Hiding metal horror stories

B

BullionBull

New Member
Let's have a thread about what can go wrong with hiding precious metals. I have a great story to tell.

Several years ago, I needed to hide about 10kg of gold underground while I spent several years outside Australia on contract. I thought I'd be smart and bury it in a national park (which shall remain unnamed). I buried it about a metre down in what looked like the middle of nowhere, took some photos and a GPS reading, and went off.

Long story short, when I returned 3 years later I was horrified to find that the Parks department had chosen the area for sand mining for sand to use in the construction of some tourism-related buildings in the park! Everything in the area had been mined to a depth of 3 metres! OMFG!

I remember running towards where I had buried the metal, frantically saying aloud "Oh God no! Oh God no!" with my long-suffering wife scampering behind me, trying to reassure me.

You can imagine my intense relief and amazement when I found that the excavations had gone 50 metres into the embankment towards my stash, BUT STOPPED LITERALLY ONE (1) METRE FROM THE STASH !!!! I have photos to prove it. I almost wept with joy when my shovel clunked against the container and I hefted it up into the sunlight again.

To this day it makes me anxious to think about this.

I shall never bury anything again without much more care in chosing a location.

What nightmare stories do you have?
 
There was a guy on the Kitco forum from Qld - he had a stash somewhere in the order of $70k buried on his property dug up and stolen. Some immediate family members that had been told the location. Went to get it and it was gone.
 
BullionBull said:
Let's have a thread about what can go wrong with hiding precious metals. I have a great story to tell.

Several years ago, I needed to hide about 10kg of gold underground while I spent several years outside Australia on contract. I thought I'd be smart and bury it in a national park (which shall remain unnamed). I buried it about a metre down in what looked like the middle of nowhere, took some photos and a GPS reading, and went off.

Long story short, when I returned 3 years later I was horrified to find that the Parks department had chosen the area for sand mining for sand to use in the construction of some tourism-related buildings in the park! Everything in the area had been mined to a depth of 3 metres! OMFG!

I remember running towards where I had buried the metal, frantically saying aloud "Oh God no! Oh God no!" with my long-suffering wife scampering behind me, trying to reassure me.

You can imagine my intense relief and amazement when I found that the excavations had gone 50 metres into the embankment towards my stash, BUT STOPPED LITERALLY ONE (1) METRE FROM THE STASH !!!! I have photos to prove it. I almost wept with joy when my shovel clunked against the container and I hefted it up into the sunlight again.

To this day it makes me anxious to think about this.

I shall never bury anything again without much more care in chosing a location.

What nightmare stories do you have?
Click to expand...
i can imagine that would have been a frantic few minutes
 
This is why I think burial is such a fraught with danger thing.

I favour the risk of it being taken by government from my off site vault owners than have it stolen blind.

The only real danger is the gov confiscating and even there at least you'll get something in compensation; not just lose the damn stuff!
 
WOW 10kg of gold! Very lucky to still be there!!

Imagine you buried it in Queensland or New Zealand or Japan.
Probably gotten washed away or eaten up by an earth quake.
 
intelligencer said:
This is why I think burial is such a fraught with danger thing.
Click to expand...

You're right, it is. But sometimes it's all you can do, and if it's thought through really, really well, it's reasonably safe.
 
BullionBull said:
Let's have a thread about what can go wrong with hiding precious metals. I have a great story to tell.

Several years ago, I needed to hide about 10kg of gold underground while I spent several years outside Australia on contract. I thought I'd be smart and bury it in a national park (which shall remain unnamed). I buried it about a metre down in what looked like the middle of nowhere, took some photos and a GPS reading, and went off.

Long story short, when I returned 3 years later I was horrified to find that the Parks department had chosen the area for sand mining for sand to use in the construction of some tourism-related buildings in the park! Everything in the area had been mined to a depth of 3 metres! OMFG!

I remember running towards where I had buried the metal, frantically saying aloud "Oh God no! Oh God no!" with my long-suffering wife scampering behind me, trying to reassure me.

You can imagine my intense relief and amazement when I found that the excavations had gone 50 metres into the embankment towards my stash, BUT STOPPED LITERALLY ONE (1) METRE FROM THE STASH !!!! I have photos to prove it. I almost wept with joy when my shovel clunked against the container and I hefted it up into the sunlight again.

To this day it makes me anxious to think about this.

I shall never bury anything again without much more care in chosing a location.

What nightmare stories do you have?
Click to expand...

Man ! I dont know whether to laugh with you (cause you did find it again) or slap you upside the head ? I dont get it, a national park ?! Why oh Why ? I mean you couldnt find a better place ? It would have been safe to get a Po BOX or some sort of small storage rental (not a bank if your afraid of confiscation) then to put it under the ground in a place that isnt your own property.

I had to go overseas for about 1 month last time and i just gave my whole stack to a family friend. They asked me what it was and i said, it wasnt drugs but some family airlomes and some precious metals. They where like oh OK (i gave them the whole safe). They kept it safe for me :)

The bastards did tell me that their house got robbed and my safe was part of what was stolen. I remember wanting to pick my computer up (as i was chatting with them on instant messenger) and throwing it across the room but then they said , na na jokes !!!!!

BASTARDS !
 
I'd have thought if you can afford 10kg in Gold, you probably can afford your own land to bury the stash on?

I personally wouldn't dream of burying my metal in a place other people can dig at without question.

I'd rather run the risk of having the metal buried under my own home than losing it in a nasho park somewhere. You're lucky you were not seen when you buried it too... you'd either have lost it immediately after you left, or you'd be hauled in for questioning!
 
goldpelican said:
There was a guy on the Kitco forum from Qld - he had a stash somewhere in the order of $70k buried on his property dug up and stolen. Some immediate family members that had been told the location. Went to get it and it was gone.
Click to expand...

Did the neighbor see him bury the stash in his garden?
 
Sorry but i'm a bit dubious about this story. Burying it in a National park? Do you know that it is illegal to undertake such an activity? :P
I'm trying to work out scenarios as to why it was buried in such a manner.
Didn't get on with family to look after it...
Live in a unit block thus can't bury in own backyard...

As stated above, what was wrong with a rented secure storage facility?

I'm not saying that you didn't do it but I just find it hard to believe.
Looking forward to photos but i don't know what that would prove.
 
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