gold certificate

American  

noun

1. a former U.S. paper currency issued by the federal government for circulation from 1865 to 1933, equal to and redeemable for gold to a stated value.

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gold certificate British  

noun

1. a currency note issued exclusively to the Federal Reserve Banks by the US Treasury. It forms a claim on gold reserves deposited by the Federal Reserve Banks at the Treasury and is used to transfer interbank balances within the Federal Reserve System

2. Also called: gold note.  (formerly) a banknote issued by the US Treasury to the public and redeemable in gold

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Etymology

Origin of gold certificate

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

Example Sentences

A detective tapped him for weapons, found a "hot" $20 gold certificate.

From Time Magazine Archive

Pennycuick traced Cashel's route from Belt's to near Calgary with Belt's clothes, horse, saddle and the aforesaid $50.00 gold certificate.

From Policing the Plains Being the Real-Life Record of the Famous North-West Mounted Police by MacBeth, R. G. (Roderick George)

A torn bank-note means a change of position for the man in the box-office, while a gold certificate, strange to say, is a sign of bad luck.

From The Scrap Book, Volume 1, No. 1 March 1906 by Various

“Will you swear that man gave you this bill?” cut in the thief, sharply, snatching out a pencil and marking the gold certificate across the corner.

From Officer 666 by Currie, Barton Wood

No discrimination is made between the gold and silver dollar, or between the United States note, the treasury note, the silver certificate, or the gold certificate.

From Recollections of Forty Years in the House, Senate and Cabinet An Autobiography. by Sherman, John