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Tungsten-Filled 1 Kilo Gold Bar Found In The UK

Tyler Durden's picture




 

The last time a story of Tungsten-filled gold appeared on the scene was just two years ago, and involved a 500  gram bar of gold full of tungsten, at the W.C. Heraeus foundry, the world's largest metal refiner and fabricator. It also became known that said "gold" bar originated from an unnamed bank. It is now time to rekindle the Tungsten Spirits with a report from ABC Bullion of Australia, which provides photographic evidence of a new gold bar that has been drilled out and filled with tungsten rods, this time not in Germany but in an unnamed city in the UK, where it was intercepted by a scrap metals dealer, and was supplied with its original certificate. The reason the bar attracted attention is that it was 2 grams underweight. Upon cropping it was uncovered that about 30-40% of the bar weight was tungsten. So two documented incidents in two years: isolated? Or indication of the same phenomonenon of precious metal debasement that marked the declining phase of the Roman empire. Only then it was relatively public for anyone who cared to find out on their own. Now, with the bulk of popular physical gold held in top secret, private warehouses around the world, where it allegedly backs the balance sheets of the world's central banks, yet nobody can confirm its existence, nor audit the actual gold content, it is understandable why increasingly more are wondering: just how much gold is there? And alongside that - while gold, (or is it GLD?), can be rehypothecated, can one do the same with tungsten?

From ABC Bullion:

ABC Bullion received the following email from one of our trusted suppliers this week.

 

Note:

  • It was not ABC Bullion that purchased this bar, the email and photos were sent to us as a general warning.
  • I xxxx'ed out the city's name to avoid any second guessing as to the name of the dealer.

 

19/03/2012:

 

Attached are photographs of a legitimate Metalor 1000gm Au bar that has been drilled out and filled with Tungsten (W).

 

This bar was purchased by staff of a scrap dealer in xxxxx, UK yesterday. The bar appeared to be perfect other than the fact that it was 2gms underweight. It was checked by hand-held xrf and showed 99.98% Au. Being Tungsten, it would not be ferro-magnetic. The bar was supplied with the original certificate.

 

The owner of the business that purchased the bar only became suspicious when he realized the weight discrepancy and had the bar cropped. He estimates between 30-40% of the weight of the bar to be Tungsten.

 

This is very worrying and reinforces the lengths that people are willing to go to profit from the current high metal prices. Please be careful.

Photos of the cropped bars: 1000g Gold bar cut showing inserted tungsten rods

Two halves of the cropped bar:

Finally, some observations from Paul Mylchreest on debasement:

Let’s consider the run-up to Rome’s hyperinflation. I think this comment from jaysromanhistory.com “Good Money, Bad Money, and Runaway Inflation” resonates with what’s happening in the US today:

 

“Severus Alexander (AD 222-235) tried to reform by going back to the denarius but, once started, this path of runaway inflation and financial irresponsibility on the part of the imperial government proved impossible to control.”

 

It also seems that the hyperinflation was preceded by some kind of banking crisis, which is an interesting parallel. From “Demise and Fall of the Augustan Monetary System” by Koenraad Verboven:

 

“Papyri show it was common for private individuals to deposit money at a bank and to make and accept payments through bankers.Bankers in the west disappear from view around the middle of the 3rd c… A famous papyrus from Oxyrhynchus from 260 CE shows exchange bankers closing in order to avoid having to change the ‘imperial money’. The strategos ordered the exchange bankers to reopen and accept all genuine coins and warned businessmen to do the same. In 266 CE we find for the first time transactions being expressed in ‘ptolemaeic’ or ‘old silver’ as opposed to ‘new silver’.”

 

The chart shows how inflation remained relatively subdued until a tipping point was reached in the late- 260s A.D Monetary systems can absorb substantial abuse before there is a dramatic impact on the price level. For example, the debasement of the coinage was already accelerating in the early part of the third century A.D., before plunging in the latter part. Indeed, the chart below (apologies for the quality) only shows the trend up to 253 AD. By around 290 AD, the coins were only dipped in silver to give them a coating (<0.5%):

 

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Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:08 | 2287343 spentCartridge
spentCartridge's picture

They probably gave him some of the colonels stash ... Gaddafi, that is, and said something like "keep your fucking mouth shut, or we'll wreck South America".

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:15 | 2287758 tmosley
tmosley's picture

Wake up to the fact that it can and DOES happen.

But don't make the assumption that it ALWAYS happens, or even that it RARELY happens.  You need experimental data to make such a claim.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:21 | 2287108 topshelfstuff
topshelfstuff's picture

 

 

this looks to be more of an amateur job. Someone who bought a good, small bar and drilled it out. It was the 2009 find of some 1.3 to 1.5 Million 400oz Bars, those "Good For Delivery" Bars mainly used to settle contracts and gold held by governments, that really shook things up, though quickly squelched and swept under the rug. Paste below with details for those who forgot
 

 

 

http://gold-quote.net/en/articles/fake-tungsten-gold-bars.php

Fake gold bars out of tungsten a counterfeit story   2009/12/02 The counterfeit story

This October, bankers in Hong Kong were in for a rude shock when they discovered some gold bars from the US to be actually gold plated tungsten i.e., fake gold bars. Acting fast, the Chinese officials found the perpetrators within hours. It seems that fake Tungsten blanks, between 1.3 and 1.5 million 400 oz, were manufactured in the US about fifteen years ago during the Clinton administration. Said to have been done by a very sophisticated refiner, 640,000 of these tungsten planks were gold plated and shifted to Fort Knox. The remaining also gold plated, but sold into the international market. (Fort Knox , as you may be aware, is the United States Bullion Depository, where the official gold reserves of the federal government are stored.


This depository of about 4,603 tons (4 176 metric tonness) is the second highest gold depository in the US after the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's underground vault in Manhattan (5,000 metric tonness of gold). Whoever pulled this one on the gold bars had connections inside the government, big banks and also a top-of-the-line fabrication facility.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:10 | 2287346 palmereldritch
palmereldritch's picture

Whoever pulled this one on the gold bars had connections inside the government, big banks and also a top-of-the-line fabrication facility.

Yeah but it's location was probably top secret for national security reasons.


