This paper presents a new model of the gold standard that enables the authors to disentangle the different monetary functions of gold. It builds in the sensible condition that the 'easiest' gold will be mined first and takes seriously the constraint implied by the irreversibility of gold mining....

This paper re-examines the influence of the stock of gold and the interest rate on the gold-standard price level using the Johansen cointegration procedure. It finds that two equilibrium relationships exist between the price level, the stock of gold and the interest rate, and that traditional...