Red złoty refers to circulating gold coins minted in the Kingdom of Poland from 1526 to 1831. Whereas złoty "(adj.) gold(en)" could simply refer to the colour, czerwony (red) specified the material as gold.

The ducat coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages to the 19th century. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around 3.5 grams of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wide international acceptance over the centuries. Similarly named silver ducatons also existed. The gold ducat circulated along with the Florentine florin and preceded both the modern British pound sterling and the United States dollar.