> I would think that something needs to be admitted/announced in order to give reason as to why you suddenly have this gold/money. <
You raise an interesting point, ferret. Let’s say I find a hoard of Union gold. And I put some of it up for sale at an auction house. The FBI is alerted.
FBI agent: Where did you get that all that gold?
Me: It was passed down through the family. That’s all I know.
What would the FBI’s next move be? What could they do?
Side note: I don’t think FDR’s gold confiscation act applies. Because if it did, no one in the United States could own old gold coins today. And many people do, coin collectors especially.
In general, I’d be more concerned about the IRS. The only way the FBI would come into it is if they claimed it was Government gold. An army payroll, or some such.