Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Billion Dollar Photo? Civil Engineer Opinion Wanted (Vanity)
Street Tracks Gold Shares ^ | Dec 9, 2005 | Travis McGee

Posted on 12/09/2005 10:49:04 AM PST by Travis McGee

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-110 next last

1 posted on 12/09/2005 10:49:05 AM PST by Travis McGee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

Looks about right. Note some of the wood slats are bending under the weight. The little forklift at the local cement factory can handle the load.


2 posted on 12/09/2005 10:52:42 AM PST by RightWhale (Not transferable -- Good only for this trip)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

I would have to inspect it personally to give an accurate estimate...


3 posted on 12/09/2005 10:52:44 AM PST by evets (God bless president Bush!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee
I was thinking that this is a pretty rinky-tink looking operation -- I mean, really: hand-lettered labels thumb-tacked to the wooden pallets?

Sumpin' seems wrong with this picture....

4 posted on 12/09/2005 10:53:22 AM PST by r9etb
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

Gold is made into a large number of different bars of different weights. The most well known are the large 'London Good Delivery Bars' which are traded internationally. These weigh about 400 Troy Ounces, i.e. 12.5 kg/ 27 lbs. Each. Others are denominated in kilogrammes, grammes, troy ounces, etc. In grammes, bars range from 1 g up to 10 kg. In troy oz, from 1/10 tr.oz. up to 400 tr.oz.. Other bars include tola bars and Tael bars

I copied this from gold.com


5 posted on 12/09/2005 10:54:41 AM PST by Greg_99 (Sua Sponte)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee
An interesting question for a Friday!

I don't have time to run real numbers, but if the load paths are directly through the bars and wood to ground and if the wood is sufficiently strong in compression, it looks real to me.

Take a look at the first full-view stack of pallets on the right. Just below the top pallet, it appears to be sitting on a sheet of 3/4" or 1" plywood. Notice how the very edge of the plywood is bending down under the weight - it would take a lot of weight to bend that wood with such a short moment arm (or lever length). So that top pallet of gold is probably real to provide enough weight to do that.

Fun speculation, though!

6 posted on 12/09/2005 10:55:17 AM PST by Hank Rearden (Never allow anyone who could only get a government job attempt to tell you how to run your life.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

That one on the lesft, yeah, that one, that's mine.


7 posted on 12/09/2005 10:55:54 AM PST by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (I get paid to get in your business.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: r9etb
I was thinking that this is a pretty rinky-tink looking operation -- I mean, really: hand-lettered labels thumb-tacked to the wooden pallets?

You gotta problem with my handwriting?

8 posted on 12/09/2005 10:56:49 AM PST by Hank Rearden (Never allow anyone who could only get a government job attempt to tell you how to run your life.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

If really gold, the weight would snap the plywood sheets. I say its fake.


9 posted on 12/09/2005 10:56:57 AM PST by FormerACLUmember
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

each pallet only weighs 2160 lbs.


10 posted on 12/09/2005 10:58:51 AM PST by Greg_99 (Sua Sponte)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

Where did you get a picture of my basement?!


11 posted on 12/09/2005 10:59:18 AM PST by coloradan (Failing to protect the liberties of your enemies establishes precedents that will reach to yourself.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: r9etb

Yep, a BILLION DOLLARS, on plain $5 wood pallets, with hand lettered "postit" labels?


12 posted on 12/09/2005 11:00:03 AM PST by Travis McGee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

http://www.streettracksgoldshares.com/images/ Check it out, you can see other angles and images of the same.


13 posted on 12/09/2005 11:00:14 AM PST by Paradox (Time to sharpen ole Occam's Razor.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee
Looks like chocolate in my opinion.

14 posted on 12/09/2005 11:01:58 AM PST by evets (God bless president Bush!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

Paging Odd Job!!


15 posted on 12/09/2005 11:02:40 AM PST by ken5050 (Ann Coulter needs to have children ASAP to pass on her gene pool....any volunteers?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee
This civil engineer thinks the photo looks reasonable. Notice how low each stack on each pallet is . . . with most products, these pallets would be stacked with more things on top of them.

My only question involves the pallets at the bottom of the stacks . . . How do they hold up the entire load above them without breaking?

16 posted on 12/09/2005 11:03:04 AM PST by Alberta's Child (What it all boils down to is that no one's really got it figured out just yet.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

Looks like the vaults at the Depository Trust company down in the Wall Street district.


17 posted on 12/09/2005 11:03:58 AM PST by Beckwith (The liberal press has picked sides ... and they have sided with the Islamofascists)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

Typical gold bar is 400 troy ounces or 27.4 lbs.


18 posted on 12/09/2005 11:05:18 AM PST by Sacajaweau (God Bless Our Troops!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

Have then FedEx a pallet or two to my place and I will have an answer for you within a week.


19 posted on 12/09/2005 11:05:28 AM PST by H. Paul Pressler IV
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

If you look at the center of each stack of gold, there is a stack of ingots direstly under the central beam of each pallet. The weight of the pallets is therefore concentrated onthe gold beneath it and the compresive strength of the blocks of solid wood underneath.

It's possible.


20 posted on 12/09/2005 11:05:42 AM PST by exDemocratbutnotRepubican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-110 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson