My Grandfathers gold saved him

[Fortyone]

Today is my Late Grandfather's birthday,My father's father.He would have been 114 years old, he died at age 89.Albert came from Serbia. He fought at age 16 ,against the Turks, In the Serbian army, He then fought in WWI. He was shot through the calf and partially crippled at the Battle of Kolubara against the Austrians. After the war, he took up his job as a foundry worker and began a family. He had two girls and two boys. the youngest, My father. Shortly before my father was born,He was willed some good farmland by his aunt. My Grandfather,A ironworker, had no use for it and sold it for close to $1500(1929 dollars) in Gold. He was overjoyed, but resisted the temptation of spending it,remembering the hardships of 1912-1919. In 1941, His fears came true. Jugoslavia was invaded by Germany and Bulgaria and Hungary. Gramps took the family and fled his home in Pancevo. He joined a group of Royalist refugees trying to reach the Italian Lines, (Italians were sympathetic to Orthodox Christians) Jugoslavia surrendered to Germany in just 10 days.My family's group was stopped by a group of Bosnian Muslim partisans.My Grandfather had sewn his gold in places throughout his layers of clothing, as the Bosnians ransacked their items they got irritated at the lack of anything valuable on these wretched people, They began to go after the women and girls. My Grandmother intervened when a Bosnian began to fondle my aunt,(she was 11) My grandfather and the other men began to resist.I wont go into gruesome details, but my Grandmother and aunt died that day.Many were killed,nearby German Soldiers who heard the shots, intervened, and stopped it.the remainder were arrested and sent to a railroad station to be sent to Belgrade.My Grandfather,who now had one girl(13) and two young sons(9 and 7), began to worry. He had to think! He walked right out of the station,kids in tow! He never looked back . They walked to the next village a few miles away and he decided he d bribe their way out. He walked right up to the German Officer (OKW) and asked to buy tickets to Podgorica. He pulled out one of his Austrian gold coins,and offered it to the officer as "payment"for the fare. The German looked at him,said nothing but took the coin. he told him to get the family on the train and ordered the orderly to give them tickets. The Family arrived in Podgorica uneventful. They then used the same method to get to his fictional freind that lived in Italy by boat. (he knew NO ONE in Italy) Once in Italy He decided to go to Chicago where there was a large Serbian community. He sold a few coins to pay for the fare to Spain,then Portugal, and finally the United States. Once here, He Worked at US steel in Gary, IN until he retired. What fascinates me the most is the mans forsight for Gold,and his quick thinking. He lost a daughter and wife but never gave up. he made the entire trip in less than 8 months. Without Gold, i do not believe he would have made it,not would i be here. The rest of his family in Serbia was killed in the war.

[mamboni]

Great story - thanks for sharing this real world perfect illustration of the truism that gold is the one form of concentrated portable wealth that is recognized by and commands respect and awe from peoples throughout the world and the ages, irregardless of religion, nationality, race or political affiliation. Gold cuts through red tape like a blow torch through butter.

[shamrocks33]

Thanks for sharing that amazing story...to keep his composure and think that fast on his feet was pretty remarkable

[Fortyone]

Thanks for sharing that amazing story...to keep his composure and think that fast on his feet was pretty remarkable


I didnt want to drag it out, It was a bit long anyway. But he seemed to have planned the entire escape long before,including the loss of family members. Then again he did fight in two wars and his home town occupied, before reaching his 20th birthday!

[Bubble Fat]

This is the second time I've come across a story of a journey away from war with gold. The first I heard had enough remaining to start a business with in the states.

It should make a few people think.

[Fortyone]

This is the second time I've come across a story of a journey away from war with gold. The first I heard had enough remaining to start a business with in the states.

It should make a few people think.


Gramps arrived in the US with around $500 left I think he said.

[Liquid]

Great story, thanks for sharing it. Not only does it illustrate why we buy gold, but also is a nice reminder on how much we take for granted in life.

Not many folks alive today, have the strength your grandfather did back then.

[mamboni]

This is the second time I've come across a story of a journey away from war with gold. The first I heard had enough remaining to start a business with in the states.

It should make a few people think.


Gramps arrived in the US with around $500 left I think he said.


That's about 24 ounces of gold then, about equivalent to $30,000 today.

[zap]

Great story Forty -one your grandfather was a very smart, resourceful, courageous man, you should be very proud, he knew what he needed to do, and did it.

You can have gold/silver but if you don't have any sense it doesn't do you much good.

The old timers knew how to think on their feet, under pressure,.... My grandpa taught me a hell of a lot about life and people in general, by me being around him and watching/listening, a huge bullsh*tter barterer, Always trading this for that, or this for money, always coming out ahead.

He was very poor growing up during the depression, and learned to think on his feet, he quit school in the 4th grade, but he can do math in his head, he can't read and only writes his name, that's why I would go with him to load hay when I was young, I could fill out the check my grandma would send with him. He was always joking and he would sing the old songs on the way, I remember him singing the Tenessee Waltz.

