Guild Wars gold can be used for a variety of purposes and can be obtained in a variety of ways. For example you can purchase one of three types of salvage kits in post-searing. There is a salvage kit of 100 pieces of gold that is good for 25 uses. Either that or you can purchase the 400 gold piece expert salvage kit for 25 uses, or the superior salvage kit, which contains platinum (two pieces) rather than gold.