Sat, 03/24/2012 - 22:27 | 2287685 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

I have alot of info and research about this company, when I left my last job, they never asked for any research back? It's in the public domain though so I guess it's okay to post the Crucible. We had a Hungarian electrical engineer contact in there, now a British citizen. I.A.

http://www.morganmms.com/admin/UploadedFiles/827931239Final%20Crucible%20Selection%20Article.pdf

 http://www.morgancrucible.com/graduates/where-can-i-work/australia/australia-locations/

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 22:46 | 2287717 palmereldritch
palmereldritch's picture

Interesting.  My thoughts were that given the large amount of dense and heavy material involved it would be probably produced domestically in NA near ore source with proximity to Air Force facilities to allow smooth logistics and minimal scrutiny of movement.

An operation like this would be self-contained I think without any commercial links.  They would take the expertise and duplicate the processes at a stand alone purpose built facility and then shred the evidence IMO.  Kind of a stealth Au-W-Meth Lab set up using scientists for hire.  Early Breaking Bad...lol

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 22:51 | 2287734 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

They may have a satelite Corp somewhere else where the stolen bars were being melted down and re branded. who knows ;) Hide in plain veiw I always say.

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 01:04 | 2287897 FeralSerf
FeralSerf's picture

Think: Benguet, Barrick, and Yamashita.  There was a lot of gold laundering -- some say 100,000 metric tons or so -- to be done and Clinton was at about the end of the era.  He and Hill might even have got a share.

He who has the gold makes the rules.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:27 | 2287111 Pretorian
Pretorian's picture

WTF !!! I bet second largest countries by reserves who dont keep there own gold in own vault have been scammed by custodian country.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:29 | 2287121 nikku
nikku's picture

It is not difficult to adulterate a bar and produce an exact weight match. All that is needed is a good drill, tungsten rods (to match the density of gold), lead or a lead alloy (in the case of silver) and either some machining tools or a good jeweler's touch to cover the adulteration. The detection methods mentioned above are inadequate, but Jim Sinclair funded the research and development of the only existing non-destructive assay technology. It's discussed at http://assayintelligence.com/ along with all the other existing methods of assay including x-ray flourescence, acid testing, electronic testing, and faux/inneffective assay methods (like Gold Money's use of ultra-sound technology). Bottom line: they have used this technology and found faux gold in Africa and lead-filled silver bars here in the states.

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 00:14 | 2287838 blunderdog
blunderdog's picture

You moron.  Don't talk smack, look up the fuckin' densities.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:30 | 2287124 Atomizer
Atomizer's picture

This is bullish for Gold!!!!! I love when they roll out fake gold [FED tradition holding] stories. Woohoo.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:28 | 2287385 scatterbrains
scatterbrains's picture

Actually this may be bearish for gold. Peope will say, "would am I going to do with my money if I pull it out of the bank ? Buy fake gold ?

 

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:33 | 2287133 bullnutz
bullnutz's picture

SilverDoctors broke this story this morning, http://silverdoctors.blogspot.com/2012/03/tungsten-filled-1-kilo-gold-bar.html they linked Rob Kirby's original article about the 60 tonnes of tungsten filled gold bars swapped with Fort Knox gold: http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article14996.html
All I can say is WOW!

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 20:06 | 2287445 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

Sent to an ETF Warehouse, so beware.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:35 | 2287139 lolmao500
lolmao500's picture

The last time a story of Tungsten-filled gold appeared on the scene was just two years ago

That's because NOBODY test their gold.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:47 | 2287169 Sudden Debt
Sudden Debt's picture

And i can't buy kilo bars :)
I buy everything by the ounce.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:37 | 2287144 chistletoe
chistletoe's picture

back when I was a kid,

 

we used to buy a lot of washers from the hardware store

and fill coin rolls, dimes, quarters,  with them, all except the front and the back.

 

The other day I was in the hardware store looking at washers ....

I had to laugh ... they cost more than dimes or quarters!!!!!

 

tungsten is a bitch to handle ...

its an extremely hard and brittle metal,

the melting point is something like 5500 degrees fahrenheit.

It would be almost impossible to make coins out of it, even with extremely expensive machines

and even making those rods would be challenging.

In other words, anyone with the wherewithall to do this is not just doing one or two gold bars ...

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 20:49 | 2287538 Esso
Esso's picture

I've never machined gold since it's a little pricey to work with, but I'd think it'd be almost impossible to bore lengthwise through a bar without breaking out the side or distorting the bar. I'm guessing those rods were cast in-place.

As far as using coins for flat washers, I've been doing that for several years now in non-critical applications.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:19 | 2287760 Likstane
Likstane's picture

Tungsten melts @6900 F.  Gold melts @ 1950 F.  If you tried to cast molten tungsten into holes in gold, you would have quite a mess. 

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 01:17 | 2287911 palmereldritch
palmereldritch's picture

Cast the gold around the tungsten rods is what I think he's getting at

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:25 | 2287769 tmosley
tmosley's picture

I would have machined out a trench, inserted the bar that way, then refilled with molten gold to produce a tight seal.  Much easier to do, and it leaves much less in the way of cavities (ie it would be damn hard to pour molten gold around a rod lengthways like that.

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 01:20 | 2287915 palmereldritch
palmereldritch's picture

Sounds like a question for a goldsmith IMO.  Ironically, I suspect there are none on this thread.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 22:04 | 2287673 XitSam
XitSam's picture

That's why when I worked at a gas station and anyone tried to pay with a roll of coins I'd dump the whole roll out on the counter.  When washers tumbled out, they always said they had just gotten the roll from the bank.

Also, washers rub against each other differently than coins so you can usually tell even without opening the roll.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:21 | 2287763 tmosley
tmosley's picture

Rods are readily available commercially, and there are numerous companies that would make you blanks suitable for electroplating/insertion into hollowed coins.  It's just that it is very hard to do and get it right, because the coins have complicated forms for that very reason.  Large bars are easier targets because of the lax QA on regular bar production and the lack of detailed, WELL KNOWN patterning on them.  The salted bars I have seen tend to look quite different from regular bars, but I don't know that I would question them, because bars from different eras from the same refinery might well look different.

