Many nations mint bullion coins. Although nominally issued as legal tender, these coins’ face value as currency is far below that of their value as bullion. For instance, Canada mints a gold bullion coin (the Gold Maple Leaf) at a face value of $50 containing one troy ounce (31.1035 g) of gold—as of July 2009, this coin is worth about $1,075 CAD as bullion. Bullion coins’ minting by national governments gives them some numismatic value in addition to their bullion value, as well as certifying their purity. These are our references to buy gold bullion or sell it.
The level of purity varies from issue to issue. 99.9% purity is common. The purest mass-produced bullion coins are in the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf series, which go up to 99.999% purity. Note that a 100% pure bullion is not possible, as absolute purity in extracted and refined metals can only be asymptotically approached. Many bullion coins contain a stated quantity (such as one troy ounce) of the marginally-impure alloy. In contrast, the Krugerrand is one of many historic and modern bullion coins of 22 Kt Crown gold, with a stated content (usually one troy ounce) of “fine gold”, with the other component(s) of the alloy making the coin heavier than one ounce in total. Still more bullion coins (for example: British Sovereign) state neither the purity nor the fine-gold weight on the coin, but are recognized and consistent in their composition, and many historically stated a denomination in currency (example: American Double Eagle).
One of the largest bullion coins in the world is the 10,000 dollar Australian Gold Nugget coin minted in Australia which consists of a full kilogram of 99.9% pure gold. There have been a small number of larger bullion coins, but they are impractical to handle and not produced in mass quantities. China has produced coins in very limited quantities (less than 20 pieces minted) that exceed 260 troy ounces (8 kg) of gold. Austria has minted a coin containing 31 kg of gold (the Vienna Philharmonic Coin minted in 2004 with a face value of 100,000 euro). As a stunt to publicise the 99.999% pure one-ounce Canadian Gold Maple Leaf series, in 2007 the Royal Canadian Mint made a 100 kg 99.999% gold coin, with a face value of $ 1 million, and now manufactures them to order(buy bullion), but at a substantial premium over the market value of the gold.
Gold and silver are often seen as hedges against both inflation and economic downturn. Silver coins have become popular with collectors due to their relative affordability, and unlike most gold and platinum issues which are valued based upon the markets, silver issues are more often valued as collectables such like gold IRA, far higher than their actual bullion value.
Knowledge of music copyrighting pros and cons should come easily to me for several reasons. The first reason is because I went to school to learn all about music production and the music business. Secondly, my husband is a professional musician and has been for as long as I have known him. Though he does not make a lot of money from his playing, there are certainly times when the extra money adds up quickly. He has been in a variety of bands, and I have learned a lot about what is right in what is wrong.
One of the first things I learned a bout music copyright was something that I already knew. Just like any other creative endeavor, a song, or even a melody, is under copyright the moment it is created. There are legal steps you should take however, to ensure that your music copyright is upheld. Even though you may have a copyright on your material, there are still many ways people can steal your music from you. Those who freely share music online without the artist benefiting from it are in breach of almost every music copyright law there is.
Perhaps the problem began with how people think about music. They can hear the songs on the radio for free, so they just assume that the music is free. If you worked in a factory and created machines, cars, or any other type of gadget, you are creating something in the same way a musician creates music. The company you work for would not go out on the street and give away everything you have made for free, and a musician would not want to do the same thing either. When you go to a concert you pay an admission price, and when you buy an album you are buying the songs on the album.
Music copyrighting means that the artist is protected. No one can reproduce and give away or sell their music without their permission. Fans don’t realize that when a copy a CD, or share music files online, they are breaking the law. Music copyright protects them and says that if there is a profit to be made they are the only ones that should be making it. It also means that if you make an illegal copy of any song or album you are depriving that musician of a sale. The next time you copy a CD, think about music copyright and remember that even know you may not get caught, you are not doing your favor artist any favors.