Assorted Gold-related News

[dualstow]

Ancient gold artifacts stolen in Drents museum robbery
https://nltimes.nl/2025/01/25/ancient-g ... um-robbery

[seajay]

Saw that yesterday and sounds like they didn't even have a night watchman at the museum. More akin to having been 'taken' rather than 'stolen'.

[dualstow]

Saw that yesterday and sounds like they didn't even have a night watchman at the museum. More akin to having been 'taken' rather than 'stolen'.

They used explosives to blow a door open. That doesn’t count as stolen?

This makes me sad:

Experts are concerned that these items will be hard to recover and may be melted down by the thieves and sold for the price of the precious metal since the artifacts are notorious and will be hard to sell on a black market.

https://lavocedinewyork.com/en/arts/202 ... therlands/

Off topic: would Universal Basic Income stop shenanigans like this?

[seajay]

Woke era. Here in the UK and shoplifting up to GBP200 is pretty much ignored by the Police. Regular events now in most shops. Per person also, so in some cases a gang walks in and take goods up to that value each and walk out, where the security guard pretty much wont confront them nor the Police turn out.

Similar for other 'minor' crimes, leave something on your dashboard and the window might be broken and the item(s) taken. Again the Police wont turn out, at most you'll get a 'crime number' by phone/message to report to your insurance company - who'll likely ramp up next years premium by more than what they paid out on that claim.

Cameras and monitoring galore, where now even all financial transactions are now being reported by banks to the state, under the guise of anti-money-laundering/know-your-customer, where if banks fall foul of having received illegal money they get fined heavily, so are compliant at feeding the state with data and more inclined to refuse banking services to 'dubious' individuals. So the Police tend to just stay in offices, solving crimes via those monitoring systems, that are evolving to levels where they know the comings/goings actions/activities of everyone, basically a Open Prison system.

Those that they do progress to Court often get off with a wrist slap, a big disincentive for the Police to do all the effort/paperwork spend days in Court etc just to watch the accused walk out with a smile.

They'll always be thieving. Even a rich individual was caught fiddling self checkouts recently, major stores are more often recording having sold more carrots than they've ever bought i.e. people scan other more expensive items through at inexpensive carrot weight prices. When prosecuted that individual got off when their wife said that her husband was old/confused/forgetful.

Money you deposit into banks becomes the banks money. Money you deposit into a brokerage and they'll buy the shares you like, in their name, not yours. World Economic Forum put out that "you'll own nothing and be happy" - such is the directional push. Physical gold/silver in-hand is at least outside of being able to be confiscated at the press of a button.

[dualstow]

Woke era. Here in the UK and shoplifting up to GBP200 is pretty much ignored by the Police. Regular events now in most shops. Per person also, so in some cases a gang walks in and take goods up to that value each and walk out, where the security guard pretty much wont confront them nor the Police turn out.

Similar for other 'minor' crimes, leave something on your dashboard and the window might be broken and the item(s) taken. Again the Police wont turn out, at most you'll get a 'crime number' by phone/message to report to your insurance company - who'll likely ramp up next years premium by more than what they paid out on that claim.

Sounds like California, although in the UK they have to save jail cells for elderly women who make edgy comments on social media.

[pmbug]

FT publishes story about BoE gold deliveries now delayed by 4-8 weeks:

[seajay]

FT publishes story about BoE gold deliveries now delayed by 4-8 weeks:

Busy rush by Americans importing gold ahead of potential Trump tariffs (higher domestic prices for Americans to buy imported gold), however I suspect gold/silver would be exempt from such tariffs. The Bank of England are primarily a custodian for other peoples gold, aren't liable for those individuals that have promised to deliver gold via Futures/Options/whatever contracts - that's all down to the individuals themselves. But does mean the BoE is busy with movements of physical gold. The video suggests, wrongly, that the BoE is itself at risk. Trumps tariffs are just a push to make already high prices for Americans even higher, and would be inclined to be reciprocated. Inflationary. Good for gold

[yankees60]

FT publishes story about BoE gold deliveries now delayed by 4-8 weeks:

Busy rush by Americans importing gold ahead of potential Trump tariffs (higher domestic prices for Americans to buy imported gold), however I suspect gold/silver would be exempt from such tariffs. The Bank of England are primarily a custodian for other peoples gold, aren't liable for those individuals that have promised to deliver gold via Futures/Options/whatever contracts - that's all down to the individuals themselves. But does mean the BoE is busy with movements of physical gold. The video suggests, wrongly, that the BoE is itself at risk. Trumps tariffs are just a push to make already high prices for Americans even higher, and would be inclined to be reciprocated. Inflationary. Good for gold

" Trumps tariffs are just a push to make already high prices for Americans even higher, and would be inclined to be reciprocated. Inflationary."