His birthday is on Tues, he'll be 92 still going strong, I always make a big deal out of his birthday... cake, presents, and card even though he can't read, I draw hearts on it, and put in $ it, as he opens it he shakes it laughing hoping money falls out. ( it always does)

A story passed thru the family tells of how he had saved a little change when he was 6 or 7, he was going to buy a little toy tractor, but his drunken dad took it from him.

Sorry I got off in memory lane. ;D
Edit to add ; I love my grandpa very much and am lucky to have had him all these years ;D

Gold/silver is real money ;D

[chud]

I don't post too much anymore but I had to thank you for posting that story Fortyone. Years ago on the old GiM there was a debate thread about what good gold would do in a SHTF situation, you wouldn't be able to buy food with it and all that, and I posted that I would use it to buy my way out of the country and then be able to convert it to local currency in any country that my family and I landed in because gold is universally recognized. This story is exactly what I was talking about.

[madfranks]

I tried to imagine what that must have been like for him at that moment where he took the kids and decided to risk the journey with no guarantee of any sort of safety. Great story, nothing short of amazing, really.

[Dvrumo]

Great story to remind of a true value of metals. I work with a Chinese gentleman who fled as a child from Mao to Taiwan. Yes, they did it with gold sewn in their clothes as well.

[Fortyone]

I tried to imagine what that must have been like for him at that moment where he took the kids and decided to risk the journey with no guarantee of any sort of safety. Great story, nothing short of amazing, really.


The Serbs, especially the Orthodox variety ,were murdered by the bushel in WWII. Between the Bosnians (who even got their own SS unit) and some Catholic Croat zealots(not all felt this way),The Serbs lost almost 200,000 in flat out murder. The Germans basically were distanced from this, many believed the Serbs would assist the Russians.These events are primarily the cause for Serbian retaliation in the 1990s, The Bosnian's preferred killing methods of Serbian priests was beheading with a saw,the common man usually had his head bashed in with a hammer. Women and children were usually strangled,raped, and stabbed to death. This explains my lack of compassion for Muslims and Jews. (Jews ran the Croatian "Catholic" militias,NONE had any ties to Rome , go figure.)Only the Italians showed any compassion for them whatsoever, admiring their faith and their stubbornness in WWI against Italy's tradition enemy....Muslims.

[cthulu]

So your grandfather spent about 1k in gold, about 40 oz of gold, to get out of there to the US? I've heard stories about vietnamese refugees getting out for about 8 oz/kid, 12 for adult.

[Book]

Once in Italy He decided to go to Chicago where there was a large Serbian community. He sold a few coins to pay for the fare to Spain,then Portugal, and finally the United States.



http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/tsa-frisking-nun.jpg

http://cbskrth.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/tsa3.jpg?w=383&h=272

I wonder what he would do or where he would go in 2010.

:)

[Silver Rocket Bitches!]

Tragic story. Thanks for sharing. Glad it had a somewhat happy ending.

[DMac]

Great story 41, thanks for sharing. It reminded me a story one of my coworkers told me. He is Russian, about 40ish in age. He has been in the states around 15-20 years.

My coworkers know I am a gold bug and I have convinced several of them over the years into holding some physical Au/Ag. Obviously they are all very happy with their decisions as gold breaks 1400.

Well one of the Russian coworkers told me a story after I hit him over the head repeatedly to buy gold. Prior to the Soviet collapse, he told me, his aunt was a very wealthy lady. She held over ~40 ounces of gold. As the Soviet empire was beginning to show signs of collapse she began selling her gold to keep living at the standard she was accustomed to. When she (and their familiy) realized the inflation was getting so bad that they needed to leave the USSR she was down to about 5 gold coins from her previous fortune.

The famliy decided to leave the USSR and head to a friendlier nation in Europe and from there the states. When it came time to go, they were harassed by government goons. The wealthy aunt, now nearly broke, bribed the government agents with the last 5 gold coins she had. These 5 coins got the family out of the USSR. Without the proper paperwork, a bribe was their last means of attempted escape from the collapsing empire.

My coworker was very hesitant a couple years back to get into gold. I told him (among other reasons) a last ditch effort to leave the country may arrive and something like a bribe in gold coin might be the only way to escape safely. This is when he asked me if I thought this type of scenario (massive inflation or deflation) could happen. After discussing the economics of the dollar crisis he said he remembered his rich aunt and how she had faced the exact scenario we might face here in the USA. It was epiphany of sorts for him. He now holds 5 coins - for the just in case it happens here contingency.

It was amazing watching his face as the reality of today sank into his mind.

I work with a lot of Russian expats and they all seem to agree (more or less) that the USA is currently facing the same situation they fled the USSR for 20 years ago.

The story of the rich aunt being left with nothing but a few coins to bribe her family to safety really hit home reading 41's post above.