Also, there were two primary reasons for gold confiscation:
Number one, the most obvious, is to get the gold!
Number two is alot more subtle. As long as gold was in circulation as legal tender, then it in a sense “competed” with FRN’s. Government was restricted in the amout of FRN’s they could print, because to print too many would mean they would devalue vis-a-vis gold.
So by removing the only widely recognized “money” that FRN’s could be compared to, the window was open for government to print as many of them as they wanted.
As many of them as they wanted.
I doubt confiscation will happen again. I would be surprised if five out of a hundred Americans own any gold, besides jewelry.
One in a hundred might have a five dollar gold piece that there grandfather left for them. It would be way, way too much trouble for government to try to take it. And J6P AIN’T GONNA BE HAPPY if the guv can give HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS to the banks for their parties and bonuses and Lexuses but knocks on his door and demands any gold the guys got!
If the guv tries to seize the ETF’s that would make you wonder.
I believe one way around FDR’s confiscation was to collect rare gold coins, as distinct from bullion. The Kennedys were reputed to have a considerable collection of such coins which they could keep.
Made it so no one could really own property (real estate, etc.) again.