Anyone have a counter to this?

[pmbug]

Tariffs confirmed for Saturday. London gonna be crying uncle (Sam).

https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariff ... 35bcd30a1b

[dualstow]

Yay, the forum is accessible again.

Egyptian officials reveal sad end in case of 3,000-year-old golden pharaoh's bracelet stolen from museum

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/egypt-3000 ... m-arrests/

[seajay]

Tariffs confirmed for Saturday. London gonna be crying uncle (Sam).

https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariff ... 35bcd30a1b

“We are going to require a commitment from these seemingly hostile Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy,” Trump posted on social media.
.
.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that sanctions against his country and others mean that nations need to develop a substitute for the dollar.

Trump declared economic war against all, including allies. Given a 350 million population market (US) versus a 8 billion population market (rest of world) the outcome is obvious (and increasing tariffs just accelerates the migration). Most offers to appease Trump by foreign heads are likely just attempts to minimize disruptions until the economics can be migrated over to alternatives.

[seajay]

When others had high exposure to US debt (had lent the US a lot), then when the US printed $$$'s and spent that on military/space/whatever then the others had to print more of their own money/currency - to buy more US debt, or otherwise their existing loans to the US would be deflated. A distinct benefit for Americans/US. Absent that and US versus China military/space races !!!

[dualstow]

Five new arrests made in Louvre heist

Authorities are now in a race against time to recover the royal and Napoleonic-era jewels that authorities have valued at $102 million. Beccuau has described the jewelry as unsalable in their current form, because their status as stolen goods is now known around the world.

—WSJ
Ditto for the gold and other precious metals.

[Jack Jones]

Five new arrests made in Louvre heist

Authorities are now in a race against time to recover the royal and Napoleonic-era jewels that authorities have valued at $102 million. Beccuau has described the jewelry as unsalable in their current form, because their status as stolen goods is now known around the world.

—WSJ
Ditto for the gold and other precious metals.

I find it doubtful that they are unsalable.

[dualstow]

I find it doubtful that they are unsalable.

Not easily salable? At any rate, I don’t expect the thieves have a lot of respect for the pieces as a whole. That only happens in movies.

[yankees60]

I find it doubtful that they are unsalable.

Not easily salable? At any rate, I don’t expect the thieves have a lot of respect for the pieces as a whole. That only happens in movies.

However, are there not always private collectors who don't care that that they are stolen and are willing to pay big $$$$ to buy them?

Not as much as if they could be put up for auction but still many, many, many, many $$$$. There ARE a lot of billionaires in the world.

Of course, there is the resale or upon death issue.

[Xan]

I find it doubtful that they are unsalable.

Not easily salable? At any rate, I don’t expect the thieves have a lot of respect for the pieces as a whole. That only happens in movies.

However, are there not always private collectors who don't care that that they are stolen and are willing to pay big $$$$ to buy them?

Not as much as if they could be put up for auction but still many, many, many, many $$$$. There ARE a lot of billionaires in the world.

Of course, there is the resale or upon death issue.

We should maybe be grateful such people exist, so that the treasure isn't just melted down.

[dualstow]

I have heard of wealthy people buying a painting from crooks to rescue it.
I think most buyers wouldn’t touch these items with a ten foot pole, but who knows. Maybe a Russian oligarch? A Saudi prince?

[yankees60]

I have heard of wealthy people buying a painting from crooks to rescue it.
I think most buyers wouldn’t touch these items with a ten foot pole, but who knows. Maybe a Russian oligarch? A Saudi prince?

In this case there is no "most". There are only a select (relative) few in the world who can buy these things. Only takes one to not care how it was acquired. Of course, they could only allow a limited few to ever see as I assume there would be healthy reward money for anyone who could provide information to who now owns them?

[dualstow]

yep