Gold at $42.22 and "One of the Great Mysteries" | Phillip Magness

Economic historian Phillip Magness tells Kitco News anchor Jeremy Szafron that Americans who surrendered gold in 1933 at $20.67 an ounce got none of the gain when Washington repriced it at $35 less than ten months later. "It's always the private sector that gets the bad end of it." America's 261.5 million ounces are still carried on the federal books at $42.22 an ounce, about $11 billion against more than $1 trillion at market.Economic historian Phillip Magness tells Kitco News anchor Jeremy Szafron that Americans who surrendered gold in 1933 at $20.67 an ounce got none of the gain when Washington repriced it at $35 less than ten months later. "It's always the private sector that gets the bad end of it." America's 261.5 million ounces are still carried on the federal books at $42.22 an ounce, about $11 billion against more than $1 trillion at market.Magness traces the line from the 1933 gold surrender and the Gold Reserve Act through Bretton Woods, the 1971 Nixon shock and the Smithsonian Agreement, to the accounting price still sitting on the federal books today. Two billion dollars of the Treasury's 1934 revaluation gain went into the Exchange Stabilization Fund, which the Treasury can still use in currency markets. Magness calls the $42.22 valuation "one of the great mysteries that comes out of the Nixon era."Also in the interview: whether anyone holding coins participates when a government reprices its gold, what would actually have to happen for a revaluation to become money the government could spend, why revaluation keeps returning whenever Washington wants financial room without raising taxes, how much public warning there was in 1933, and the single condition Magness says made it possible. Plus why Spain grew poorer despite receiving enormous quantities of New World bullion, and when America's gold was last independently audited.Recorded August 3 2026Follow Jeremy Szafron on X: @JeremySzafron (https://twitter.com/JeremySzafron) Follow Kitco News on X: @KitcoNewsNOW (https://twitter.com/kitconewsnow) Follow Phillip Magness on X: @PhilWMagness (https://twitter.com/PhilWMagness)00:00  1933: AMERICANS ORDERED TO SURRENDER GOLD01:46  HOW THE 1933 GOLD ORDER WORKED03:12  WHY FDR BROKE THE GOLD LINK05:51  PHYSICAL GOLD VS. PAPER CLAIMS07:36  THE $2.8 BILLION GOLD REVALUATION GAIN09:15  FROM BRETTON WOODS TO THE NIXON SHOCK13:03  WHEN GOLD WAS MISTAKEN FOR NATIONAL WEALTH16:54  WHY U.S. GOLD IS STILL BOOKED AT $42.2220:21  WHO CAPTURED THE REVALUATION GAIN?23:40  REVALUING GOLD TO HELP FUND BITCOIN?25:59  HOW MUCH WARNING DID AMERICANS RECEIVE?27:20  EMERGENCY POWERS THEN AND NOW29:04  THE FORT KNOX AUDIT DEBATE31:18  WHY CENTRAL BANKS ARE BUYING GOLD32:20  WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MONEY LOSES TRUST?34:15  COPPER AND THE RETURN OF MERCANTILISM39:33  WHAT GOLD HOLDERS SHOULD LEARN FROM 1933#Gold #GoldStandard #JeremySzafron__________________________________________________________________Like, share, and subscribe to Kitco News—and turn on alerts to stay current with expert interviews, market insights, and breaking news coverage. FOLLOW US:  X: https://x.com/kitconewsnow  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kitconews  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KitcoNews  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kitconewsListen to the PODCAST on🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1My4WgtF0ZhUnxkxDLoJof🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kitco-news/id1842889233🎧 All podcast episodes available here → https://kitconews.buzzsprout.comVisit: https://Kitco.com/ for live gold, silver, and crypto prices, the latest mining news, and macroeconomic insights.  Live gold price and chart: https://www.kitco.com/charts/goldLive silver price and chart: https://www.kitco.com/charts/silverLive crypto market data: https://www.kitco.com/price/cryptoLearn more about Kitco News: https://www.kitco.com/news/about/ For more information on advertising, sponsorship and marketing promotions – please visit our online media kit at: https://www.kitco.com/advertising  Disclaimer:  The videos are not intended to provide trading advice, and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. Kitco News, its anchors, producers, and reporters are not responsible in any way for the performance or actions of any sponsor, advertiser or affiliate of Kitco News. In no event will Kitco and its employees be held liable for any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use of the content in this video.Disclaimer:  The videos are not intended to provide trading advice, and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. Kitco News, its anchors, producers, and reporters are not responsible in any way for the performance or actions of any sponsor, advertiser or affiliate of Kitco News. In no event will Kitco and its employees be held liable for any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use of the content in this video.