If they had a nice, intricate QA stamp, that would make things much easier for us, and harder for the debasers.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:39 | 2287149 hangemhigh77
hangemhigh77's picture

You can BET that all those bars supposedly sitting at the NY Fed are anything BUT gold.  If Germany actually EVER sees those bars again they better test every one of them and they will find that it's no longer gold.  What do you think Ben and Timmah do on their off hours? They drill out gold bars and fill them with tungston.Plus I've heard there is NOTHING at the NY Fed it's ALL at West Point.  

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:22 | 2287239 Not Too Important
Not Too Important's picture

A little perspective.

Corzine committed perjury and securities fraud over $1.6 billion dollars.

Clinton and Rubin (and possible Greenspan), if true, scammed the world for $3.720 trillion (as of 2012) dollars in fake gold.

All elected officials of the highest offices in this country.

Any idea why no one wants the US dollar as a reserve currency?

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 20:27 | 2287486 CrockettAlmanac.com
CrockettAlmanac.com's picture

More perspective: Major US political figures are taking money from the MEK (mujahedin) despite the recent law against providing material support to terrorists. All of these people need to be in jail.

 

 

Why are Howard Dean and Rudy Giuliani Lobbying for a Terrorist Group?

The answer to the question in the headline, of course, is money, and quite a lot of it. Although exact amounts are unknown, the Iranian dissident group Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) (People’s Mujahedin of Iran)–which the State Department has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization since 1997–has paid tens of thousands of dollars to politicians and other opinion-leaders for speaking to or on behalf of the group over the past few years. It has been a rare bipartisan effort, including Democrats Dean, former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, and former Congressmen Lee Hamilton and Patrick Kennedy; as well as Republicans Giuliani, former Congressman Porter Goss, former National Security Advisor Fran Townsend, and former Transportation Secretary Andrew Card.

http://www.allgov.com/US_and_the_World/ViewNews/Why_are_Howard_Dean_and_...

 

 

The Face of 'Material Support for Terrorism': Patrick Kennedy

US State Department-listed foreign terror organization, Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), has carried out decades of brutal terrorist attacks, assassinations, and espionage against the Iranian government and its people, as well as targeting Americans including the attempted kidnapping of US Ambassador Douglas MacArthur II, the attempted assassination of USAF Brigadier General Harold Price, the successful assassination of Lieutenant Colonel Louis Lee Hawkins, the double assassinations of Colonel Paul Shaffer and Lieutenant Colonel Jack Turner, and the successful ambush and killing of American Rockwell International employees William Cottrell, Donald Smith, and Robert Krongard.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/108521.html

 

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNo_W-pSn9Y&feature=player_embedded

 

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 01:33 | 2287836 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

MEK and Al CIAda are one in the same relation. We hire Al CIAda to do our bidding world wide now. Weren't they the ones who attacked us on 9/11? That's weird.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/05/29/al-qaedas-iran-connection-bin-ladens-successors-vie-for-power.html

Look at the picture in the middle of the page, then find out what act he played in 9/11.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:40 | 2287151 worbsid
worbsid's picture

I like the idea like the 2009 story where the whole bar is tungsten and then plated up to exact weight. Piece of cake.  Why in the world would Ron Paul want an audit of government gold reserves?   

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:40 | 2287152 Yen Cross
Yen Cross's picture

 They should use that Tungsten, to make a GIANT drill bit for " Bernankes", frontal labotomy!

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 20:29 | 2287498 CrockettAlmanac.com
CrockettAlmanac.com's picture

I'd rather the Bernanke have a frontal lobotomy than... well, that's all, really.

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 14:54 | 2288764 chistletoe
chistletoe's picture

um, I'd rather have a bottle in front of me ...

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 18:39 | 2289209 CrockettAlmanac.com
CrockettAlmanac.com's picture

Can't we have both? I'll pay. For the drinks, for the lobotomy, for everything. They'd send me the tab anyway!

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:45 | 2287165 RoadKill
RoadKill's picture

As Tungsten has more uses then gold - I'd say this bar got upgraded.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:26 | 2287773 tmosley
tmosley's picture

I would be happy to sell you tungsten disks at $1700 a troy ounce.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:49 | 2287166 Sudden Debt
Sudden Debt's picture

This shows that every gold bar is contaminated!
They all need to be inspected!

Let's use silver instead!
:)

But is there proof that they where drilled? Who says that they didn't forge it starting with the tungsten rods?

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:25 | 2287247 Gunther
Gunther's picture

Who knows...
To fake the bar that way one would have to hang the tungsten rods in the casting mold, pour half the gold, take the hangers and pour the rest. That would be easier with one piece of tungsten in the core.
After the cast is done one has to put the proper stamps on the bar and hope that there is enough gold on top of the tungsten.

The pics do not show the edges that were used to drill and then filled again.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:36 | 2287274 granolageek
granolageek's picture

Look at the pics. Several of the bars don't fit well. That's the cause of the underweight, and would not happen if the bars were cast in.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 21:04 | 2287570 Esso
Esso's picture

What appears to be a bad fit between the tungsten rods and the gold bar may be a result of the tungsten chipping when the bar was sheared in half. I think those rods were cast into the bar when it was made.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 21:46 | 2287637 whoopsing
whoopsing's picture

ESSO, I agree that the differing hardness of the metals would result in this appearance after shearing,but it offers no evidence to point to either casting or drilling and filling 

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:21 | 2287764 Likstane
Likstane's picture

esso-see above

 

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:51 | 2287803 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

I agree. Hard-pressing or cast-pouring gold leaves a clean surface that isn't easily drilled out, defaced, re-melted in at lower pressure & just "disguised". Such surface alterations would reveal the drill-holes with no problem, and the only choices are which end (or both ends) to drill into. I say it was cast or the tell-tale signs would be too obvious.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:54 | 2287173 AgShaman
AgShaman's picture

Did Gresham write a theory/law to include tungsten?

Before this is over....sales in drill bits may look like sales at firearms companies

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:07 | 2287174 Yen Cross
Yen Cross's picture

 Tungsten has a pretty damn high melting point.  The highest melting point of "all" the non-alloyed metals.

 A pdf on  Heraeus Group.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:11 | 2287352 Golden monkey
Golden monkey's picture

Nobody wants to melt tungsten. But more and more will try it with gold. The demand will rise, gold will be 6k, and your portofolio will melt-up.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:41 | 2287702 Ahmeexnal
Ahmeexnal's picture

You don't actually have to melt anything. Just use EM waves and those tungsten rods become as malleable as capellini al dente.

