The gold exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History.

Gold lingots.

“The Boot of Cortez,” discovered in 1989, is said to be one of the largest surviving nuggets found in the Western hemisphere.

A Coclé cast tumbaga showing two warriors carrying spears and clubs.

Spanish eight-escudo coins, dating from the 1600s and 1700s.

A Cartier replica of a lunar module.

An Apollo 11 space helmet replica. Gold is used in astronauts' space helmets because it is highly reflective of heat and light.

Rod Mickens/American Museum of Natural History

A cast gold Asante mask pendant, dating from the early 1900s. The Akan people formed the powerful Asante state in sub-Saharan West Africa in the late 1600s, in what is today the nation of Ghana.

A Wells Fargo treasure box.

“Gold” continues through Aug. 19 at the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th Street; (212) 769-5100; www.amnh.org.  (photos John Lei for The New York Times)