Was there ever coins minted in gold for daily use?

Of course, in Pre-WWI Europe there were many denominations of gold coins that frequently saw circulation such as the British half-sovereign, equal to ten shillings, or half of a British pound. In the US, there was lots of gold intended for daily use prior to 1933, including coins in the $1, $2.50, $5, $10 and $20 denominations, along with private gold tokens for a few cents of gold (those coins mostly circulated in California and the west).