# If I found a brick of solid gold with no indication of ownership on the side of the street **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 29, 2019, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541 "2019-12-29T12:15:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/21 "2019-12-29T18:30:02Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Even discounting the rather flexible honesty, how does one determine the owner, _then_ the owner’s wealth? I mean, if someone answers your call with, “Musk residence; Elon speaking,” that’s a pretty good indicator but I’d bet not all who are wealthy enough, in your opinion, to not deserve the brick’s return as nearly so famous. Eez joke. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I’m assuming that was a joke, implying that anyone who owns a gold brick is rich enough to afford losing a gold brick. ^ What he said. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/22 "2019-12-29T18:32:43Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Then someone checked the loading dock. A gold brick had been removed as used to prop open a door while the truck was loaded. And they forgot to put it back when they were done. It was sitting in the corner of the loading dock with some other rubbish. Crisis averted. Wow! I guess when you work around that much gold, it loses its specialness. I think I’ve heard the same from people who deal with money all day long. After a while, it’s just a bunch of green paper. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/23 "2019-12-29T18:37:25Z")
The OP doesn’t specify a jurisdiction. But I’ve heard that, at least in some jurisdictions, the gold itself must be turned over to the government, but the finder (_not_ the property owner) is entitled to compensation in the amount of the gold’s value, so long as the finder had a legitimate reason to be on the land when it was found. IIRC, there was a case in England where the finder was hired to work some farmland, and in the course of plowing discovered a Roman treasure trove. The landowner tried to claim ownership, but in the end the plowman got the money. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/24 "2019-12-29T18:57:20Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > As for the OP, I’d take it to a pawn shop. They will tell you if it’s real (as they once did for me when I tried to pawn the old necklace my dad gave me, which was merely plated). Pawn shops in many, if not all locals require you to show ID to take anything from you. Otherwise, they become a very easy fence for any stolen goods. Criminals are far less likely to associate their personal info to turning your burglarized goods into cash. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/25 "2019-12-29T18:59:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The OP doesn’t specify a jurisdiction. But I’ve heard that, at least in some jurisdictions, the gold itself must be turned over to the government, but the finder (_not_ the property owner) is entitled to compensation in the amount of the gold’s value, so long as the finder had a legitimate reason to be on the land when it was found. IIRC, there was a case in England where the finder was hired to work some farmland, and in the course of plowing discovered a Roman treasure trove. The landowner tried to claim ownership, but in the end the plowman got the money. I believe that in most of those jurisdictions [“treasure trove”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_trove) “(found treasure”) has to have been _hidden_, typically buried, and in most cases to be at least a few centuries old; modern laws are more about protecting items of archaeological significance than they are about determining who owns the shiny valuable things. So, a (presumably modern) gold bar that someone just carelessly left lying on the sidewalk (gosh, don’t you just hate it when you do that?) wouldn’t qualify. (Although a gold brick that was buried, even fairly recently, “with the intention of recovery and whose owners or heirs are unknown” apparently _would_ qualify as “treasure trove” in [England, Wales, and Northern Ireland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Act_1996).) Also, at least in the UK the current laws provide that if someone who has a legitimate reason to be on land finds such buried treasure of archaeological significance, the reward will be split between the finder and the owner or lawful possessor of the land. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/26 "2019-12-29T20:29:52Z")
In found in the US, schlep that heavy bar to a time machine and transport back to Gold Standard days. No wait, it would not be worth so much then. I’ll go with “melt it down”. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/27 "2019-12-29T20:39:48Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > It is possible such a find could be gold-plated (and if it happened to me it definitely would be). So first I would weigh it and measure its dimensions. From the dimensions calculate how much you would expect it to weigh. Thus if the brick were 8" X 4" X 2" that is 64 cubic inches. A pound of gold is 1.44 cubic inches so it should weigh 44.4 pounds. But if you found that the brick only weighs about 26 pounds then you very likely have lead with a gold plating. That won’t work. A gold plated brick of tungsten carbide will weigh almost the same as a brick of pure gold. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/28 "2019-12-30T00:32:05Z")
In an episode of Pawn Stars, I know it’s all fake, they had a fellow with a gold bar to sell. I seem to recall that they drilled about 1/2" in to show that it was gold all through. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/29 "2019-12-30T01:44:12Z")
