Gold has always been used as legal tender since it was first discovered in ancient times, of course i'm pick gold for investment.
Actually it was not, back in the imperial ages of ancient times, they were only allowed to use the special minted coins issued by the kings, and no other forms of coins.
I heard stories that people were forbidden for example to use the enemy county's gold coins, even though they were both gold, just for political reasons.
You obviously forget that you can always melt gold coins into bullion. Don't know about "the imperial ages of ancient times" (Ancient Rome?), but in medieval Europe you would go to the royal mint and they would mint legal coins from your bullion for a small fee...
Yes and they did the same inflation scam as they do now.
General: -Sire we need 20,000 gold coins to fund the next crusade but the treasurer only has 15,000 what should we do?
King: -Increase the taxes on those no good lazy peasants!
Treasurer: -No sire, they will revolt, we don't want that, that will cost us much more to defeat the rebels!
King: -Then what shall we do, I really want that military campaign going!
Treasurer: -Hmm what if I re-melt those gold coins and mix it with iron and copper and make 20,000 mixed coins, the stupid peasants won't even
notice and we can pay the soldiers that way!
King: - Great idea my Treasurer, you are the best scammer in my royal court that I can ever get!
(meanwhile in the 21 century, replace the King with Prime minister, and the Treasurer with Central bank chairman, history repeats itself
)