Historically, gold certificates were issued by the U.S. Treasury from the civil war until 1933. Denominated in dollars, these certificates were used as part of the gold standard and could be exchanged for an equal value of gold. These U.S. Treasury gold certificates have been out of circulation for many years, and they have become collectibles. They were initially replaced by silver certificates, and later by Federal Reserve notes.

Nowadays, gold certificates offer investors a method of holding gold without taking physical delivery. Issued by individual banks, particularly in countries like Germany and Switzerland, they confirm an individual's ownership while the bank holds the metal on the client's behalf. The client thus saves on storage and personal security issues, and gains liquidity in terms of being able to sell portions of the holdings (if need be) by simply telephoning the custodian.

The Perth Mint also runs a certificate programme that is guaranteed by the government of Western Australia and is distributed in a number of countries.