Check out some of Hutchinson's videos on youtube and you'll understand.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:56 | 2287179 Atomizer
Atomizer's picture

 

 

A bill was drafted sometime back, HR 1495. With the impending threat of Central Banking monopoly money makers. A new propaganda story develops to instill fear on how important and essential it is to hold debt notes, opposed to gold. 

HR 1495 

To provide for an audit of all gold owned by the United States. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 

This Act may be cited as the `Gold Reserve Transparency Act of 2011'.

 

SEC. 2. ASSAY, INVENTORY, AND AUDIT OF GOLD RESERVES.

 

(a) The Secretary of the Treasury is directed to conduct and complete, not later than six months after the date of enactment of this Act, a full assay, inventory, and audit of gold reserves of the United States at the place or places where such reserves are kept, together with an analysis of the sufficiency of the measures taken for the security of such reserves.

 

(b)(1) The Government Accountability Office shall review the results of such assay, inventory, audit, and analysis and, not later than nine months after the date of enactment of this Act, shall prepare and transmit to the Congress a report of its findings, together with the results of the assay, inventory, audit, and analysis conducted by the Secretary of the Treasury.

 

(2) For purposes of such assay, inventory, audit, and analysis, the Government Accountability Office shall have access to any depository or other facility where such reserves are kept.

 

(c) The Secretary of the Treasury shall make available, in order to facilitate the review of the Government Accountability Office under this Act, all books, accounts, records, reports, files, correspondence, memoranda, papers, or any other document, tape, or written, audio, or digital record pertaining to the assay, inventory, audit, and analysis required by this Act, as determined by the Government Accountability Office.

 

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.1495:

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:02 | 2287327 CompassionateFascist
CompassionateFascist's picture

"6 months"? A joke. Plenty of time for all ZOGsters to cover their tracks. Make it "Right Now", and something might be accomplished.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:02 | 2287744 palmereldritch
palmereldritch's picture

Why does the Gold Reserve Transparency Act and the world of Google open source surveillance make me think the NSA has a proprietary Google Gold Map that makes location of stashes as easy as throwing a switch on a spy satellite?

The audit is not for the government because they know they don't have any.  Meet the Gold Confiscation Act 2013!!....
<end paranoia ;)>

 

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:58 | 2287183 string
string's picture

This is why (well one reason why) I laugh whenever I hear people talking about going back to a gold standard etc. You gold bugs are the funniest fuckers on the planet.

oooh I'm going to stockpile all this useless shiney metal and protect my 'wealth'.

And when the time comes, I'm just gonna trade it for tha shit that I need.

It's gonna be funny as fuck to watch ya'll scrambling to sell that crap into a no-bid market when TSHTF.

 

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:12 | 2287204 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

What do you suggest we do for sound currency then? Do you have any solutions / suggestions? or just critisism? PM's have served me very well over the years, but I just cashed out all my holdings for food and weapons.

I was in Gold at $300.00 and Silver at $14.00. Our realized FRN "profit" spends the same from the day we first invested.

If we can restablish some form of sound currency other than fiat, I think Bi Metalism along with a *sound paper currency would be the way to go.

Treasury Dept. are getting rid of all Paper dollar bill's and minting a dollar coin for circulation, My stripper friends are going to hate that.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:43 | 2287287 granolageek
granolageek's picture

You just acknowledged his point.

Instead of keeping your shiny metal to (try to) trade for my beans and beef when TSHTF, you turned it into food now. The only downside is that food eventually goes bad, shiny metal does not.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:54 | 2287308 Ahmeexnal
Ahmeexnal's picture

food always goes bad, specially when it exits your organism.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:26 | 2287382 string
string's picture

Exactly.

The shiny stuff is only worth what someone else is willing to give you for it at any given point in time. And anyone who thinks there will always be a solid bid for that junk is a fool.

I don't care if we have a gold backed money or not. It won't make any difference in a fractional reserve debt based system. Read Rickards book _Currency Wars_ the history of gold really isn't all that great. (I'm still not sure why he's such a pimp for it). Just ask all the folks that were holding gold in the early 1930's how it worked out for them.

As far as solutions. Read _Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstien for a very interesting set of solutions.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:49 | 2287415 riphowardkatz
riphowardkatz's picture

"The shiny stuff is only worth what someone else is willing to give you for it at any given point in time."

Very deep stuff. You have much insight and have become a master of the obvious. Kudos. 

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 08:03 | 2288118 francis_sawyer
francis_sawyer's picture

 "The shiny stuff is only worth what someone else is willing to give you for it at any given point in time"

Maybe someone will go ahead and test the theory... They'll say "see that string loudmouth over there? Here, I'll give you a gold coin in exchange for putting a cap in his ass... INSTANT MARKET!"

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 17:39 | 2289074 prole
prole's picture

G-String with dumb-post-of-the-thread-award:

"This is why (well one reason why) I laugh whenever I hear people talking about going back to a gold standard etc. You gold bugs are the funniest fuckers on the planet. ..... It's gonna be funny as fuck to watch ya'll scrambling to sell that crap into a no-bid market when TSHTF."

Well I guess you have nailed the top there sport--

Thousands of years from King Tut through the Roman Empire, Spanish Armada, British Empire, Pirates, Currency of the gods, and there has never for one second been a "no-bid-market" for gold.... But this time is different!
I believe you!
Liquidate your gold fvckers!!

More ramblings of a paperbug: 

"The shiny stuff is only worth what someone else is willing to give you for it at any given point in time. And anyone who thinks there will always be a solid bid for that junk is a fool."

Imagine that... Kings of Spain, King Tut hisself, Rosenvelt, Jack Sparrow, all FOOLS! ....

" Just ask all the folks that were holding gold in the early 1930's how it worked out for them."

OK I just asked them, they said their gold went from $21 per ounce to $1650 per ounce and they're not selling.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 22:12 | 2287681 Kipper und Wipp...
Kipper und Wipperzeit's picture

I googled "Sacred Economics Charles Eisenstein" and found that he has a blog on Reality Sandwich, then I closed the window and junked you.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:48 | 2287799 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

And anyone who thinks there will always be a solid bid for that junk is a fool.

except that's all of history. History may be filled with fools but denial of that history makes the biggest fool.