I would imagine any “load” of gold buillon bricks would be shrink wrapped to the pallet, after having been counted and verified by a number of people. Vaults which handle only money–coin and currency–do this. Coins are counted and placed in boxes which are sealed, and stacked on pallets. At a certain amount, the boxes are shrink-wrapped to the pallet. Currency is handled the same way. The people who count the money wear jumpsuits with NO pockets. And there are cameras everywhere. If the shrink wrap is disturbed, everything stops. Someone could not take out, say, a box of quarters to use as a doorstop. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/30 "2019-12-30T01:53:40Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > That won’t work. A gold plated brick of tungsten carbide will weigh almost the same as a brick of pure gold. It won’t. Pure tungsten will, though. (tungsten carbide is 15.6 g/cc, W and Au are both 19.3) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/31 "2019-12-30T02:05:19Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > The first rule of “Find a Brick of Solid Gold with No Indication of Ownership on the Street” club (FaBoSGWNIoO club) is that you don’t talk about FaBoSGWNIoO club > > The second rule of FaBoSGWNIoO club is that you DO NOT TALK ABOUT FaBoSGWNIoO club! Too bad James Marshall was a little too dim to realize that. He’s the dude who found gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848 while working as a carpenter there. Legend has it that he became so excited, he rode through the streets of Sacramento shouting “GOLD! GOLD! THERE’S GOLD IN THEM THAR HILLS!” :smack: thus setting off the California Gold Rush. (Not to be confused with that dude who ran naked through the streets shouting “Eureka”.) ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/32 "2019-12-30T03:02:50Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > In found in the US, schlep that heavy bar to a time machine and transport back to Gold Standard days. No wait, it would not be worth so much then. I’ll go with “melt it down”. Go back in time, melt it down, give it to your grandpa to invest. You’ll be richer now. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/33 "2019-12-30T03:17:59Z")
It is concerning the Manhattan Project that I read the story of the worthless pure gold brick used as a doorstop to the plutonium storeroom. Perhaps in Feynman? ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/34 "2019-12-30T05:44:12Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Go back in time, melt it down, give it to your grandpa to invest. You’ll be richer now. Grandpa was a wild biker and a liquor smuggler. He’d have had fun with it. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/35 "2019-12-30T13:58:55Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Eez joke. > > ^ What he said. _That’s_ what that ‘vrow’ sound was. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/36 "2019-12-30T15:23:52Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > > [@GaryM](#): > > > > Wasn’t that covered in the famous court case of “Finder vs. Weepers”?:smack: > > That was actually the case of “Finders v. Losers”. As I recall, the judge ruled that Finders are keepers and Losers are weepers. > > It was upheld on appeal. In the real world, of course, that is bullshit. If a bag of money falls off an armored car, you can’t just keep it because you found it on the street corner. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/37 "2019-12-30T15:43:18Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > In the real world, of course, that is bullshit. If a bag of money falls off an armored car, you can’t just keep it because you found it on the street corner. Well, you can try, but they’ll probably be able to track down someone spending it. What if you find a dollar? Or a five-dollar Bill? Or a twenty? At what point are you expected to notify the police? What if I go to the police station to turn in a nickel I’ve found? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/38 "2019-12-30T16:18:17Z")
My gf is always misplacing her stuff. I’d assume the gold brick was hers, so I’d hide it for safe keeping. Then, when she told me she couldn’t find her gold brick, I’d get it out and all would be well. ---
**Author:** ![Pazu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pazu/32/15522_2.png) [@Pazu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pazu)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2019, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/39 "2019-12-31T06:48:57Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The OP doesn’t specify a jurisdiction. But I’ve heard that, at least in some jurisdictions, the gold itself must be turned over to the government, but the finder (_not_ the property owner) is entitled to compensation in the amount of the gold’s value, so long as the finder had a legitimate reason to be on the land when it was found. IIRC, there was a case in England where the finder was hired to work some farmland, and in the course of plowing discovered a Roman treasure trove. The landowner tried to claim ownership, but in the end the plowman got the money. The Mildenhall Treasure, as chronicled in [Roald Dahl’s story of the same name](https://www.roalddahlfans.com/dahls-work/short-stories/the-mildenhall-treasure/). ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2019, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541/40 "2019-12-31T08:11:56Z")
Constantly look over your shoulder. Whoever lost the gold probably wants it back. Badly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-found-a-brick-of-solid-gold-with-no-indication-of-ownership-on-the-side-of-the-street/845541.md?page=3)