currency - but the dollar was taken off the gold standard in 1971. Much of the gold in the vault is in the form of 27-pound bars, while a percentage is in gold coins.Īt one time, the point of having all of that gold was to provide backing for U.S. Based on the current market value of gold, the reserves at Fort Knox are worth a far more impressive $273.7 billion, roughly speaking. However, that's based on a fixed price that officials set in 1973. The government says the bullion has a 'book value' of $6.22 billion. You could be the landlord of Walmart, Whole Foods and Kroger (and collect fat grocery store-anchored income on a quarterly basis)įort Knox currently houses 147.3 million ounces of gold.

'It was tough, scary times': Baby boomer financial experts who survived The Great Inflation recount ways to ride out a recession Don't missīetter than NFTs: You don't have to be ultra-rich to own a piece of a Pablo Picasso. Here are 10 things we know - and maybe don't know. Because few people have ever gotten inside, the gold depository is a subject of fascination and speculation. The Fort Knox gold vault is one of the most secure and secret places in America. You may be aware of Fort Knox from the James Bond movie Goldfinger, or from the old cartoon where Bugs Bunny tricks Yosemite Sam into digging up some of the gold bars and getting arrested.īut what do you really know about the U.S.

Us history of gold coin fort knox