What Would You Do If You Found A Stash of Gold Bars...but?

[AusTexDude]

Scenario...

You're detecting on your property and come across a stash of twenty 50LB solid gold bars. With some research you find that they most likely were stolen from a Wells Fargo stagecoach by bandits close to 100 years ago. Wells Fargo is still in business and could possibly demand they be returned. To make matters worse you live in a small town with one bank, a Wells Fargo, where the local judge and city officials bank. The bank has considerable pull in your community.

You have not told anyone yet you have found them, not even your closest friends and family.

What's your next move?

 

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[lisfisher]

If you tell anyone at all, they will come out of the woodwork in hoards trying to lay claim to your discovery, without question. That said, I suppose the only thing you can do is melt a little at a time and try selling it in small pieces. I am wondering if there is a law that defines the rightful owner of stolen property based on how many years have passed.

 

[Citiboy289]

Gee another awful day of metal detecting , , Only found some nails, pop tops and 2 pennys Think I am going to give this hobby up !

 

[Doschewy]

I would let the property owner know because it not yours ....... But you would need a finders fee of course!

 

[Jason in Enid]

Why engage in meaningless hypotheticals? Worry about that when it happens, because there is a 99.9999999% chance you will never find more than a few ounces total in your detecting life.

 

[liftloop]

re-melt it's un trace-able then

 

[NHBandit]

You could never possibly hide the fact that you make an amazing discovery like that unless you reburied it and never spent a dime of it. Where's the fun in that ? Personally I think I would hire a lawyer and make contact with someone high up in Wells Fargo and work a deal. Show them nothing, give no details of where or how it was found or even the exact amount you have. Pose it as a hypothetical question like you did here and get a 50/50 split agreed to in writing before doing ANYTHING that could legally be used against you to force you to give up the goods. With the value of gold today compared to what it was when it was stolen Wells Fargo is going to make a pretty nice profit off getting half of it back and you would be set for life. ANY other way of handling it will result in you always looking over your shoulder or not being able to enjoy your new found wealth.

 

[Limitool]

That's a good idea Bandit.... but even in the "hypothetical sense" proposal to Wells Fargo you'd eventually have to come clean before they'd take anything like that seriously.

Take a MILLION pictures of the bars, place found and document ALL DETAILS. Melt them down and start selling off.... enjoy life. Eventually you could share everything you did.

QUESTION: If you found an old weathered leather bag with 100+ 1870's gold coins on somebody else's property... what would you do? Change the "truth", melting them sucks and selling them leads to questions or could.

 

[Bum Luck]

 

[Frankn]

SILENCE IS GOLDEN
First buy a furnace and lost wax casting equippment. Now convert it to either jewelry or simulated nuggets. Now travel around the country selling the 'products' in small towns across the country. Man, you jest have to use your head when the big one hits! Frank...

 

[Ole # 7]

Doesn't Wells Fargo and other such businesses have insurance for such losses? I'd bet that they've already been paid. Its likely that the person or persons involved in the "deposit" have earned their just reward, that's why it's still on your property. When I buy a house and ask for a mortgage, the bank inspects the property to insure that they will get back their investment and more if you happen to miss a couple payments. If they missed the gold bars during their inspection, I'd say the gold would be yours! You're paying taxes on the land, so why not?

 

[Unclebuck257]

If and when I were to find those gold bars on MY property, none of you will ever know about it!! LMBO!! Neither will Wells Fargo Bank (who I can't stand), the state of Texas nor anyone else. Everybody and their mothers will be looking to get their piece of the game once it gets out! Oh, and that attorney, I'm sure he'll be glad to spend as many hours as "needed" to handle this for you at $ 500.00 per hour!

 

[73dguard]

Scenario...



You have not told anyone yet you have found them, not even your closest friends and family.

What's your next move?

View attachment 960276

keep it that way.

 

[SusanMN]

Stash it until really old age hits and I can legitimately claim that I don't have a clue when or how I might have come to own it. For me, this point in life could come as early as next year.

 

[EccentricInTexas]

Claim the discovery, They have to PROVE that the bars are the same ones that were stolen. Split with the land owner what ever the agreement was. (Make sure you have it in writing first) and pay the taxes on it. The use the remainder profits to fund other adventures!!!

 

[deodra]

Hmmm.... Usually, I'm in the business of being completely transparent and honest. That being said, usually being honest in cases like this would only screw you. Everyone is out to get theirs-- particularly the government and big business. I suppose I would remove the bars, melt them down, take a trip to Alaska to dredge, melt down my "findings" and live happily. I'd use that money to help my close friends and family who are struggling so hard to make ends-meet even though they are truly trying so hard to get ahead.

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT!
It's nobody's business what I have done.
oops, I mean, what I would do.........

 

[Trajady]

Doesn't Wells Fargo and other such businesses have insurance for such losses? I'd bet that they've already been paid. Its likely that the person or persons involved in the "deposit" have earned their just reward, that's why it's still on your property. When I buy a house and ask for a mortgage, the bank inspects the property to insure that they will get back their investment and more if you happen to miss a couple payments. If they missed the gold bars during their inspection, I'd say the gold would be yours! You're paying taxes on the land, so why not?

I believe you are right Ole #7, Wells Fargo would have been paid from the insurance company, but I'm 99% sure that this would belong to the insurance company then. You would have to fight the company that insured Wells Fargo for that gold in court if it ever came to light.

 

[hightonehunter]

1 word........melt !

 

[Bum Luck]

SILENCE IS GOLDEN First buy a furnace and lost wax casting equippment. Now convert it to either jewelry or simulated nuggets. Now travel around the country selling the 'products' in small towns across the country. Man, you jest have to use your head when the big one hits! Frank...