It won't make any difference in a fractional reserve debt based system.

I got news for you: there probably won't be any such fractional reserve system. That's right, it will end. People will discover it is the source of the problem & will seek the stability of BANISHING it.

Just ask all the folks that were holding gold in the early 1930's how it worked out for them.

It worked out incredible for them. All they had to do was sell it OUTSIDE the USA and they became rich as all fuck. Just because the USA gov turned into gold-stealing ass-hats didn't mean there wasn't money to be made in Canada. PLENTY riches to be had in Canada then.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:45 | 2287409 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

The food I bought never goes bad for a very very long time, 7 boxes of MRE's.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 22:16 | 2287689 UP Forester
UP Forester's picture

No shit.  It starts out bad, the only saving grace is the bottle of Tabasco in each.

Seven bottles makes even the beef and mushrooms seem almost like food.  And don't get me started on the 4 Fingers of Death with the Cardboard Rectangles....

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 22:45 | 2287726 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

The newest MRE's are actually very good, spicy penne pasta has always been my favorite.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:25 | 2287767 UP Forester
UP Forester's picture

Does the poundcake still block you up for a week?

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:52 | 2287804 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

Rodger that, I drink 1 full botlle of water just to get one down.

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 01:29 | 2287925 palmereldritch
palmereldritch's picture

Non-GMO and tasty according to the sales rep.

Less of a shelf life but better than MREs I suspect!  Sampling next month.

http://www.aa-foods.com/

Stay healthy.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:17 | 2287227 riphowardkatz
riphowardkatz's picture

There have been times thoughout history when as you say TSHTF. How did gold do then? Was it a no bid market? Has there ever been a no bid market for gold? Would that mean gold has gone for $0.00 and people just threw it into the street?

I will give you this you may have set a record for fewest words to misconceptions ratio. 

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 00:18 | 2287843 blunderdog
blunderdog's picture

That's a good point.  In SHTF scenarios, gold tends to "outperform on the downside."

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 10:00 | 2288215 riphowardkatz
riphowardkatz's picture

Give one example. Or stop making stuff up.

Read "When Money Dies" 

Numerous stories from people who used gold to escape bad situations ie Russia, Germany and others. 

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 12:45 | 2288518 blunderdog
blunderdog's picture

In SHTF scenarios, people are more concerned with food, safety, etc, than they are with investments.

So the relative physical demand for gold declines (vs food/shelter/guns/water)--it just never declines AS MUCH as the demand for fine art, bonds, paper currency, etc.

That's outperformance on the downside.

Sorry if I didn't word it well, I thought it was a well-understood idiom.

Mon, 03/26/2012 - 11:22 | 2291088 riphowardkatz
riphowardkatz's picture

again, give one example. Please.

Just one. can you do it?  

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:47 | 2287295 SaveTheBales
SaveTheBales's picture

And the last crisis in which gold went no-bid was?

Some of us trade the stuff, to the point that our basis is approaching $0.  Its hard to lose money on an investment that didn't cost anything.

You seem to think no one has thought of that around here.

Why?

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:10 | 2287348 AgShaman
AgShaman's picture

I'm guessing there's very few that would join you in the laugh you're having....including your Fiat Slavemasters that are hoarding gold in their private, central banking, and govt vaults.

They've words to describe dolts like you....I think the term is "Muppet"

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 21:11 | 2287588 riphowardkatz
riphowardkatz's picture

Ever watch the TV show american greed? Dude counterfited at least 3 million in $100's with an hp laser jet printer. Only way they caught him was because he kept printing the same bill so they all had the same serial numbers. 

 

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:41 | 2287786 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

Gold always gets restored as money when currencies collapse. That's just how history works. Nothing's changed. I get a laugh out of useless paperbugs chasing useless debt notes who never learn from history - every paper note ever created falls into disuse & has intrinsic value of zero. All the time. Forever. Carved in stone history. Your dollars, yen or euros will NOT be convertible to the next fiat paper currency. You can only step there via oil, gold & land. Everyone else will be decimated into slavery & poverty.

What you are betting on is an event which has never happend in all history - a time when gold has no price because no one wants it. What makes you think this time is some magical special moment in history when a highly valuable, useful metal which is rare actually has no one wanting it? Why now and  never before in history? Gold is an excellent conductor, highly reflective & is an alpha-radiation deflector critical for satellites, not to mention good for dental since it's highly malleable. Seems you either do not understand or do not care to learn.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 17:59 | 2287187 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

Very simple to test without having to cut bars open.

http://www.olympus-ims.com/en/applications/ut-testing-gold-bars/

 

I got stuck with 4 fake 1oz Buffalos just recently.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:34 | 2287270 In Vino Veritas
In Vino Veritas's picture

Could you say from where the fake Buffalos came?  I've been led to believe that such coins are safer, as they're harder to adulterate.

As an aside, would the fake Buffalos pass a Fisch balance test?

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:07 | 2287338 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

Exactly! that's how he ended up testing them. They are in "brand new" condition, never handled, but there were the particular ones(4) that fell under suspicion of my dealer because the fake ones have a slightly different silver color to them and when he dropped it on the glass countertop, it rang different then a real one.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 20:23 | 2287482 In Vino Veritas
In Vino Veritas's picture

Ah, I was thinking they were U.S. Mint gold Buffaloes.  I'm guessing that yours were silver Buffalo rounds(?)  I can see how silver coins/rounds are easier to forge (silver being lighter).

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:35 | 2287273 seek
seek's picture

Seriously? Do you know what they were made of? To date I've not seen any tungsten coin copies, though I've seen/heard of plenty of steel and bronze ones.

Where did you buy these?

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:45 | 2287292 Libertarian777
Libertarian777's picture

where'd you purchase them from?

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:58 | 2287311 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

*originally purchased at Apmex. 4 out of a lot of 120 rounds. they won't take them back either, but I'm okay with that, I made plenty bank on them and I can understand they can't rely on my complaint. All good. 

 http://www.apmex.com/Product/44447/1_oz_999_Fine_Silver_Rounds___BuffaloDec_17th.aspx

The dealer that I FRN'd them out at said they had a rash of fakes comming out of China, or made their way into legitimated dealers inventory. sad.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:59 | 2287321 seek
seek's picture

Are they steel or lead-filled or ?

