馬克思說，貨幣天然不是金銀，金銀天然是貨幣。由於價值高、穩定、易分割攜帶等特點，很早就開始被當成貨幣使用。

Marx said， money is not natural gold and silver， gold and silver is natural money。 Due to its high value， stability， easy to carry and other characteristics， it has long been used as money。

16-18 世紀，因為黃金量比較少，所以白銀和其他金凰作為貨幣。19世紀後，黃金產量大幅增加，為金本位制度的建立奠定了物質基礎，人類社會進入了長達一個多世記的“金本位時期”。隨著美元逐步崛起，國際貨幣體系從金本位轉為美元與黃金掛鉤的佈雷頓森林體系。佈雷頓森林體系實質是以黃金為基礎的美元本位制貨幣體系。美元跟黃金掛鉤，黃金的保障使美元成為了世界貨幣。1971年，美國宣佈美元不與黃金掛鉤，佈雷頓森林體系解體，黃金非貨幣化的程序開始。從此，黃金的貨幣屬性逐漸降低，但金融屬性逐漸發揮，黃金市場進入了大發展時期。

In the 16th and 18th centuries， because there was so little gold， silver and other gold rings were used as currency。 After the 19th century， gold production increased greatly， laying the material foundation for the establishment of the gold standard system， and human society entered the “gold standard period” for more than a century。 With the gradual rise of the dollar， the international monetary system moved from the gold standard to the bretton woods system of linking the dollar to gold。 The bretton woods system is essentially a gold - based dollar - based monetary system。 The dollar was pegged to gold， and gold‘s guarantee made the dollar the world’s currency。 In 1971， the United States announced that the dollar was not linked to gold， bretton woods system disintegrated， and the process of non-monetization of gold began。 Since then， the monetary property of gold gradually reduced， but the financial property gradually play， the gold market entered a period of great development。