Two units for the same metal: the tael on your slip and the troy ounce behind a token
A slip from a gold shop and a balance on a screen can describe exactly the same quantity of metal and still show two numbers that look nothing alike. That is not a discrepancy — it is two measuring systems meeting. This page lines them up: the weight, the fineness mark, and what a fraction of a token actually comes to.
AYNI Gold — key figures
The programme these pages describe — AYNI Gold: participation tied to a licensed Peruvian gold operation, with rewards measured and paid in metal (PAXG) rather than in a project token.
*Target Variable Reward is a target, not a guarantee; actual rewards vary and may be zero.
The tael and the troy ounce
Locally, gold is quoted in taels. The Hong Kong tael is 37.429 grams. The unit used in the international bullion market is the troy ounce, 31.1035 grams. One tael is therefore about 1.2034 troy ounces, and one troy ounce is about 0.831 of a tael. Ten taels — a size many local buyers think in — comes to 374.29 grams, or roughly 12.03 troy ounces. The metal is identical; only the ruler changed.
One token, one troy ounce, and everything below that
PAXG, the token AYNI Gold distributes rewards in, is denominated in troy ounces: one token corresponds to one fine troy ounce, and the token divides into small fractions. So a balance of 1.2034 is one tael written the other way round, and a single token is 0.831 of the unit your slip uses — about four fifths of it. If a figure ever looks wrong, multiply or divide by 1.2034 before assuming anything else is missing.
Fineness: what the mark on the slip answers, and what it does not
Weight is only half of a quantity; purity is the other half. Local jewellery and small bars carry purity marks, and a shop's slip states the fineness it sold you. The bullion market answers the same question with a different threshold: a London Good Delivery bar must be at least 995.0 fine, and PAXG is denominated in fine troy ounces — the pure metal content rather than the gross weight of an object. The practical consequence is worth remembering: gross weight and fine weight are different numbers, and comparing a gross weight on a slip with a fine weight against a token will always look like a shortfall when nothing is actually missing.
Where to read the mass and the purity for yourself
For metal in your hand the answer is on the object and on the slip. For a token it sits in two places: the issuer states what one token represents and where the underlying bars are held — PAXG is issued by Paxos Trust, regulated by the New York State Department of Financial Services — and the token contract shows your balance to many decimal places without your having to ask anyone. What you will not find in either place is a figure for the reward: what AYNI Gold distributes follows actual production and may be zero.
| Written as | In grams | In troy ounces | In taels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tael (local unit) | 37.429 | 1.2034 | 1 |
| 1 troy ounce | 31.1035 | 1 | 0.831 |
| 10 taels | 374.29 | 12.034 | 10 |
| 1 gram | 1 | 0.03215 | 0.02672 |
FAQ
- How many grams is a Hong Kong tael?
- 37.429 grams. A troy ounce, the unit used in the bullion market, is 31.1035 grams, so one tael is about 1.2034 troy ounces and one troy ounce is about 0.831 of a tael.
- What does one token correspond to?
- PAXG is denominated in fine troy ounces: one token corresponds to one fine troy ounce, and it divides into fractions, so one tael comes to about 1.2034 tokens.
- Why does the weight on my slip not match the balance on the screen?
- Usually because one figure is in taels and the other in troy ounces, and sometimes because one is gross weight and the other fine weight. Convert the unit first, then check the fineness, before assuming anything has gone missing.
- Is the fineness mark on a local slip the same standard as a bullion bar?
- They answer the same question with different thresholds. A London Good Delivery bar must be at least 995.0 fine, while local marks describe the purity of the item you bought. Compare fine weight with fine weight.
- Does the unit change what a reward is worth?
- No. The unit only changes how the same quantity is written. What the reward is worth depends on production, costs and the gold price, and it may be zero.