Tracking movement of U.S. gold coins
RogerB
Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭
I'm frequently asked where information comes from about which coins were melted and which survived. (Especially germane to the new _Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle _book published by Heritage Auctions.) The following two pages - out of hundreds - might provide some idea of the kinds of data that must be examined long before any conclusions are reached.
The first example shows changes in a gold vault during March 1932. This was an informal record for use by the Cashier's Office.
A second example from 1938 shows movement of gold from Federal Reserve Banks to the Philadelphia Mint and its disposition to the M&R department. 
By examining these kinds of data it is possible to build an inventory of gold and/or silver coins for each vault, and show were much of the material came from and it's disposition. Vault seals (sample shown in another thread) help to confirm data and extend across time periods when all or part of the data are missing. (Examples above focus on gold, but all other coins were subject to the same tracking approach.)
Have fun! 
Comments
Another source for double eagles and other US gold coins were records of the Tri-Partite Gold Commission, such as this page including part of the Reichsbank of Berlin inventory.
