The U.S. is sitting on an enormous pile of gold, and pretending it’s worth $11 billion. As America’s debt explodes and credibility cracks, a century-old trick might be back on the table: reprice the gold, fix the balance sheet, and pray the world buys it.Why Would The US Revalue Its Gold?The U.S. gold reserve, the largest of its kind, has sat in the background of financial policy for a decade. Yet, as the budget deficit widens, a radical idea of revaluing this gold is starting to catch traction.The logic? Leverage what you already own. The U.S. Treasury claims to hold over 261 million troy ounces of gold at Fort Knox, West Point, and the Denver Mint, valued on the books at just $42.22 per ounce. The 1930s “official” price implies a total gold reserve value of around $11 billion — barely a rounding error on the $34 trillion-plus national debt.Mark that same gold to the current market price at $3,300/oz, and suddenly it is worth over $861 billion. At $8,000? Try $2.1 trillion. And if you entertain the more aggressive estimates, things get wild. Crescat Capital strategist Tavi Costa explained the situation for Kitco."Even marking to market where gold prices are currently, we're about 2% of those Treasuries outstanding. If we go back to the 40% [backing ratio seen during WWII], it's close to $55,000 an ounce."And the motivation? It's as old as debt itself: avoid default, buy time, and do it in a way that doesn't look like outright money printing. Revaluing gold offers a way to juice the federal balance sheet without raising taxes, slashing entitlements, or — God forbid — reducing spending.Flashbacks From the Roosevelt EraIn 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pulled a monetary rabbit out of his hat.Faced with deflation, collapsing banks, and dwindling public confidence, Roosevelt invoked the Emergency Banking Act to issue Executive Order 6102. The order criminalized private gold ownership and compelled Americans to surrender their bullion at a fixed rate of $20.67 per ounce. Then, after the gold was safely in federal hands, the government revalued it to $35 per ounce, devaluing the
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