Mundania Press

In 1933 FDR took America off the gold standard and locked the price at $35 per ounce. At that time the government forbade private citizens from owning any bulk gold, beyond the jewelry they wore.

Should anyone come into possession of any gold, via prospecting or other means, they are required to sell it to the nearest bank or Federal Reserve immediately, at the earliest possible time. Failure to do so would result in a rather lengthy prison term.

Our story takes place in 1964 when gold bullion was still illegal to own.

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Early one foggy November morning a small shop opens for business in the fashionable shopping district of downtown San Francisco. Showcased in their window is the one thing they sell. A small, nondescript can with simple lettering. Etched clearly on the plate glass window was...

instant gold

A mysterious salesman opens shop selling "instant gold," a fine gray powder that isn't gold, but when mixed with equal parts of common sea water, and left to sit for one hour, miraculously transforms into solid 24-karat gold -- and now everyone wants a piece of the action. From common citizens, to big business, to the mob wants to get it, control it, and make a quick fortune from it. The government scrambles to control it while the public lines up wanting their eight ounces of fine gray powder and eight ounces of sea water to turn into one pound of solid gold, earning them a hefty $60 an hour profit -- which, in 1964, was a small fortune!

Could it be real?  Could the age-old alchemy dream of creating gold have come true at last?  And who are the mysterious inventors of this wondrous concoction? The world needs to know!

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Instant Gold is a modern day fairy tale that satirizes human greed and lays bare the whole paradox of free enterprise capitalism, all the while thumbing a symbolic nose at big government.