How did you determine they were fake?

(I admit I have some slight relief that they're silver and not gold, 4 oz of faked gold would be a serious concern.)

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:05 | 2287194 Iceobar
Iceobar's picture

Going by looks alone, I'd still take that bar over a Greek bond....lol

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:10 | 2287205 bugs_
bugs_'s picture

OLD SILVER bitchez!  LOL!

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:10 | 2287208 Gunther
Gunther's picture

The picture of the rods in the gold bar looks strange; tungsten has a greyish-white look, not blueish like in the photograph.
Moreover, the bar with rods inside got cut seemingly without problems. That is unlikely because tungsten is as hard or harder then hardened steel that usually is used in the blades to shear the bar.
The blades of the shear should show considerable damage.
To give more information, pictures of both sides where the rods may have been inserted would be helpful.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:20 | 2287222 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

The blue on the tungsten is from the saw heat generated to cut it open. You can look in archive pictures dating way back for the same sham.

You should see how big the tungsten rods are in the bars we sent to China... Ooopss!

http://gold-quote.net/en/articles/fake-tungsten-gold-bars.php

I know where in London they have been melting down stolen gold (from other countries) to re number and re label foundery ID too.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:22 | 2287240 Yen Cross
Yen Cross's picture

 LMAO! Great comment! Those Tungsten rods were probably filled with " Play Doe"!   

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:28 | 2287256 Gunther
Gunther's picture

Thanks for the link, but the tungsten was broken, a cut with a saw looks definitely different.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 21:16 | 2287604 Esso
Esso's picture

It was sheared.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 22:19 | 2287693 UP Forester
UP Forester's picture

Like sheep?

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:12 | 2287212 Pseudo Anonym
Pseudo Anonym's picture

propaganda.  trying to scare the populace from buying gold coins and bars.  that's what I think anyway.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:48 | 2287296 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

I hear what your sayin, but this is the oldest trick in the book, nothing new, just discovery of a "salted" bar.. again. 

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:20 | 2287232 hadriansnightmare
hadriansnightmare's picture

Nobody does this once.  There are thousands of these out there.....

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:20 | 2287233 non_anon
non_anon's picture

prob. already posted, but anyway

Germany

Tungsten Filled Gold Bars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oURCIDfhDQ

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:24 | 2287242 q99x2
q99x2's picture

Hey FED needs to give it up. Where's the Gold? Now that is a question that Americans can understand. Answer: The FED stole it. They don't have to be too smart to understand that either. That's my new campaign slogan/ Bumper Sticker for taking back the monetary system. Something everyone can relate too. Except Hamy. Which doesn't matter because in the real world he doesn't count.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:45 | 2287291 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

Interesting Ft. Knox history.

Pre-Doomsday History  Before the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1932, gold coins had circulated freely in the United States as legal money, and gold bullion was owned by banks and other private entities. In early 1933, as part of the New Deal, the United States Congress enacted a package of laws which removed gold from circulation as money, and which made private ownership of gold in the U.S. (except for coins in collections or jewelry such as wedding rings) illegal. All gold in circulation was seized by the government in exchange for dollars at the fixed rate of $20.67 per ounce. Owners of gold bullion in the U.S. were also required to trade it for other forms of money. All of this left the government of the United States with a large amount of gold metal, and no place to store it.

In 1936, the United States Department of the Treasury began construction of the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky, on land transferred from the United States Army. The Gold Vault was completed in December 1936 at a cost of $560,000. The site is located on what is now Bullion Boulevard at the intersection of Gold Vault Road.

The first gold shipments were made from January to July 1937. The majority of the United States' Official gold reserves were gradually shipped to the site, including old bullion and more newly made bars made from melted gold coins. Some intact coins were stored, as well. The transfer needed 500 Rail cars and was sent by registered mail, protected by the United States Postal Inspection Service.

During World War II, the repository held the original United States Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution. It also holds the reserves of several European countries and several key documents from Western history; for example, it holds the Crown of St. Stephen, part of the Holy Crown of Hungary, given to American soldiers to prevent them from falling into Soviet hands. The repository also holds one of four known copies (exemplifications) of Magna Carta, which had been sent for display at the 1939 New York World Fair, and which, when war broke out, was kept in America for the duration.

Post Doomsday History General Campbell ordered his men to secure the bullion depository from looters. Working in tandem with the Bullion Security Forces, the Provisional Government of Kentucky's militia were able to repel a few small raids from gangs and maintain control of the facility. The future of the gold depository remains unknown as the gold has more or less sat in the vaults since doomsday.

Some commentators believe that the gold one day could play a role in a possible future reunification of America. When the Provisional United States in the plains declared itself the continuation of the USA in 2010, the issue of Fort Knox's gold exploded as a major issue heading into the 2010 elections.

Construction and security Below the fortress-like structure lies the gold bank vault, which is lined with granite walls and which is protected by a blast-proof door that weighs 22 tons. No single person is entrusted with the entire combination to the vault. Various members of the Depository staff must dial separate combination's known only to them. Beyond the main vault door, smaller internal cells provide further protection.

The facility is ringed with several fences and is under armed guard by officers of the Commonwealth Mint Police. The Depository premises are within the site of Fort Knox, a Commonwealth of Kentucky Army military base, allowing the Army to provide additional protection. The Depository is protected by numerous layers of physical security, alarms, video cameras, armed guards, and the Army units based at Fort Knox, including AH-64 Apache helicopter gunships of 8/229 Aviation based at Godman Army Airfield, the 16th Cavalry Regiment, training battalions of the Commonwealth of Kentucky Army Armor School, and the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division, totaling over 50,000 soldiers, with associated tanks, armored personnel carriers, attack helicopters, and artillery.

Gold and coin holdings Gold holdings peaked during World War II at 649.6 million troy ounces (20,205 metric tons). Current holdings are around 147.3 million ounces around 368,000 standard 400 troy ounce (12.4 kg or 27.4 Pound lb) gold bars. At April 2008 rates of $913 an ounce it is worth roughly $134 billion, while the World War II total of 649.6 million troy ounces would be worth approximately $593 billion.

