Contact Home Links Research Center Stories Expeditions Placer Locations Safety Online Forum Gold Gallery Video_Archive Gold and Pyrites Rocks-Minerals-Gold Precious Metals Prices Getting Started Legal Issues - Mining Law GPS Units Gold_Rush! Extractive Metallurgy Arizona Ghost Towns Search Engine Cool Tools Hard Rock/Open Pit Mines De Re Metallica ATVs From the Past Recent Finds News Forex and Gold Extras Equipment Dealer Review! Old Books from the 1800's Online 1872 Mining Law Privacy Policy Gold Miner Game Guide to Buying a Claim Equipment for the Desert Most Popular Gold Detectors Ebay Auctions! USGS Data Arizona Mine and Mineral Museum GIS Topo Maps Ore Google Maps/Google Earth NASA World Wind Gold Macros Aqua Regina Newsletter Buy me a Cold One Custom Research Equipment for Sale Metal Detector Manuals My Books Straight Talk News Minerals List Type Database Tucson Gem and Mineral Show Place Names Database Gems and Minerals Gold Price
United States Bullion Depository
In 1936 the U.S. Treasury Department began construction of the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky on land deeded from the military. The 'Gold Vault' was completed in December 1936 at a cost of $560,000 and the first gold shipments were made from January to July 1937. The majority of the country's gold reserves were gradually shipped to the site.
The U.S. Bullion Depository at Ft. Knox.The transfer needed 500 rail cars and was sent by registered mail, protected by the Postal Inspection Service.
During World War II the depository also held the reserves of a number of European countries as well as the British crown jewels, the Magna Carta and key documents from American history.
Gold holdings peaked in the war at 649.6 million ounces (20,205 t). Current holdings are around 147 million ounces (4,572 t) in around 368,000 standard 400 troy ounce (12.4 kg or 27.4 standard pounds) bars. The depository also holds monetary gold.
It also holds several specimens of Sacagawea Dollar coins made out of 22kt. gold from blanks that are used to strike the $25 half-ounce American Gold Eagle Bullion pieces made for an unknown project. The 1933 Double Eagle was also a temporary resident after transfer from 7 WTC before its sale in July 2002 for $7.59 Million. Sometime in 2004, 10 "recovered" 1933 Double Eagle examples from the heirs of Isreal Switt were transported to Fort Knox for safekeeping.
The gold vault is lined with granite walls and is protected by a door that weighs 24.6 tons. No one person is entrusted with the combination to the vault. Various members of the Depository staff must dial separate combinations known only to them. A nearby Army post provides additional protection.
