As far as a gold coin of international repute, traded and copied worldwide, I'd have to go for the sovereign, certainly as far as the 1800's and early 1900's are concerned.
If you want to back further, I'd have to vote for the Venetian ducat - a standard copied by several other European powers, including the Dutch.
Even further back, before 1300, the Islamic dinar and Byzantine solidus (both roughly equal to each other) circulated as the primary gold trade coins of the Dark Ages - not that too many people were trading much of anything way back then.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited. Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use