Gold has been highly valued for its unique and attractive properties since as far back as 4000 BC and has been a constant shadow of the evolution of human cultures from the ancient to the modern world. From ancient Egypt to the Aztecs, China’s many dynasties and the Grecian and Roman treasure hoards, gold has always been synonymous with power and wealth. Gold was the basis upon which the global economy as we know it stands today. Without gold, a monetary standard would not have been possible and the prosperity of trade that depended upon it.