Intrinsic value in general, is the argument that the value of a product is intrinsic within the product rather than dependent on the buyer's perception.

In numismatics, intrinsic value is the value of the metal, typically a precious metal, in a coin. For example, if gold trades at a price of USD 450 per fine troy ounce, a coin minted from one troy ounce of fine gold would have an intrinsic value of USD 450. When the intrinsic value becomes greater than the face value, the coins are in danger of being removed from circulation in large numbers. When the coin is in use as money this effect can, at the margin, mitigate forces that might otherwise cause inflation. When copper prices skyrocketed in the mid-to-late 1970s, there was a fear that the U.S. one-cent piece might succumb to this fate, leading the Mint to change the composition of the cent in 1982.

See also

• Marginal theory of value
• Labor theory of value