The depository also holds monetary gold coins. It also holds several specimens of Sacagawea Dollar coins made out of 22 Carat (91.6% pure) gold from blanks that are used to strike the $25 half-ounce American Gold Eagle bullion pieces made for an unknown project.

Not all the gold bars held in the depository are of exactly the same composition. The mint gold bars are nearly pure gold. Bars made from melted gold coins, however, called "coin bars," are the same composition as the original coins. Unlike many .999 fine gold bullion coins minted in modern times for holding-purposes today, the coin alloy for pre-1932 U.S. coins, which were intended for circulation, was a much tougher and wear-resistant .900 fine alloy (balance copper) derived historically from 22-carat crown gold (a similar alloy consisting of .917 gold and the balance copper, used to mint gold sovereigns).

All of the gold in the depository, if pure, could form a cube 19.7 feet (6 m) on a side—a volume of 216 m³. In comparison, all the gold ever mined in the world would form a cube 64.3 feet (19.6 m) on a side, with a volume of approximately 7500 m³.

 

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:46 | 2287413 palmereldritch
palmereldritch's picture

Here's a character that didn't succeed trying to thwart Fort Knox security. (No word on if tried again post-doomsday)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNjIpLHZNNs

The clip is actually a very succinct summary of the many issues on this thread....lol

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 00:18 | 2287845 blunderdog
blunderdog's picture

cite your work

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 08:35 | 2288144 francis_sawyer
francis_sawyer's picture

I can't see why 22 ton vault doors, sealed in granite, multiple person entry codes, guarded by Apache gunships, & 50,000 soldiers would be needed for a barbaric relic...

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:11 | 2287351 CompassionateFascist
CompassionateFascist's picture

U mean Rothschild, Warburg, Schiff and Co. stole it. Where is it now? Israel. Another aspect of Zion's "mysterious" control over America.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:23 | 2287244 Rathmullan
Rathmullan's picture

Dove tails nicely with the bernanke anti-gold lecture tour.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:28 | 2287255 Money 4 Nothing
Money 4 Nothing's picture

Relic! LOL! That's why NYSE / CME accepts gold for in house settelments? Do as I say?... and you know the rest.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:23 | 2287245 spentCartridge
spentCartridge's picture

Tungsten is probably gonna be worth more than gold in the near future any ways.

The real reason they forced 'low energy' bulbs on us is because a regular incandescent bulb has a tungsten filament, and when that burns out, it's finished. No scrap.

There ain't a lot of usable tungsten left on Earth, and you need it to weld stainless steel, when that burns out, and you can't re-grind it, it's finished. No scrap.

Then there is the military use, armour piercing ammo & etc.

 

Tungsten ain't bad to hold.

 

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:26 | 2287246 XRAYD
Sat, 03/24/2012 - 20:06 | 2287443 Problem Is
Problem Is's picture

Tyler: I need a +5 button...

My New Desk Top Picture
The Bernank and his bald, bearded moronic brother in the same cell... How much stupidity could one cell possibly hold?

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:26 | 2287250 whoknoz
whoknoz's picture

"Or....you could just buy a machete and slice the suspect coin/bar in half"...and then, if the gold is found to be doctored, you're just one more swing from slicing the suspect in half...

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:28 | 2287254 devo
devo's picture

Is it legal for miners to say, "We're only selling 10% above spot" or something to that affect? I mean, they should...

Would this be considered price fixing? Even if they do it to counterbalance JPM manipulation?

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:05 | 2287333 New World Chaos
New World Chaos's picture

The paper price-fixing cartel would get their pet politicians to crack down on "price fixing" by miners.  US mines will be nationalized sooner or later.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:39 | 2287354 devo
devo's picture

US mines will be nationalized sooner or later.

I tend to agree.

What will happen to mining stock shareholders in that event? I assume we'd be wiped out.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 21:54 | 2287653 Non Passaran
Non Passaran's picture

They don't have to nationalize, they can simply mandate that gold be sold to CBs (fair price is already set by the Fed - $42 or whatever per Oz).

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 22:09 | 2287677 devo
devo's picture

Wouldn't miners just close shop?

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 22:22 | 2287703 UP Forester
UP Forester's picture

Not before swiping anything that goes BOOM....

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 08:38 | 2288148 francis_sawyer
francis_sawyer's picture

Obama will declare that all miners are "tear our wrists"...

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:26 | 2287380 Golden monkey
Golden monkey's picture

PM Manipulators divorces rate is on the rise.

Everything is price fixed now. Just ask the Fed.

They are actually in control, for the next few months...

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 21:50 | 2287640 Non Passaran
Non Passaran's picture

Why? No one is forcing you to buy.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:29 | 2287258 Temporalist
Temporalist's picture

Lars Schall on Max Keiser discusses the majority of German gold being held in foreign banks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJsgYnPs6qU&feature=player_embedded

 

I'd like a journalist or congress person to ask Bernanke if gold is so worthless and a gold standard so bad, why is it so hard to have an audit, why is it taxed so highly, why do central banks still hold it, why aren't the swap arangements more transparent?  I'd also ask why is it the only time the Fed spends discussing gold and a gold standard it's to deride it and why is it necessary for the Fed to lease gold to suppress prices as GATA has uncovered and reported on extensively directly from the Feds own minutes?

 

Just a little extra something to read that I found on the topic of Gold and the Gold Standard:

Gibson's Paradox, Larry Summers and central bank antipathy to gold and silver

 

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 20:02 | 2287432 Problem Is
Problem Is's picture

+1... But I already know the answer to that one:

"These specific allegations you've made, I think are absolutely bizarre and I have absolutely no knowledge of anything like what you've just described."

Cue-Bald Bennie The Bernank

BTW: Fat Larry Summers isn't interested in gold precisely because he can't eat it...

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 20:30 | 2287500 Jendrzejczyk
Jendrzejczyk's picture

I can't find the full transcript of the recent Bermonkey/Geitner testimony on the Eurozone crisis.

During the question period, one of the lawmakers asked Bernanke how Europe would pay back the currency swaps if all hell broke loose over there.

He stammered and then said "the ECB has various assets like, uhmm. ah. gold".

Somebody dig it up, please.

