A Land Remembered: Gold Doubloons

 The Gold Doubloon

 In the novel A Land Remembered, the currency that the MacIveys were paid was the gold doubloon.

The gold doubloon was a Spanish gold coin that, at the time, was worth four dollars. It weighed apx. 6.7 grams of 22 karat solid gold. The word comes from the Spanish doble "double".

Doubloons are usually referred to as sunken pirates' treasures. They were widely used in the 1500's-early 1900's. Since no formal machine was used, the gold coins often contains discrepancies and imperfections.

Tobias kept his gold doubloons in his chest that was hidden in his cabin. With Tobias not knowing, Zech would take the doubloons to the trading post and buy big plots of land in Florida. The land was so cheap, Zech would be able to buy tens of thousands of acres of land for very cheap. Gold is very heavy which made transporting large amounts difficult. Tobias would pay Skillet and Frog in doubloons for helping to herd the cattle to Punta Rassa. Unfortunately, there wasn't much for them to do with the money at the time. That's what prompted Zech to start using the gold to purchase land and the fact that other companies were buying up land and making cow herding difficult.

CURRENT GOLD PRICE

Currently, gold is $1,670 per ounce or about $55 per gram. The gold doubloon was traded at just .60c

per gram or $16.80 per ounce. That is a huge increase in the gold price. Gold doubloons themselves are worth even more today because of their rarity. 

One Spanish doubloon on eBay can sell for $3,450. That is a big difference from just $4 of its original worth.

Gold is a chemical element with the Symbol Au. It is a naturally occurring element. It usually occurs in a free elemental form such as nuggets, grains, or rocks. It is resistant to most acids and is the most malleable of all metals. It is considered a precious metal and is a relatively rare element. Gold coins ceased to be minted as a circulating currency in the 1930's. A single gram of gold can be beaten into  11 sq. feet. Since it is a good conductor of heat and electricity, in today's industry, it is often used in electronic devices.

 

References

Doubloon - definition, meaning & synonyms. Vocabulary.com. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/doubloon

APMEX. (2022, May 24). What are gold doubloons? What are Gold Doubloons? Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://learn.apmex.com/learning-guide/numismatics/what-are-gold-doubloons/