Gold standard



![Ending the gold standard and economic recovery during the Great Depression.[29]](/uploads/202501/14/Graph_charting_income_per_capita_throughout_the_Great_Depression.svg0402.png)
A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. Three types can be distinguished: specie, bullion, and exchange.
Most nations abandoned the gold standard as the basis of their monetary systems at some point in the 20th century, although many hold substantial gold reserves.