The United States currency was based on gold from 1900 to 1933: The standard unit of account was a fixed weight of gold, and the coins in circulation were made from gold. They circulated along with paper money and silver coins, that were subsidiary coins, though, which meant that their intrinsic metal value was much lower than their indicated face value. In 1873, silver coins were even demonetized altogether as being too impractical. Henceforth, gold coins and paper money were the only means of payment to be used in the United States.