The Lords of Fortune company to recover gold from RMS Republic 1909 shipwreck

The R.M.S. Republic sank Jan. 24, 1909, after a collision in dense fog with the S.S. Florida off the coast of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts.

The Lords of Fortune company has identified two cargoes — a $25 million Tsarist gold shipment and an $800,000 U.S. Navy shipment, both 1909 face values when gold was $20.67 per ounce.

With a successful recovery, an $8 million investment should return $200 million conservatively, according to Capt. Martin Bayerle of Lords of Fortune LLC.

Add the Russian gold, 45 tons of United States gold $10 eagles on melt value alone, and you exceed 100 times, he said.

Source – Coin World

This is amazing! Wondering if there’s as much as they say there is. Hopefully there isn’t too much damage to the gold from the salt water. Can’t wait to see pictures or video of the excavation. -V.

Gold toilet thief and accomplice convicted!

“This was an audacious raid which had been carefully planned and executed,” prosecutor Shan Saunders said. “But those responsible were not careful enough, leaving a trail of evidence in the form of forensics, CCTV footage and phone data.”

The purloined potty was stolen just days after its installation. It has never been recovered but is believed to have been cut up and sold.

Jones, 39, was convicted of burglary in Oxford Crown Court.

The theft was planned by James Sheen, 40, who previously pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property.

Doe, 36, also known as Frederick Sines, was convicted of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.

A fourth man charged in the conspiracy, Bora Guccuk, 41, was acquitted by jurors.

Source – CBS News

WOW! Looks like justice was served. I will continue to follow up on jail time. Stealing a gold toilet from Winston Churchills house is bold to say the least. I wonder if the art will be made again after this. We’ll see! – V.

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100K-150K metric tons of copper to arrive in the US

The U.S. will soon be flooded with massive amounts of copper shipments in a global rush to front-run President Trump’s probable tariffs, with 100K-150K metric tons of refined copper expected to arrive in U.S. ports in the coming weeks, which potentially would surpass the all-time record of 136,951 tons set in January 2022, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

Goldman Sachs analysts said they expect all forms of copper shipped to the U.S. to be hit with tariffs by year-end, keeping Comex prices at a hefty premium over other benchmarks, and noted that tariffs could cause China to refine 10K-20K tons/month less copper within the first three months – in a global market that Goldman already expected to face a 180K-ton deficit this year.

Source – Seeking Alpha

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Seeking Alpha analyst weighs in on gold

SA analyst World Gold Council stated: “While gold may face some consolidation due to the speed of its latest move, the combination of geopolitical and geoeconomic uncertainty, rising inflation, lower rates, and a weaker US dollar continue to provide powerful tailwinds to investment demand,”

“I recommend buying assets that track the price of gold… Inflation had been on an upward trend, but the lower-than-expected reading in February added more uncertainty to investors. Additionally, recession fears could lead the Fed to cut interest rates. All these uncertainties drive up gold prices,”

Source – Seeking Alpha

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Gold holds with little change

Spot gold fell 0.1% to $3,030.13 an ounce, as of 09:35 a.m. ET

“There are concerns that tariffs could spark inflation, and there’s a consensus that despite rising prices from U.S. tariffs, the Federal Reserve might start easing policy around mid-year,” said Bart Melek, head of commodity strategies at TD Securities.

“I expect gold to trade roughly where it is now, give or take about $25,” Melek said.

Spot silver dropped 1.2% to $33.61 an ounce, platinum lost 1.6% to $980.90 and palladium fell 0.8% to $959.20

Source – Reuters

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Copper settled above $5

Copper’s rise is being driven “solely by supply concerns surrounding the potential for universal tariffs to be placed on all imports of copper into the U.S.,” said Natalie Scott-Gray, a senior metals demand analyst at StoneX. The U.S. is “heavily reliant on foreign copper, with imports accounting for [around] 45% of demand.”

Copper prices have climbed more than 23% in 2025 through Monday, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

Source – Market Watch

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Silver prices climbing

The metal is showing strong upside potential, with the next target range between $34.87 and $35.40. However, traders should remain cautious as silver is currently well above key support levels at $32.53 and the 50-day moving average at $31.75​.

Source – FXEMPIRE

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Global silver market under stress

A surge in rates to borrow the precious metal has become the latest sign of alarm, with anxiety building over the impact of further tariffs from US President Donald Trump. That’s sparked a dash to ship silver into the US in a bid to capture premium prices in New York, possibly causing a squeeze in London.

“Should the long-fabled ‘silver squeeze’ materialize, this slower tradeflow will be a key contributor to prolonging” any potential disruption BMO Capital Markets analyst George Heppel said in a note. That’s because it would take time for silver stockpiles to flow from the US back to London, he said.

Source – Mining Weekly

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Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited raise gold forecast

ANZ raised its zero to 3-month gold price forecast to $3,100 per ounce and 6-month forecast to $3,200 per ounce, according to a research note on Tuesday.

For gold “we maintain our bullish view, amid strong tailwinds from escalating geopolitical and trade tensions, easing monetary policy, and strong central bank buying,” the bank said.

Source – Reuters

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Gold prices above $3000 for the second time

Gold prices scaled a record peak above the crucial $3,000-mark on Tuesday for the second time in a week, as investors sought cover from economic concerns fuelled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

Spot gold rose 0.2% to $3,006.88 an ounce as of 0525 GMT after hitting a record high of $3,016.92 per ounce earlier in the session.

“Gold is moving higher on account of a weaker dollar and continued tariff uncertainties… With Gold at record highs there is a lot of technical and chart based buying that kicks in since there is no resistance apparent on the charts,” said Marex analyst Edward Meir.

Spot silver firmed 0.1% to $33.85 an ounce, platinum added 0.2% to $1,002.50 and palladium rose 0.4% to $968.96.

Source – Reuters