Live melt value for all New Hampshire Goldback denominations — the only tracker with native Goldback support
The New Hampshire Goldback was introduced in 2021 as the third series in the Goldback line — voluntary local currency notes containing precisely measured 24K gold in a durable polymer laminate via physical vapor deposition (PVD). The gold is not foil or leaf; it is atomized in a vacuum chamber and deposited directly onto the polymer substrate, which is why Goldbacks flex without cracking or shedding gold.
New Hampshire was not a random choice for the third series. It is the state with the highest concentration of liberty-minded residents per capita in the country, driven by the Free State Project migration, and it offers the most favorable precious metals tax environment of any US state. Those two factors — community and tax structure — make NH a natural hub for voluntary commodity-backed currency adoption.
New Hampshire's motto is not a legislative slogan. It was written as a personal declaration by General John Stark — the Revolutionary War officer who commanded New Hampshire forces at the Battle of Bennington on August 16, 1777, one of the turning points of the war. Stark wrote the phrase in a letter dated July 31, 1809, declining an invitation to a veterans' reunion because of illness. The full sentence: "Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils." New Hampshire officially adopted it as the state motto in 1945.
The motto's uncompromising individualism is not coincidental to Goldback geography. It reflects a durable political culture in New Hampshire that extends to monetary freedom — the right to transact in commodities of your choosing rather than exclusively in government-issued currency. The same culture made NH one of the first states to pass gold and silver legal tender legislation and created the grassroots demand that made a New Hampshire Goldback series commercially viable.
The Free State Project was founded in 2001 as a deliberate libertarian migration initiative: if 20,000 individuals pledged to move to a single US state, the move would be triggered. After evaluation of candidate states, New Hampshire was selected. The 20,000-commitment threshold was reached on February 3, 2016. Since then, thousands of signatories have relocated, concentrating a community with strong preferences for sound money, alternative currencies, and individual financial sovereignty in a single state.
This is directly relevant to Goldback adoption. The Free State participants represent the densest cluster of self-selected Goldback-compatible users per capita anywhere in the country — people who have already voted with their feet for a different relationship with money and government. NH merchants who accept Goldbacks draw from this customer base. No other Goldback series state has an equivalent organized community of this scale driving grassroots adoption.
New Hampshire is the only US state with neither a state income tax nor a state sales tax. No other state in the contiguous US has both exemptions simultaneously. For precious metals transactions, this creates a genuine structural advantage on both sides:
On the buy side: Most US states charge 5–10% sales tax on precious metals purchases below certain thresholds. New Hampshire charges no sales tax at all. A $500 Goldback purchase in Massachusetts costs ~$31.25 in sales tax; the same purchase in NH costs $0.
On the sell side: Under New Hampshire House Bill 1674 (2012), gold and silver coins were specifically exempted from state capital gains taxation. Combined with the no-income-tax baseline, NH residents selling precious metals pay only federal tax — the 28% federal collectibles rate on long-term gains. California residents pay up to 13.3% additional state tax; New York up to 10.9%; Oregon up to 9.9%. The NH advantage on a $10,000 realized gain vs. California: approximately $1,330 in state tax saved.
| Denomination | Gold (troy oz) | Gold (grams) | Melt at $3,000/oz | Melt at $3,200/oz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.001000 oz | 0.03110g | $3.00 | $3.20 |
| 5 | 0.005000 oz | 0.15552g | $15.00 | $16.00 |
| 10 | 0.010000 oz | 0.31103g | $30.00 | $32.00 |
| 25 | 0.025000 oz | 0.77758g | $75.00 | $80.00 |
| 50 | 0.050000 oz | 1.55516g | $150.00 | $160.00 |
| Complete Set | 0.091000 oz | 2.83029g | $273.00 | $291.20 |
New Hampshire Goldbacks trade at 30–80% above gold melt value at retail. This premium covers PVD production costs, polymer lamination, security design, distribution, and collector/novelty demand. It is real and meaningful — not comparable to the 3–8% premium on standard gold coins.
The honest math: if you pay 50% above melt for a Goldback lot, the melt value alone doesn't recover your purchase price until gold rises 50% from where it was when you bought. Goldbacks are best understood as commodity-backed local currency with a guaranteed gold floor — useful for fractional exchange, gifting, and the 1-denom-level ($3) gold transactions that no coin or bar can match. They are not a cost-efficient vehicle for pure gold accumulation by weight.
MetalMetric is the only precious metals portfolio app that tracks Goldbacks natively — across all states and all denominations. Add your New Hampshire Goldbacks to your vault and see live P&L, cost basis, and melt value alongside gold coins, silver bars, and junk silver. Open your free vault →
Written by General John Stark in a letter dated July 31, 1809, declining a Revolutionary War veterans' reunion invitation due to illness. Stark commanded New Hampshire forces at the Battle of Bennington, August 16, 1777. The full sentence: "Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils." New Hampshire adopted it as the official state motto in 1945. Its radical individualism directly reflects the political culture that makes NH the most receptive state in the country for voluntary commodity-backed currencies like Goldbacks.
No on both counts. NH is the only US state with neither a state income tax nor a state sales tax. Under NH HB 1674 (2012), gold and silver coins are specifically exempt from state capital gains tax. You pay no sales tax buying Goldbacks in NH, and no state tax selling them — only the federal 28% collectibles rate on long-term gains. On a $10,000 gain, that's ~$1,330 in state tax saved vs. California (13.3%), and ~$1,090 vs. New York (10.9%). No other state offers this full double exemption.
The Free State Project (founded 2001) is a libertarian migration initiative: once 20,000 people pledged to move to the same state, the migration would trigger. New Hampshire was chosen after a national evaluation. The 20,000-commitment threshold was reached on February 3, 2016. Thousands have since relocated, creating the densest per-capita concentration of sound-money-oriented residents in the country — the exact community most likely to use, accept, and advocate for Goldbacks as voluntary currency.
1-denom = 0.001 oz (0.0311g). 5-denom = 0.005 oz (0.1555g). 10-denom = 0.010 oz (0.3110g). 25-denom = 0.025 oz (0.7776g). 50-denom = 0.050 oz (1.5552g). All 24K purity via PVD. A complete set of one each = 0.091 oz total (2.830g) — melt value $291.20 at $3,200/oz. Use the live calculator above for real-time values.
Yes — typically 30–80% above gold melt value at retail. The premium covers PVD production, polymer lamination, security design, and distribution. If you pay 50% above melt, gold needs to rise 50% before your melt value alone recovers your purchase price. Goldbacks are commodity-backed local currency with a guaranteed gold floor — not a low-cost gold accumulation vehicle. The calculator above shows today's melt floor by denomination.
MetalMetric is the only precious metals tracker with native Goldback support across all states and denominations. Add NH Goldbacks to your free vault at metalmetric.com/vault to track live P&L and melt value alongside your gold coins, silver bars, and junk silver.
All Goldback series use 24K gold and the same denomination structure. The difference is the artwork and issuing state.
| State Series | Launched | |
|---|---|---|
| Utah Goldback | 2019 | Calculator → |
| Nevada Goldback | 2020 | Calculator → |
| New Hampshire Goldback | 2021 | Calculator → |
| Wyoming Goldback | 2021 | Calculator → |
| South Dakota Goldback | 2022 | Calculator → |