[#3Fan]

Now Poohbah, you remember what happened last time? You got all upset. Keep your cool this time if you're going ping me on one of these gold threads. LOL

Actually, it DID. Any decent history of European colonization and conflict in the New World will discuss this issue. Spain became an economic basket case because they imported too much gold from America. There was too much gold chasing not enough goods.

No, they became a basket case because they simply bought everything with the gold they stole and let their innovation suffer. Britain provided goods for Spain's gold, becoming more advanced and became a super Empire. As long as a people work for their wealth, they will be OK.

It would have to be a VERY big shed.

130w by 130d by 20h would hold it. Farmers around here have sheds that big.

[Poohbah]

Now Poohbah, you remember what happened last time? You got all upset. Keep your cool this time if you're going ping me on one of these gold threads. LOL

It's really bad form to drag old flame wars back to the forefront. And your refusal to acknowledge basic history means that you're not worth any further effort on my part. G'Day.

[discostu]

You need to do some time out in the field with a tape measure. 130x130x20 is a two story building about the size of half a football field (43.3 yards on a side). Now I've seen some pretty big buildings in farm country I'll admit, but I ain't never seen half a football field in one building... not a farm building anyway and certainly not something sane people would call a shed.

[demlosers]

Poohbah said,
Actually, it DID. Any decent history of European colonization and conflict in the New World will discuss this issue. Spain became an economic basket case because they imported too much gold from America. There was too much gold chasing not enough goods.

you said,
No, they became a basket case because they simply bought everything with the gold they stole and let their innovation suffer. Britain provided goods for Spain's gold, becoming more advanced and became a super Empire. As long as a people work for their wealth, they will be OK.

Actually Poohbah is right about gold leading to inflation that caused Spains downfall.

The first exploratory Spanish forays into South America were not always unfriendly ones - indeed they brought gifts of agricultural tools of iron, and also 'many beads, many combs, knives and scissors, coloured hats, caps, and shirts finely worked at the neck' to trade with the natives. But immediately they found gold and, fuelled by the story of 'El Dorado' (the Gilded One), started their quest for its pillage which was to last centuries. Expeditions crisscrossed the land and the gold was shipped back to Spain to be melted down for coin - coin that was to cause inflation for the whole of Europe and which was to lead to Spain's relegation to a minor power. The chronicles of those expeditions described the gold producing areas of the time.

Title: Gold-smithing in South America at the time of the Spanish Conquest.
a link: http://www.lamp.ac.uk/tairona/a6goldsmith.html

Inflation = There was too much gold chasing not enough goods.