What Kind of Gold Cannot Be Confiscated?
Questioning what kinds of gold cannot be confiscated often arises due to governments’ longstanding practice of seizing citizens’ precious metals during severe economic crises like the Great Depression. Many such seizures occurred as part of these seizures’ collection.
Governments understandably seek to restrict precious metals usage; you can protect yourself by placing your assets into legal structures that make them harder for others to reach.
Bullion
Although gold confiscation seems like a problem from decades past, it remains an undue source of fear among many bullion collectors today. Telemarketers peddling solutions often do little more than feed this fear with questionable motives, fuelling this paranoia even further. Unfortunately, however, this phobia remains quite real and could easily happen again during an economic downturn or emergency situation.
Governments have historically confiscated assets like stocks, bonds and savings accounts; as well as hard assets like gold. While there’s no guaranteed way to avoid government confiscation of precious metals altogether, you can protect your precious metals against their overreach by storing it with an independent vault provider; purchasing pre-1933 coins that lack investment value may also help as they’re less prone to being confiscated than their more commonly considered counterparts.
Coins
Gold bullion may be one of the safest assets to own, but even so governments can still try to take your precious metals under certain circumstances. One such instance was during The Great Depression with its 1933 gold grab (or nationalisation in official terminology). While this act wasn’t confiscation but more of an example that governments can seize investments at any given moment.
There are various solutions out there that claim to provide protection for gold, but many fail under scrutiny. Storing it in a coffee can in the basement or attic is no way secure; too easily could it get misplaced or stolen during an emergency situation.
Storing precious metals in an independent vault is the best way to safeguard them against confiscation, especially now that most countries no longer abide by the gold standard and employ alternative measures such as capital controls to regulate gold confiscation.
Jewelry
From ancient times until today, jewelry has long been regarded as an asset that brings beauty, status and wealth. Worn across cultures across the globe and believed to ward off evil spirits from harming us further.
Although there have been cases of gold confiscation, most took place in nations ruled by oppressive dictators and usually involved coins or bars rather than personal jewelry. Furthermore, such seizures tend to last a considerable length of time as buyers are rarely available for these rare pieces of metal.
One of the most notorious instances of gold confiscation occurred with Franklin Roosevelt’s Executive Order 6102, signed in 1933. This order required Americans to turn in their gold coins, bullion and certificates in exchange for paper money; rare coins were exempt as President Roosevelt sought to limit inflation during Great Depression while helping increase money supply from Federal Reserve.
Precious stones
Many individuals are curious as to whether their gold could be taken by the US Government and confiscated at any moment. Though such fears may be exaggerated, some do have legitimate concerns that this could happen at any moment.
Gold is not a fiat currency like stocks, bonds and savings accounts; therefore it’s harder for governments to seize citizens’ precious metals than other financial instruments would allow. Yet there have been examples of confiscation before; most notable during the Great Depression when an executive order removed citizens’ right to own gold bullion and coins altogether.
Modern gold confiscation myths typically involve rare coins. It’s important to keep in mind that even though these collectibles have high values and high collectibility scores, the government still considers them bullion and can confiscate them as bullion would. Therefore, instead of purchasing rare coins for this sole reason alone in order to avoid confiscation, purchasing bullion instead and keeping it stored safely at home or bank vault.
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