This is the hearing

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/21/usa-fed-bernanke-idUSL1E8EKH59...

Just need the question and answer testimony to hear Mr. B admit gold is the only money left.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:31 | 2287266 Muddy1
Muddy1's picture

US gold Bureau has an ad at the top of the page, "First Time Gold Buyer? Avoid Rookie Mistakes"  Maybe they should send some of their free investor kits to the UK, ROFLOL  and I have see some stories where "experienced" dealers in the US get taken now and then

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:40 | 2287282 Likstane
Likstane's picture

Gold and Tungsten practically weigh the same.  The discrepancy in the actual weight and the weight it should be(approx 2 grams) is prob attributable to the small spaces between the rods and the gold bar.  If the forger could have made the rods fit almost perfectly into the drilled out holes, the weight would have been almost exactly what a solid gold bar should have weighed. 

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:52 | 2287306 logicalman
logicalman's picture

XRF Analyzers are useful in that they GIVE THE APPEARANCE of the 'gold' bar having been checked.

If your  job is to 'regulate' it's really easy to say you have investigated something. If you don't want to find something, just look in the wrong place or use thw wrong detector. It looks like an investigation to the non-thinker and all seems to be well.

If I was investigating the prevalence of mice and wanted to get a result that came in low, I'd investigate the local cat's home. I doubt the numbers would be high, and I could say with a straight(ish) face that I'd run an investigation.

I think that's how it works.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:55 | 2287312 Seorse Gorog fr...
Seorse Gorog from that Quantum Entanglement Fund. alright_.-'s picture

I invested in some gold coins but it turned out they were filled with bloody chocolate! What a rip-off! Turns out you can eat gold.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:53 | 2287420 Problem Is
Problem Is's picture

The Bernank tried to tell you GOLD is not money...

Dude... You still have chocolate on your face...

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 18:57 | 2287316 WillyGroper
WillyGroper's picture

Bailiff, whack his nads!

 

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:08 | 2287339 e_goldstein
e_goldstein's picture

The shear that was used to cut into the bar is probably fucked beyond repair now... are we sure this isn't more aggregate demand created by a CB?

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:10 | 2287349 junkyardjack
junkyardjack's picture

Haha physical bitchez.  Stick with the paper

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 21:21 | 2287610 UP Forester
UP Forester's picture

You can't weld with paper....

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:15 | 2287360 JPMorgan
JPMorgan's picture

Just peg the price of tungsten to gold... problem solved lol.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:27 | 2287383 navy62802
navy62802's picture

In other news, Dick Cheney apparently got a new heart today.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/24/dick-cheney-heart-transplant_n_...

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:51 | 2287417 Problem Is
Problem Is's picture

The Thing That Couldn't Die!

I saw that horror movie when I was a kid! Cheney was a severed head that still talked!

Cheney was Satan I tell you, Satan!!!

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:57 | 2287427 navy62802
navy62802's picture

... evil incarnate.

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 00:19 | 2287846 blunderdog
blunderdog's picture

I was just thinking, Cheney gets a couple new human hearts a day delivered to him at mealtimes.

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 01:10 | 2287905 palmereldritch
palmereldritch's picture

To wash down the souls...

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 20:03 | 2287435 HD
HD's picture

I have to wonder what the donor would of thought of their heart residing in Mr. Cheney...

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 20:21 | 2287475 Yen Cross
Yen Cross's picture

O/T but that comment on the Jane Seymore thread was sweet.  I like West Village as well. You both were eloquent.

  Lot's of lubricants<>

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:14 | 2287756 HD
HD's picture

Thanks mate.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 23:37 | 2287784 palmereldritch
palmereldritch's picture

"...the gift of an unknown donor."

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:27 | 2287384 QuietCorday
QuietCorday's picture

This is why some people I know buy newly minted coins from the national mint that come in sealed packets. Then, if they are dodgy, woah ... 

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:34 | 2287393 gwar5
gwar5's picture

Fake coins had been showing up in Hong Kong. Now Tungsten filled gold bars in the UK. Game on.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:43 | 2287402 Problem Is
Problem Is's picture

"By around 290 AD, the coins were only dipped in silver to give them a coating (<0.5%)"

2012 = 290 AD
Yes, that is where the current Fed Useful Idiot Cue-Bald Bennie The Bernank has us today...

All hail The Bernank...

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 19:44 | 2287406 Atomizer
Atomizer's picture

Let's have fun, since the gold market will be scared into selling. Why not add that tulips/food sources are scarce because of the early spring {Jet Stream Conditions} Climate Change. Bwahahahaha… 

http://www.glenallenweather.com/links/jetfor.htm 

Due to this extreme weather pattern, our study finds many will remain indoors. This extreme weather phenomena will offset all global spring/summer retail sales projections.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 20:08 | 2287450 FrankIvy
FrankIvy's picture

Does anybody else find the mixed use of "CE" and "AD" a bit odd?

AD - Anno domini - "year of our Lord."  Preferred by Christians world wide and most people who want to interact in the modern world.

CE - Common Era.  Preferred by scholarly and militant Jews, who view Jesus as a trickster and false messiah.

 

Why together?  Ebony and Ivory?

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 20:42 | 2287524 CrockettAlmanac.com
CrockettAlmanac.com's picture

This atheist prefers BC/AD. BCE/CE are just so stoooopid.

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 10:19 | 2288241 magpie
magpie's picture

It celebrates our common Judaeo-Christian heritage.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 20:12 | 2287458 Rockfish
Rockfish's picture

I JUST TOOK A PAIR OF BULL SNIPS TO ALL MY EAGLES AND KRUGS.

NO TUNGSTEN THANK GOODNESS. 

WTF SH.T DAMN

pardon the caps

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 20:42 | 2287523 Rockfish
Rockfish's picture

To think that there are no or just a few bogus bars of gold is to believe there are just a few counterfeit $100.00 bills on a reletive basis.

all my gold is in one piece.

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 21:06 | 2287577 jomama
jomama's picture

now if we could just catch the feds in the act of counterfeiting all those 100$ bills that are floating around out there (it's got to be them).

Sun, 03/25/2012 - 01:09 | 2287902 palmereldritch
palmereldritch's picture

The majority of USD counterfeiting can be located at 33 Liberty, NY NY.

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!