symbol of Au. It is a dense metal that can be malleable in its pure form although some heat needs to be applied to it if it is a big piece. It is now used to make jewelry and as settings for precious stones. Gold is not used in its pure form to make jewelry but is mixed with other alloys to make it harder. Gold bars are in their pure form so they are heavy and very dense.

Investing In Gold Bars

Many people and investors consider gold as a store of value, meaning they believe its value seldom goes down and it is a good form of investment. Gold is a tangible asset that can be traded and sold depending on the owner. Gold in this market often takes the form of bars. These are often called gold ingots. These bars are made in two different ways.

Cast gold bars are made by pouring the melted gold into a prepared ingot mold to take on its shape and dimensions. Minting gold bars is to cut them from a flat, solid piece of gold blank. Cast bars are bigger than the bars that are minted from gold blanks. The cast bars weigh 12.5 kilograms each while minted bars weigh just a kilo each. Other minted gold bars weigh just one ounce each. Presses usually apply markings on the bars that identify them.

Gold is often measured by troy ounces, which are equal to 31.1034768 grams. Troy ounces are different form the traditional ounces we have to measure food and beverages. Our traditional ounce weighs 28.349523125 grams. So troy ounces are heavier than the traditional ounces we usually use. Gold is a heavy element thus a million worth of gold bars will not be lot to look at.

Gold bars are often the subject of many movie heists and television show burglaries. Fort Knox is reputed to have a building full of gold bars. Gold bars are often the dreams of many people to have and own because they take up just a little space but is very precious.